Hi mobaggins,
Thank you for an interesting question.
From Tikal to the Altiplano: Ancient and Modern Mayan Cultures in Guatemala
http://www.caske2000.org/countries/guatemala/guatemalatravel.htm
"The Guatemalan economy has traditionally been based on agriculture
and wealthy landowners have always relied on cheap labor from
indigenous groups. Forced labor continued until the peace treaty was
signed ten years ago. Today, for lack of other opportunities,
indigenous people still work in the same harsh conditions in cotton,
tobacco, coffee, and sugarcane plantations for insignificant wages as
more than 60 percent of the national land is owned by less than 2
percent of the population.
Language is perhaps the most significant aspect of Mayan culture that
still survives. Of the 29 Mayan languages still alive today, 20 can be
heard in Guatemala spoken by an indigenous population of six million.
A few Mayan languages are also spoken in Mexico, Belize and Honduras.
The modern Mayan have abandoned their pictographic symbol in favor of
the European alphabet and have incorporated many words from Spanish
but most remain largely the same. Scholars have been able to study the
roots of the written languages by examining inscriptions of Mayan
glyphs in many ruins, dating from as far back as 200BC.
Today, Guatemala ?s culture reflects two distinct heritages, one
associated with western cultures and one rooted firmly in
pre-Columbian traditions. The former is found primarily in Guatemala
City, a modern, cosmopolitan and growing hub, and the latter, mainly
in the highlands, where the customs and traditions of each village
stand out. Particularly striking are their colorful dress, their
handicrafts and the celebration of different religious, cultural,
social and sports events, where the musical accompaniment of the
marimba, the national instrument, is never far.
Each village and region is identifiable for its own weaving design and
colors. Techniques and designs are passed from mother to daughter and
traditional clothes are still preferred by most. A visit to the Ixchel
Museum in Guatemala City features some old and modern weavings from
various villages with photos and information about the history, origin
and European influence. Some believe that the different patterns
existed before the Spaniards arrived. Others believe they were brought
from Europe. It is known that the conquistadors used the clothing to
label people and control the populations. The Spaniards introduced
wool and the spinning wheel in the 16th century when Mayans were
spinning cotton by hand. The traditional technique was to warp the
threads on a warping board, and then mount them on back-strap loom
where a panel was woven. Panels were decorated with brocade designs
depending on the textile tradition of the weaver?s community as well
as her personal taste and skills. Finally, the woven panels were sewn
together to make a garment. Today the designs of each village have
evolved with the use of modern textiles and even contain gold or
silver threads. Men in most villages have adopted jeans as a cheaper
dress, but most women still proudly exhibit their art and skills by
wearing their colorful, woven jackets called huipiles. A visit to
villages, especially during market days is a cultural experience
unique to Guatemala and should not be missed."
[edit]
"The further you go into Guatemala, the more you will love this
country and the better you will understand that the Mayan culture is
still alive. People still live much the same way they did when the
Europeans came, weaving, cultivating corn, and beans and collecting
firewood to cook and heat their adobe houses. Electricity and road
access have not changed the local traditions. Corn, which was
cultivated by the ancient Mayans, remains the main crop and it is
directly roasted over a fire, or made into tortillas, tamales, a hot
sweet drink called atol de elote, and a cold sweet drink called
horchata that you can order from small restaurants throughout the
country.
For travelers the main attraction of these towns is the market and
your intent will surely be to take photos but you should be prepared
for mixed reactions. Depending on the village you are visiting, people
may be more or less accepting of photographers. If you see people
hiding or showing strong disapproval, do not insist. In places kids
might ask you for a couple of quetzals to take their photo. If you
want their photo it is a small price to pay. Do not however pay more
than 5 quetzals for photos or you risk devaluing the salary that
workers can make, thus inciting people to beg for photos or directly
for cash. You also may notice that alcoholism is a real problem among
the men on the Altiplano. I prefer to buy little things or services
from children or women than give any cash to men. Even if you don?t
need them, some of the little dolls or other handicrafts make great
presents at a bargain price."
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FAMILY LIFE
http://www.settlement.org/cp/english/guatemala/family.html
"Much of Guatemalan life revolves around families. Guatemalans say
that parents are espejos (mirrors): through them, you learn who you
are and what you can become. Children are able to depend on their
parents for advice and guidance throughout their lives.
Family members tend to live near each other, and Guatemalans rarely
live or spend much time alone. An invitation to a party or social
function, for example, would be interpreted to include all the family
members, including children and grandparents. Most families consist of
parents and their unmarried children, though may include a married son
or daughter and their family. Families also care for elderly
relatives, and godparents (padrinos) are considered an important part
of the family. However, traditional family patterns are changing as
Guatemalans adopt more North American values.
Guatemalan women tend to marry young and have many children. In rural
areas, some couples cannot afford or access a church wedding, and
often live in common-law marriages. Mayan couples may also perform
different commitment ceremonies other than church weddings. Women give
birth at home, though in cities they may go to a hospital.
Guatemala's population is unique in Central America for its strong
resistance to assimilation; even today, there are as more indigenas
than ladinos. A fundamental split has developed in Guatemala between
indigenas, those who have continued to follow their traditional Mayan
lifestyle and speak their traditional languages, and ladinos,
Hispanics and people of Mayan descent who have adopted a Westernized
lifestyle and use Spanish as their primary language. Guatemalan ladino
culture has been characterized as urban-oriented, receptive to new
(especially foreign) ideas and impatient with the slow, unchanging
patterns of traditional life.
Most Guatemalans have adopted some forms of Western clothing, though
some men still wear the sandalsor or..."
[edit]
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Guatemalan Culture And History: A Brief Survey
http://www.geocities.com/blancaveliz/GuatCulture.htm
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Common Threads: Guatemala
http://fhss.byu.edu/anthro/mopc/pages/Exhibitions/CommonThreads/guatemala.htm
Weaving to Belong
"Guatemala is home to a centuries-old weaving tradition through which
indigenous women assert a sense of "belongingness" to family and
community. The women and their families are descendants of the ancient
Maya Indians, and the tools of their trade are cotton yarn, the
backstrap loom, and time-proven patterns and techniques.
Perhaps the most distinctive products of Guatemalan backstrap loom are
women's blouses (huipils) and the ornate collars or sleeves of men's
tunics. Sturdy cotton cloth woven on backstrap looms is canvas to
colorful, abstract patterns utilizing geometric, animal, flower, and
other designs. Each design system, along with its associated colors,
is distinctive to a particular village and even to a specific weaver
within that village; a person's hometown and familial ties may be
determined merely by looking at his or her clothes. This makes the
Guatemalan costume truly an expression of cultural identity.
In traditional Guatemala, backstrap weaving is an integral part of a
woman's life, a labor of love. The slow, deliberative act affords a
creative reprieve from the more grueling routine of daily life.
Normally, each family member owns at least two sets of clothing:
colorful and dressy, these costumes are worn for every occasion and
activity from cooking and farming to wedding ceremonies, affording an
ever-present tie to home and community.
The Weave of the Future
Life among the modern Maya is changing as their traditions give way to
the demands of the market place. People sell the clothes off their
backs and make clothing to sell to tourists. Designs are
cross-borrowed between villages and new ones are created, again, to
satisfy the demands of tourists. Weavers sell unfinished swatches of
material still on the loom to be used by tourists as wall hangings,
thereby creating a new use for an old craft. The weavers of Guatemala
are adapting their traditions to modern circumstances, at once gaining
a new source of much needed income and ensuring the survival of the
craft itself.
The Backstrap Loom
The women of Guatemala weave on a backstrap loom, a small, portable
loom that can be used almost anywhere. The weaver anchors the top end
to a tree or roof beam, straps the other end around her waist, and
simply leans back to pull the threads taut for weaving. This
convenience enables women to be spontaneous with their
weaving-somewhat like women in western cultures who carry their
knitting around.
Guatemalan men also weave, but their instruments of choice are foot
looms, large contraptions used mainly in a commercial setting. The
fabrics created by these large looms tend to be long, feature
repetitive patterns, and resemble material which might be purchased in
a modern fabric store. They contrast with weaves created by the
backstrap loom which are smaller in size, more detailed in design and
more intimate in character."
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Helping the street children of Guatemala with 'Toy Box'
http://www.warchild.org/projects/toybox.html
"Hundreds of children live rough in appalling conditions on the
streets of Guatemala and other Latin American countries, as well as
throughout the world. They are the innocent victims of abuse,
abandonment and in the case of Guatemala, which recently saw the end
of a 36 year civil war, refugees from war. The civil war in Guatemala
ended on 29 December 1996. During the course of the war, 200,000
people were killed, approximately one million people were displaced
and countless thousands 'disappeared'. For the street children of
Guatemala City, survival on the streets is a daily battle - they sleep
outdoors and must beg for food, totally deprived of love and
affection. Drug and solvent abuse is widespread as an escape from the
reality of daily life, and many children are forced to turn to crime
to survive.
Prompted by a British television programme detailing the terrible
problems faced by street children in Guatemala City, the Toy Box
charity was established by Duncan Dyason in 1993 to provide practical
aid and assistance to the street children. Toy Box aims to help the
children in a variety of ways. They are dedicated to outreach
programmes, with street teams going out on to the streets of Guatemala
City each night to meet and befriend children, providing them with
food and clothing and showing them some of the love that has been
missing in their lives. In addition, Toy Box established and run El
Castillo, a training centre and hostel which the street children can
visit daily for hot meals, showers and clean clothes, as well as a
basic education in craftwork skills. The projects are run and staffed
by local Guatemalan and British workers."
[edit]
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http://www.ghrc-usa.org/updates/UPDATE-Vol13-No24.htm
"The study indicates that homosexuality is a subject of little social
discussion in the country?s mass media, because many taboos exist
which do not allow the acceptance of this subject in society."
=================================================
http://www.teenwire.com/index.asp?taStrona=http://www.teenwire.com/views/articles/wv_20031104p071_radio.asp
"Yenny: It's really exciting talking about sex because it's a fun
topic and because it helps guys and girls prevent pregnancy and HIV.
All the things we talk about during our show are usually taboo when
you're talking face to face, but we can talk about it on the radio.
Most people don't know how to protect themselves because of these
taboos.
The silence about sex is the biggest problem.
tw: What's different about learning about sex from your friends or on the radio?
Edwin: On the radio we give the information like it is. It's not the
same when you talk to your friends. Sometimes they'll make fun of you,
or they'll gossip to other people about what you said. On the radio we
can talk more professionally and be direct.
tw: Have any of you had personal experiences in your life that
motivated you to get involved in this program?
Yenny: In my house, nobody ever talked about things like pregnancy. No
way. It was just something you can't do until you get married. But my
sister got pregnant and she wasn't married. I saw what she went
through and how sad she was all the time. Her guy wasn't going to take
responsibility. It really changed things. I wanted to find out how to
prevent ending up in the same situation myself. I've discovered that
many girls don't know what's what when it comes to birth control, so
they just get pregnant because they don't know any other way.
tw: In terms of sex, what's the biggest sexual problem Guatemalan
teens have to face?
Edwin: I think the biggest problem is that teens don't use condoms.
The other big problem is that most parents don't talk to their kids
about sex and instead kids get all this information that's totally
whack.
Gabriela: Also, people don't feel comfortable or free to feel..."
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Catching Babies - At the fork of Río Tatin and Río Dulce, Guatemala
http://old.cruisingworld.com/ithaka/articles/071/
"Since the tradition of midwifery died out, the mortality rate of
mothers and newborns has soared; now, Kelly said, the Q'eqchi have the
highest rate of deaths at birth in Guatemala. She told us that most
women marry at around 14, give birth to six to 10 children-they're
discouraged from practicing birth control-and most watch at least two
or three of their children die before the age of three months.
Q?eqchi women take their superstitions seriously.
Superstitions surrounding pregnant women are taken very seriously
here, and Kelly gave Douglas and me a crash course. While we've been
working at Ak'Tenamit we've met lots of newborns and expectant moms
(many who look barely old enough to date, let alone give birth). A
pregnant Q'eqchi woman believes she never should see people or animals
die, because her baby will remember and get sick from the scare. She
believes that if she sees someone breathing raggedly or taking their
last breath, then her baby will be born with hiccups that will affect
its whole life. She believes that if she comes upon a howling dog
that's dying, then her baby will howl. When a woman gives birth, she
stuffs her ears with cotton to keep out evil spirits, wraps up warmly,
and rests near a burning fire to keep her "hot/cold" in balance-and
it's already 100 degrees here! "Plus, don't look directly at the
infant," warned Kelly. "Q'eqchi are afraid that you'll inadvertently
give the baby the evil eye, it'll get sick and die. So ask special
permission to look at a newborn. After you do, lick your fingers, and
then make the sign of three crosses on the baby's forehead, then touch
it all over with your hands. This exorcises the evil spirits."
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Mission Connections - A letter from Jennifer Thalman in Guatemala - January 5, 2004
http://www.pcusa.org/missionconnections/letters/yav_thalmanj_0401.htm
"The women there were as diverse as Guatemala itself: Ladino women in
their Western style clothes speaking Spanish; indigenous women in
their traditional Traje speaking, Mam, Quiche, or Spanish; gringos
dressed in typical North American clothing speaking English or
Spanish; women from tierra frio, cold country and from tierra
caliente, hot country. It was a beautiful sight to see, quite
literally, even before we got into the meat of things. Despite our
differences, we ate together, washed dishes together, celebrated each
other?s creativity and accomplishments together, and worshiped
together. The women spoke of equality and seemed in all ways to treat
each other with equality they spoke of. The Ladino women, who belong
to the church that hosted the convention, graciously served food to
indigenous women despite the language barrier. The members of the
church opened their homes and housed the women attending the
convention in their best rooms, no matter where their guests came
from, what they wore or what language they spoke. No matter how much
money they had, everyone washed their own dishes. All celebrated the
accomplishments of all with the same energy. In a country that has
been plagued with 500 years of racism, intimidation, genocide,
division, and poverty, what we witnessed was nothing short of
remarkable. These women not only have a lot to contribute to the
Presbyterian Church here, but to the country as a whole."
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Challenging Guatemala's macho culture
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3625369.stm
Best regards,
tlspiegel |
