Try going for a stroll in much of Guatemala City: It is a pedestrian’s nightmare. Rifle-grasping guards squint at each passerby, sizing up potential assailants. But tucked within the chaotic capital’s crazy-quilt sprawl, there is a dreamlike haven where none of that exists. Evoking the feel of a serene Mediterranean town, Cayalá features milky white buildings with red-tile roofs, a colossal civic hall with Tuscan columns, cafes and high-priced restaurants, colonnade-lined plazas and walkable, stone-paved boulevards. All of this is open to the public — except for the gated sections where about 2,000 families live.

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Locations: Guatemala City, Cayalá, States