John Morris
Section 4
History of Guatemalan Food:
- Three different stages combine to make up the Guatemalan cuisine
-Mayan (until 900 A.D.)
-Spanish (1524-1821)
- No National Dish
- Many dishes make up Everyday Diet
-Tortillas (Mayan)
-Black Beans (Mayan)
-Rice
-Eggs
-Cheese
-Grilled/Fried beef
-Guacamole
-Porridge
-Meat and Vegetable stew
Foods Grown in
- Cocoa Beans
- Coffee
- Corn
- Sugar
- Bananas
- Mostly exported but also consumed by Guatemalans. However, they tend to drink weaker coffee loaded with sugar. Stronger coffee is found in the tourist areas of the country.
History of
- Land of Eternal Spring”
- Presidential Representative Democratic Republic (President is both head of state and government)
- Mostly Mountainous
- Slightly smaller than the state of
- Spanish speaking country
- Population 12,728,111
Guatemalan Culture
- Modern vs. Traditional
-Modern ways of urban
- Language
-The Spanish colonist made Spanish the nation ‘s primary language that still exist today.
- Buildings
-Colonial buildings as well as Mayan structure make up most of the Guatemalan landscape.
- Crafts
-Weaving, jewelry making, and ceramics are several crafts that take place in
- Music
-Though the marimba remains as Guatemalan musical medium however, it is challenged by Mexican Ranchero as well as North American Rock music.
People of
- The wealthy and elite run through all of
- Over 53% of Guatemalans survive on less than one US dollar per day.
- Poverty affects both the country side and the city.
- Most of the Maya population lives under harsher conditions.
- More than 70% of rural residents are seen as living in extreme poverty. This is compared to 36% of the urban inhabitants.
Urban Culture
- The urban area consists of higher education facilities in the capital.
-Most notable is the University of San Carlos of Guatemala which is not only the national university but also tuition is free.
-There are also many private institutions which include
The
The
-All are located in the capital city and have several satellite schools in other cities.
-There are also several other small universities in
- In the cities there is a major influence of North American culture
-This has taken place through cinema, music, politics, businesses, and even fast-food franchises-
This has led to the diminishing traditional Spanish customs.
- Soon Guatemalan culture may turn into a cultural melting pot.
Rural Areas:
- In rural areas people tend to stick to their traditions
- Brightly colored native dress is worn by both men and women because they are untouched by modern society
- Their views are also untouched because women still care for the children and weave textiles unique to their culture while the men work in the fields to make a living for their family.
- They tend to eat items that are able to be grown in their community or grown in the fields where they work such as fresh fruit and vegetables
- Tamales of course are a part of the rural Guatemalan culture
Music and Religion:
- A variety of music makes up the Guatemalan Culture which includes -Marimba (Family of xylophones)
-Wind and percussion bands
-Liturgical chant (early art music)
-Contemporary art music
-Folk music
- Religion is a major part of any Hispanic culture and in
-50%-60% Catholic (Primary religion during colonial era)
-40% Protestant
-1% Mayan Faith
- Depending on where in
Sources:
The pictures that you provided were beautiful. Sounds like it is a very interesting place to live. I don't know our statistics in the US on poverty but it sounds like in the cities it is similar to here and that there are a lot of colleges.
ReplyDeleteThe pictures were great I also liked learning about the history and what they do their. Also I had no idea that their food consisted of Mayan, Spanish, and Modern Republic. Good information.
ReplyDeleteGuatemala seems very interesting. I would love to visit where the culture is untouched and see their true culture and traditions. I learned in my environmental health class that 1 in 5 people in the world live on less than a dollar a day. Good report!
ReplyDeleteGuatemala looks amazing. Beautiful pics. To the best of my knowledge, I have never tried a Guatemalan dish, but I would love to have the opportunity. You can't go wrong with a blend of Spanish and Mayan food. I wonder how similar it is to Mexican cuisine?
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe that more than half of this population lives on less that one US dollar a day! This is amazing. Most of the foods that they eat regularly is foods that they can continue to eat until it is all gone.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was very interesting to see that Guatemalans survive off of 1 US dollar per day.
ReplyDeleteI am always interested to see what people in other cultures eat. If only we had a Guatemalan restaurant in Sylva........
ReplyDelete