If there’s one thing Guatemala’s got, it’s culture. Although it is the “land of the Mayans”, there are not as many ruins here as in Mexico. Many men, women and children still wear the traditional clothing, especially around lake Atitlan, and in the mountains and highlands. Hand-weaved blouses, skirts and belts for women, and the traditional traje for men (which includes colorful pants with a mismatched and equally colorful ‘skirt’ or ‘apron’ around the waist.) You can tell what city or town a woman is from by the design clothing.
For many Guatemalans, Spanish is their second language. With an indigenous Mayan language such as kaqchikel or K’iche as their first (over 21 Mayan languages are still spoken in Guatemala). Many of the people speak at least three or four languages, including Spanish.
Guatemala has a literacy rate of about 50-70%. Between 30-50% of the population over age 15 cannot read or write. This is in a large measure due to the focus of average families on the need to survive, since many of them live hand-to-mouth. The United Nations ranked Guatemala 131 out of 187 countries in the 2011 Human Development Index (which compares life expectancy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide.)
In fact, Guatemala is ranked as the most malnourished country in Central America, and the fourth most in the world. The staple of the Guatemalan diet is corn — in the form of tortillas, atol (a corn drink or soup), chuchichos (corn tamales) and more. There’s not a lot of variety. Poor nutrition leads to inability to learn or to focus. Poverty leads to children dropping out of school to help on the farm or to get a job, which leads to perpetuation of the problem in the next generation. It’s a vicious cycle.
For many Guatemalans, Spanish is their second language. With an indigenous Mayan language such as kaqchikel or K’iche as their first (over 21 Mayan languages are still spoken in Guatemala). Many of the people speak at least three or four languages, including Spanish.
Guatemala has a literacy rate of about 50-70%. Between 30-50% of the population over age 15 cannot read or write. This is in a large measure due to the focus of average families on the need to survive, since many of them live hand-to-mouth. The United Nations ranked Guatemala 131 out of 187 countries in the 2011 Human Development Index (which compares life expectancy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide.)
In fact, Guatemala is ranked as the most malnourished country in Central America, and the fourth most in the world. The staple of the Guatemalan diet is corn — in the form of tortillas, atol (a corn drink or soup), chuchichos (corn tamales) and more. There’s not a lot of variety. Poor nutrition leads to inability to learn or to focus. Poverty leads to children dropping out of school to help on the farm or to get a job, which leads to perpetuation of the problem in the next generation. It’s a vicious cycle.