Guatemala Guatemala is a small country located in the Americans it's barely the size of Tennessee. Guatemala is bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, Honduras to the east and El Salvador to the southeast .(Guatemala by Kari Schuetz ) Guatemala has comfortable weather neither too hot nor cold. Its seasons tend to be divided into 2 parts the wet season and the dry season. From mid-May to October or November it's the wet season it's generally very rainy. From November through April is the dry cooler season with an average of 64°F. Guatemala is the 3rd largest …show more content…
During the spanish rule the capital of guatemala was Santiago de Guatemala (today known as Antigua Guatemala). Guatemala city is home to over 2 million people the largest city in guatemala. Other major cities are Mixco, Villa Nueva, and Petapa. Almost 1.5 million tourists went to Guatemala in 2015. Tikal is one of the most popular tourist sites in Guatemala along with Volcan Pacaya and El Mirador. Tikal is an ancient Mayan citadel in the rainforests of northern Guatemala. Tikal flourished between 200 and 850 A.D. Tikal was an ancient Mayan city. (Guatemala by Kari Schuetz) The Mayan civilization lasted from 250 AD to 900 AD. The Mayan were found on the Yucatan peninsula. The earliest Mayan settlers came around 1800 BC. The Mayas were agricultural the grew maize (corn), bean, squash, and cassava. (http://www.history.com/topics/maya) The Mayas were great builder, and architectures they also had a very accurate calendar and number system. They used a slash-and-burn type of farming which is cutting down and burning vegetation to create new …show more content…
Many traditional foods are based on Maya cuisine and prominently feature corn, chilis and beans as key ingredients. There are also foods that it is traditional to eat on certain days of the week - for example, it is known that on Thursday, the typical food is "paches". The ancient Mayan civilization lasted for about six hundred years before collapsing around 900 A.D. Today, almost half of the Guatemalan population is still Mayan. These natives live throughout the country and grow maize. Guatemala's national instrument is the marimba. Guatemala also has an almost five-century-old tradition of art music. The Mayan people are known for their brightly colored yarn-based textiles. Catholicism was the official religion during the colonial era. Article 36 of Guatemala's constitution states that everyone has the right to practice their religion or belief, in public and in private. Guatemala has had no official religion since 1882. Many Guatemalans wear blue jeans, T-shirts, and Nikes, In some towns, only the women continue to wear their traditional Indian
It is very likely that most people have heard about the Mayan Civilization in one way or another. Whether fictitious or factual, this ancient culture iw idelt recognized. The Mayan people lived from about 250 to 900 CE in Mesoamerica. Which includes modern day Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, and parts of southern Mexico.These people had many remarkable achievements, all of which can fit under the categories of scale, genius effort, and significance. These achievements include an advanced trade system, an amazing understanding of numbers, and the ability to design and build cities that are still mostly standing today. However, their most impressive achievement is their complex calendars.
The Yucatan food was developed or people who were involved in developing it, were Mayans. Maya culture was component of this self-determining evolutionary process. Located in eastern Meso-america, the Maya flourished in a varied homeland of Mexico. The Maya produced bountiful harvests of food from a diverse and productive agricultural structure that incorporated irrigation, & drained fields in shallow lakes. “Religious festivals are a part of life in Yucatan. Every city, and state have its own specific festivals throughout
The Mayan civilization flourished between A.D. 300 and A.D. 900 from the Yucatán in southern Mexico through much of Central America. Some of their achievements were in writing, mathematics, and architecture. The Mayans developed a system of writing through hieroglyphics. They used this system to communicate and share ideas in their culture. They also made advancements in mathematics. They were able to create an accurate 365-day calendar based solely off of studying the orbit of the planet Venus. Another place the achieved in was architecture. They were
Guatemala’s culture is a unique product of Native American ways and a strong Spanish colonial heritage. About half of Guatemala’s population is mestizo (known in Guatemala as ladino), people of mixed European and indigenous ancestry. Ladino culture is dominant in urban areas, and is heavily influenced by European and North American trends. Unlike many Latin American countries, Guatemala still has a large indigenous population, the Maya, which has retained a distinct identity. Deeply rooted in the rural highlands of Guatemala, many indigenous people speak a Mayan language, follow traditional religious and village customs, and continue a rich tradition in textiles and other crafts. The two cultures have made Guatemala a complex society that is deeply divided between rich and poor. This division has produced much of the tension and violence that have marked Guatemala’s history (Guatemalan Culture and History).
Now that the environment of the Maya has been discussed and understood, the agriculture of the Maya is another important factor in the collapse of the Classic Maya. Domesticated crops that were currently being farmed at the time were corn, chiles, squash, beans, etc. Corn was a huge part of the Maya diet for the nobles and commoners, and responded positively to human intervention (Diamond, 2011, p.163). However, agriculture limitations arose with corn, such as a short storing period, one year, little nutrients, and the farming of corn was unproductive and require large amounts of labor (Diamond, 2011, p.165). An agricultural technique that was at first pr...
Guatemala is located in Central America and is south of Mexico. It is home to volcanos and Mayan ruins. Guatemala has strong Mayan and Spanish influence. The Spanish left their mark with their own beliefs and traditions. The Mayan people are a big part of Guatemala and therefore also reflect Guatemalan culture. More than half of the Guatemalan population have indigenous roots. There are many traditions and remedies that are practiced by the people of Guatemala. This paper will discuss Guatemalan customs and beliefs on health and medicine.
Today more than six million Maya live in Guatemala Mexico and Belize. Modern Maya has brought their unique way of life. Their religion to has changed from idolatry to Catholicism, animal offerings. Tikal is a Visitor site with museums and hotels cover the space was camp of Arc.
Mayan architectural achievements were remarkable, given the difficulties brought on by fragile soil, dense forest, and a harsh tropical climate. During the Classic period (250-900 A.D.), the largest Mayan cities had populations in excess of 50,000 people. These high populations required them to practice more intensive agriculture, instead of the typical slash-and-burn.
Josephine parents are from Central America and therefore is her culture. In her culture the head of the family decides solely on the meals menu. The head of the family, the father, has to be heeded and since they try as much to conserve their culture, they will prefer having their traditional foods to others. The traditional food of the Latin Americans is mostly fried and therefore, most of Josephine’s food will have a lot of fats. Guatemala’s cuisine is depended on their religion and the Maya cuisine is responsible for the largest share of their traditional foods. The key ingredients involved are corn, chilis and beans. On her mother’s side (from Honduras), their most popular dish is baleada which represents their gastronomy. The meal has flour tortilla folded and filled with refried beans and Parmesan cheese or sour cream. Sometimes they may decide to add roast meat or scrambled eggs. The mothers are responsible for cooking the family’s meal which is mostly their traditional food. Both the Guatemala and Hondurans enjoy freedom of worship with Christianity their main religion. They are very friendly people and open in
The Maya utilized a system of agriculture with their primary crop being maize (corn). Also growing other crops such as beans and squash. The farmers of this area built irrigation systems, dug canals to carry water, and also built terraces so that they would be capable of farming on hillsides. Cacao was consumed by mostly nobles and was used as money for the Maya. They also built elaborate temples, pyramids, and stone buildings, usually limestone. The Maya constructed a system of writing which consisted of hieroglyphs and an advanced calendar as well. They made books from the bark of fig trees which were called codices. The Olmec civilization had a great influence on much of the Maya’s culture.
In the Central America, most notably the Yucatan Peninsula, are the Maya, a group of people whose polytheistic religion and advanced civilization once flourished (Houston, 43). The Maya reached their peak during the Classic Period from around CE 250 to the ninth century CE when the civilization fell and dispersed (Sharer, 1). Although much has been lost, the gods and goddesses and the religious practices of the Classic Maya give insight into their lives and reveal what was important to this society.
Near 1800 B.C, the Maya people found settlement within Teotihuacan territory and quickly became known as one of the most dominant indigenous societies within Mesoamerica. Best known for their agricultural skills, pottery work, hieroglyphic writing, mathematics and of course calender making this civilization. However, the Maya were the regional groups of Olmec heritage who were the first major Mesoamerican civilization.(Grahm, Liz. 2014) In 1500 B.C, the Olmecs began the effective cultivation of the crops of corn, beans, chili peppers and cotton, along which they established fine arts and the use of symbols to record history. Due to the Olmecs innovative talents at the time, they were also able to branch off and establish other cities.
The Mayans lived in Southern Mexico and Central America in their capital, Tikal, which is in present day Guatemala. The Mayans were known for their engineering, one structure they were famous for is their pyramid temple in Tikal (Document 1). This pyramid was the tallest structure in the Americas up until the 20th century and is still standing today. The government must have been strong and well organized in order to carry out such a large task. The Mayan religion had multiple gods and this pyramid was most likely devoted to one or used as a place for sacrifices. Another accomplishment of the Mayans was the creation of their calendar. An extra document that would be useful is one that explains how the calendar was created. The Mayans must have studied astronomy and math to a great length. Similar to the Ancient Egyptians, they wrote with symbols and pictures known as glyphs that were used in the calendar. These glyphs were gods, such as Zotz (Document 2). The use of glyphs is an acknowledgement of a writing system, which is another accomplishment.
The richest 20% in the world gorge themselves on over 70% of the world’s resources while continuing to exploit the poorest, who are forced to live in desolate poverty. Guatemala is no exception to this, as over 50% of their population live under the poverty line. With a population of around fifteen million people, Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America, but is also one of the poorest. Guatemala’s extreme impoverishment is because of the struggle between the poor mixed-blood natives and the rich Spanish descendants who run the country, the interference of other countries and the extortion of the country with deceitful loans and conditions by the World Bank and other associations.
The Maya civilization is a very important culture that has left a great impact on our world today. They are known for their written language, art, mathematical system and astronomical system. The Maya territory includes Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, and southern Mexico. In these areas the Maya thrived in their religious practices, politics, and their use of the territory.