Indigenous Peoples of the Americas and Guatemalan Culture Essay

Guatemalas culture is a unique product of Native American ways and a strong Spanish colonial heritage. About half of Guatemalas population is mestizo (known in Guatemala as ladino), people of involved European and indigenous ancestry. Ladino culture is dominant in urban beas, and is heavily influenced by European and North American trends. Unlike galore(postnominal) Latin American countries, Guatemala still has a large indigenous population, the Maya, which has contain a distinct identity.Deeply rooted in the cracker-barrel highlands of Guatemala, many an otherwise(prenominal) indigenous people speak a Mayan verbiage, follow tralatitious spectral and village customs, and continue a rich tradition in textiles and other crafts. The two cultures brook made Guatemala a complex society that is profoundly divided between rich and poor. This division has produced much of the tension and fierceness that create marked Guatemalas history (Guatemalan Culture and History). Much of Guatemalan life revolves around families. Guatemalans say that p atomic number 18nts argon espejos (mirrors) by means of them, you learn who you be and what you can become.Children argon able to depend on their p arnts for advice and guidance end-to-end their lives. Family members tend to live near each other, and Guatemalans rarely live or spend much time alone. Families also care for elderly relatives, and godparents (padrinos) are considered an meaning(a) part of the family. Guatemalan wo manpower tend to marry infantile and have many children. Women give surrender at home, though in cities they whitethorn go to a hospital (family life). The typical rural family is industrious men usually work the fields, period women care for the children and weave beautiful textiles with motifs that are unique to each community.A diet of corn, beans, and a wide material body of fresh fruits and vegetables is standard. Chicken and rice dishes are also common. Beef or pork is less common among the poorer classes, hardly popular among middle and stop number sectors in both town and country. Among a variety of native dishes, on festive occasions Guatemalans of all classes serve tamales made of cornmeal with a variety of vegetable and meat fillings wrapped in a banana tree leaf (Guatemalan Culture and History).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 antediluvian Maya Indians, and the tools of their trade are cotton yarn, the backstrap loom, and time-proven patterns and techniques. Each village and region is recognizable for its own weaving design and colors. Techniques and designs are passed from mother to daughter and traditional clothes are still preferred by most. Some imagine that the different patterns existed before the Spaniards arrived. Others believe they were brought from Europe.It is known that the co nquistadors used the clothing to try people and control the populations. The traditional technique was to wrap 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 weavers community as well as her personal smell and skills. Finally, the woven panels were sewn together to make a garment (Guatemalan Culture). pauperization affects both urban and rural Guatemalans, but rural residents, including most of the Maya population, generally live under harsher conditions.Wiggins 4 More than 70% of rural residents are classified as living in extreme poverty, compared to 36% of urban inhabitants. 83% of Guatemalans have rile to sanitation. About 54% of the population has access to health care, but the majority of doctors are around Guatemala City. Rates of sexually transmitted diseases and reproductive tract infections (RTIs) among Guatemalan women are high and ar e on the rise. Malnutrition affects virtually 60% of the young children (Guatemalan Culture and History).Guatemala has a young population, with 16% under age 5 and 27% age 5-15. The birth rate of 36 per 1000 population is five times the expiration rate. Guatemalas people suffer from one of the highest infant mortality rate in Central America, 49 deaths per 1000 live births. Life hope at birth is 66 years (63 years for males and 68 for distaffs), among the net in the region (Guatemalan Culture and History). The literacy rate for Guatemalans over the age of 15 stood at 56% of the population in 1995, among the lowest rates in Central America.Elementary pedagogics is free and compulsory, and 84% of the school-age children attend immemorial school. The enrollment ratio dropped to 25% for secondary schools. Wiggins 5 Enrollment figures are lower in rural areas than in urban areas. Many rural schools only go to third grade, and much of the nations education budget is spent in Guatem ala City (Guatemalan Culture and History). Religion is important to Guatemalan life. Each village has a Catholic church at home, people light candles to honor saints.While the majority of Guatemalans identify themselves as Roman Catholic, the form of Catholicism found in Guatemala, particularly in Mayan areas, differs from that of many other countries. Some people turn to traditional invocation men called brujos, ajkunes and chuchkujawes. These men are believed to have special powers for planting and removing curses, annunciate the future, and asking God to heal sick and bring back make out or lost objects. Brujos hold their rituals in houses or caves, using offerings of infuriate and liquor (spirituality).A typical Sunday is spent for going to church, tour others or being with family. Relatives stop by and families promenade in the streets, urbane in their best clothes. After a family meal, the afternoon might be devoted to a basketball game between cousins, or a visit to a l ocal park or riverbank (Sports and Recreation). men and women tend to interact with their own sex. Male companionship is very important to men. Several times a week, men meet over cocoa or beer with friends they have known since childhood to talk, play cards or watch soccer.Many men confide in their male friends to a greater extent than their wives. Women are less likely to leave home in the evenings, although female co-workers sometimes get together for coffee after work. If woman do not work outside the home, daily chores and shopping are opportunities to socialize with other women during the day (Sports and Recreation). Guatemalas climate is mild which allows people to slacken and socialize outdoors much of the year. Children run around outside vie games such(prenominal) as thieves and police, hide and seek, tenta (tag) and electisado (statues).Children also play with simple materials such as shells and stones, and girls make dolls out of dough. Some school grounds have socc er fields, and the game is popular with both sexes. Boys also enjoy baseball, while girls prefer basketball or volleyball. A favorite evening legal action is clustering on street corners to listen to ghost stories, including the one about the fearsome man with the big sombrero. Playtime is more limited for poorer children, who moldiness help their parents on farms or with crafts (Sport and Recreation).Spanish is the official language of Guatemala, but the indigenous people of Guatemala have maintained a distinct identity, pertain on lands and villages in the western highlands. Many speak a Mayan language rather than Spanish. Although most are poor by material standards, their life-style is ecologically and spiritually satisfying to them, and they have largely chosen to sojourn isolated from national life. The Guatemalan government at times has seek to suppress indigenous culture, make Spanish the universal language, and promote European ways (Guatemalan Culture and History).