ALL YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT GUATEMALA

And more!

Legends  tell,  of   how  the  Quetzal  got his bright,  "blood  red'  chest,  in  1524,  when  the  Spanish  conquistador,  Pedro  de  Alvarado,  fought  in  battle  with  the  great   Mayan  Leader,  Tecun  Uman.  

When  the  great  Mayan  warrior  chief, was  falling  to  his  death, an   emerald  green  male  Quetzal, flew  into  the  warrior's  chest,  to  try  to  protect  him, & when  the  protective  Warrior  Quetzal  bird, regained  his  balance, it's  chest  was  marked  with  the  great  Mayan  Chief's  crimson  blood.  To  this day, it  is  the sign  of  great  warriors.

• Guatemala currency named for the quetzal • Bird pictured on the flag

QUETZAL

GUATE BASICS Size- Slightly smaller than Tennessee Climate- tropical; hot & humid; cooler in lowlands Terrain- mostly mountains with narrow coastal

plains and rolling limestone plateau Resources- petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish

and hydropower Natural Hazards- volcanoes in mountains,

earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and tropical storms Volcan de Fuego, erupted Sept 12, 2012, as seen from

Antigua Guatemala  Pacaya (elev. 2,552 m), erupted in May 2010 causing

an ashfall on Guatemala City

WEATHER March and April are the hottest and driest months. Rainy season- June to October is muggy and buggy With the rain, comes the mosquitoes:

* * bring rain gear and repellent ** It doesn’t rain all day during the rainy

season, but you can expect frequent showers October and November see the end of the

occasional rains and a return to cooler temperatures

In the highlands things get cool duringinvierno (November–March), especially at night.

Zacapa is @ elevation of ~400ft .. Expect low 60’s at night in December

ECONOMY GDP per capita is ½ average for

Latin America and Caribbean Agriculture is 13% of GDP and half of

labor force Exports include coffee, sugar, bananas

and vegetables Industries sugar, textiles and clothing,

metal, rubber, petroleum, furniture, tourism

In El Oasis many men are employed at melon farms owned by US companies

A BRIEF HISTORY The Mayan civilization flourished in

Guatemala & surrounding area during the first millennium A.D.

1534- indigenous Maya defeated by Spanish, led by Pedro de Alvarado; Guatemala becomes a Spanish colony After almost three centuries as a Spanish

colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821.

A BRIEF HISTORY The 20th century has been characterized by

dictators and jockeying for power. Many US fruit companies have land interests in

Guatemala, most notably the ‘United Fruit Company’

During the last half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments

36-year Civil War of guerrilla warfare (1960-1996). Characterized by frequent changes of power, and

deaths and disappearances of 200,000 people, known as ‘los desaparecidos’

Óscar Mejía, a particularly brutal dictator during 1980s

A BRIEF HISTORY Guatemalans continue to face high levels

of violence and weak and corrupt law enforcement institutions.

Sixty percent of the country lives in poverty, and the increasing levels of crime, gang violence and drug dealing show a society where inequality, racism and poverty dominate

LOS GUATEMALTECOS

Most populous country in Central America

Mestizo 60%, (mixed Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino) and European

K'iche 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam 7.9%, Q'eqchi 6.3%, other Mayan 8.6%, indigenous non-Mayan 0.2%, other 0.1% (2001 census)

Religion- Roman Catholic, Protestant and indigenous Mayan beliefs

LA FAMILIA GUATEMALTECA Average monthly income per family is

US $227 (1999)Almost 70% of the population lives on less

than US$2/day This is approximately 1/3 of the average

income in the rest of the Latin America Children frequently do not have much

schooling- often need to work to help sustain the family

Relationship ALWAYS take priority over tasks

Mi casa es su casa Machismo

RACISM

Race and power go hand in handRoots of racism all the way back to caste system

that characterized time of colonizationPeninsulares-> Criollos -> Indios -> NegrosMestizo = mixed

In all Latin America, there has only been 3 indigenous presidents, and never in Guatemala Mexico's Benito Juárez, Peru's Alejandro Toledo  Bolivia's Evo Morales

POVERTY Richest 20% of population controls over 50%

of Guatemala’s overall consumption More than ½ of population is below

poverty line, with 13% in extreme poverty Poverty among indigenous groups (makes up

38% of the population) averages 73% and extreme poverty rises to 28%.

Nearly one-half of Guatemala's children under age five are chronically malnourished, one of the

highest malnutrition rates in the world

COMIDA DE GUATE Mayan staple foods like- Corn tortillas and Black

beans (frijoles)  are eaten at nearly every meal. They are usually refried (volteados), mashed, or simply eaten whole (parados)

Chicken, turkey, and beef are normally accompanied by beans and rice (frijoles con arroz) or served in stews (caldos)

Pepián , a thick meat and vegetable stew, is a common dish in the area of Antigua

Seafood is common along the coasts Fresh fruits and vegetables, such

as yucca, carrots, plantains, celery, cucumbers

SOME PLACES AND EVENTS TO

KNOW ABOUT GUATEMALA

ANTIGUA

CHICHICASTENANGO MARKET

TIKAL

LAKEATITLAN

VOLCANO

There are many active volcanoes in Guatemala. This one – Volcán de Fuego (Fire

Volcano) erupted Sept. 12, 2012

SINKHOLE IN 2007

This sinkhole swallowed up a three-story building is said to have been more the result of poor planning

when creating pipelines rather than nature.

WORK CITED CIA World Factbook-

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gt.html

Timeline of History - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1215811.stm

Civil War Info- http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/guatemala704/history/timeline.html#

Weather- http://www.lonelyplanet.com/guatemala/weather

Family - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/dpu-projects/Global_Report/cities/guatemala.htm

A BRIEF HISTORY 1931- Jorge Ubico, pro-American dictator- gave special

rights to United Fruit Company; overthrown by civil revolt in 1944

1944- President Juan Arevalo introduces educational, social-democratic reforms- including redistributing of land to indigenous peasants. Reforms continued by President Arbenz.

1953- Guate gov’t took over 40% of United Fruit Company land- exacerbating US worries of communist expansion President Eisenhower approves covert supplying of

weapons to paramilitary groups opposing President Arbenz During the last half of the 20th century, it experienced

a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year guerrilla war (1960-1996).

A BRIEF HISTORY 1954- US- backed coup instates Colonel

Castillo and rescinds rights begun under previously elected official.

Civil War officially begins in 1960 Civil War is characterized by frequent

changes of power, and deaths and disappearances of 200,000 of people, known as ‘los desaparecidos’

Óscar Mejía, a particularly brutal dictator during 1980s

A BRIEF HISTORY 1996 – cease fire declared and peace talks

begin In January 2012, Guatemala assumed a

nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2012-13 term.

Guatemalans continue to face high levels of violence and weak and corrupt law enforcement institutions.

Sixty percent of the country lives in poverty, and the increasing levels of crime, gang violence and drug dealing show a society where inequality, racism and poverty dominate many peoples' lives.