What do I know about Guatemala? Not much, that is why I am going there. One of my closest friends is Guatemalan and his family has been in the US for a while. I would imagine, many of them came in the 40 year period of civil war in Guatemala that ended in 1996.

Overview

Guatemala (República de Guatemala) is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast. Its area has an estimated population of 13,276,517.

The origin of the name “Guatemala” is unclear, but several theories exist. “Guatemala” may mean “land of the trees” in the Maya-Toltec language. Another theory is that it comes from the Nahuatl expression “Quauhtitlan”, meaning “between the trees”.

A representative democracy, its capital is Guatemala City. I will be flying into Guatemala City but my volunteer placement will likely be in Antigua. And oh and I excited about that. It is said that Antigua is one of the best-preserved colonial cities in Spanish America. It’s a tourist attraction mainly because of its natural beauty and architecture. It’s also a prime location for Spanish language/emersion schools. Between its architecture, culture and greenery, it seems like a great place for a City Planner to hang out. In many Guatemalan cities, there is a Spanish imposed gridiron pattern, which included a central plaza, with a public water fountain known as a “pila,” around which were situated a Catholic church, government offices, and the grand homes.

Some History

The first evidence of human settlers in Guatemala goes back to at least 12,000 BC. The history of Guatemala is often recognized in three stages: the Mayan Empire, Spanish rule, and the modern republic (which is in existence today). The ancient Mayan civilization lasted for hundred of years collapsing around 900 A.D. Guatemala remained under Spanish rule from 1524 to 1821. It was then a part of the Mexican Empire until becoming fully independent in the 1840s. Since then, Guatemala’s history has been divided into periods of democratic rule and periods of civil war and military juntas.

Tikal (or Tik’al according to the modern Mayan orthography) is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centres of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the archaeological region of the Petén Basin in what is now modern-day northern Guatemala. Situated in the department of El Petén, the site is part of Guatemala’s Tikal National Park and in 1979 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tikal was the capital of a conquest state that became one of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient Maya.

Demographics

The term “Chapín” (plural, “Chapines”), the origin of which is unknown, denotes anyone from Guatemala. About 40% of the population is Ladino, also called Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and Spanish). Whites (primarily of Spanish) make up about 16% of the population. Amerindian populations include the K’iche’ 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam 7.9% and Q’eqchi 6.3%. 8.6% of the population is “other Mayan”, 0.2% is indigenous non-Mayan, making the indigenous community in Guatemala about 40% of the population.

Social Issues

Guatemala still faces many social problems and is among the 10 poorest countries in Latin America. The distribution of income remains highly unequal with more than half of the population below the national poverty line. According to the World Bank, Guatemala has one of the most unequal income distributions in the hemisphere. The wealthiest 10% of the population receives almost one-half of all income; the top 20% receives two-thirds of all income (sound familiar?). As a result, about 32% of the population lives on less than $2 a day and 13.5% on less than $1 a day. The CIA World Fact Book considers 56.2% of the population of Guatemala to be living in poverty.

Guatemala’s social development indicators, such as infant mortality and illiteracy, are among the worst in the hemisphere. There is about a 70% percent literacy rate. They have a public school system but many of the children and adults in the rural areas do not attend school or complete their education. These schools are free, though the cost of uniforms, books, supplies, and transportation makes them less accessible to the poorer segments of society and significant numbers of poor children do not attend school.

Language

As first and second language, Spanish is spoken by 93%.Although Spanish is the official language, it is not universally spoken among the indigenous population, nor is it often spoken as a second language. Twenty-one distinct Mayan languages are spoken.

Religion

50–60% of the population is Catholic, 40% Protestant, and 1% follow the indigenous Mayan faith.

Music

Guatemala’s national instrument is the marimba, an idiophone from the family of the xylophones, which is played all over the country, even in the remotest corners.

Food

Cooking in Guatemala reflects the multicultural nature of Guatemala, in that it involves food that differs in taste depending on the region. Guatemala has 22 departments (Regions), each of which has very different food varieties. For example Antigua Guatemala is well known for its candy which makes use of many local ingredients, fruits, seeds and nuts along with honey, condensed milk and other traditional sweeteners. Antigua’s candy is very popular when tourists visit the country for the first time, and is a great choice in the search for new and interesting flavors.

Though they do not have a national dish, many traditional foods are based in Maya cuisine and prominently feature corn, chiles and beans as key ingredients. Other popular dishes are bistec (grilled or fried beef), guacamole (mashed avocado with onions and spices), mosh (porridge), churrasco (charcoal-grilled steak), and chiles rellenos (chiles stuffed with meat and vegetables). Fresh fruits and vegetables, such as yucca, carrots, plantains, celery, cucumbers, and radishes, help to keep the Guatemalan diet healthy. However, snacks, such as doughnuts ( donas ), are also widely popular.

Guatemalan coffee, which is most often exported, is considered some of the best in the world

Here is a recipe for you:

Spanish Tortilla

Ingredients

• 3 large, white potatoes, thinly sliced

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 4 eggs

• 1 small red pepper, seeded and sliced

• Flat-leaf parsley, minced

Procedure

1. Skins may be left on the potatoes, if preferred. Slice the potatoes very thin.

2. Heat 2 Tablespoons of the oil in a 9- or 10-inch skillet and sauté the potatoes and onion, stirring, until golden brown.

3. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Beat the eggs and gently mix the potatoes with the eggs.

5. In another frying pan, heat the remaining oil and pour in the potato and egg mixture.

6. Cook over medium heat without stirring until set.

7. With a plate, flip over and cook on the other side until browned. Garnish with pepper and parsley

The information presented above was gleaned from the following websites:

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2045.htm

http://www.beps.net/publications/LAC%20Profiles/LACGuatemalaTAG.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Guatemala

http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Guatemala.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemala

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1129.html

http://www.foodbycountry.com/Germany-to-Japan/Guatemala.html