Vegetarianism In Guatemala

Talking about my culture and society are two different things. What the norm may not be is the norm for me. Today you will get to know a little about my culture, who I am and how society has changed a little bit of my family traditions.

Guatemala is often recognized in three stages, Mayan Empire, Spanish rule and last but not least the Modern Republic. Every single one of the stages have had a great influence on the food in Guatemala. The ancient civilization of the Mayan lasted for over six – hundred years before it collapsed in 900 A.D. Usually Spanish dishes like tamales, enchiladas, Guacamole, and tortillas consist of the Guatemalan diet. Guatemala doesn’t have a national dish but there are many dishes that have become more of an everyday dish. Over many years tourism, exports of textiles nontraditional agriculture, such as vegetables that don’t produce very well in the winter time and cut flowers have been greatly purchased, and apparel to continue to represent the exports market. Approximately 13.4% of the children age 7 to 14 are working 68% work in agricultural based things, 13% in the industrial based things, and 18% involved in the services

The Guatemalan culture is very different than the American culture. They eat and drink almost the same food as us but at different times. Almost every meal in Guatemala consists of black beans, white rice, and corn tortillas. Their breakfast is a little different then us as they eat scrambled eggs with fried plantains. Fresh fruit is very common as they love it in Guatemala. The country’s favorite meat are chicken and beef. These meats and all other meats are usually salted and put in chili sauce. There traditional snacks are tamales and empanadas. They usually drink weak coffee with little milk along with their meals. They also love having fruit juice mixed with water or milk. In Guatemala they can’t drink their tap water because it’s not clean which could result in upset stomach or infections. Guatemala has similar foods to us but they still don’t have the amount of food or sanitation we have in America.

A staple diet for Guatemalans is maize. Maize is corn, but it has different colors. In almost all their meals one would find black beans, white rice, and corn tortillas. For breakfast they would often eat scrambled eggs and fried plantains. In Guatemala black beans would be eaten fried, mashed, or eaten whole. Chicken, turkey, and beef are the most popular meats in Guatemala usually eaten with black beans and rice. On the costs* of Guatemala seafood is the most common and it is mostly eaten with spices. Guatemalan people love coffee and they drink it with lots of

Political turmoil in the United States is difficult to keep up with; however, it is important to pay attention to foreign affairs as well. In the country of Guatemala fifty percent of children under the age of five are severely malnourished, the fourth highest rate of malnutrition in the world. Malnutrition is defined as the lack of proper nutrition, cause by not having enough to eat, causing failure to thrive. Americans need to work together to stop the detrimental effects of malnutrition by focusing on the agricultural, government involvement, and education. By looking at the food created in Guatemala, we can see how these children get their energy.

The question of why here and not there, was something that I answered 6 years ago. In order to answer that question a series of childhood memories have to start fade in my mind. My life is separated into two geographic locations. The first 16 years of my life traced back to a small town located on the outside mountains of Guatemala City. I grew up in a third world country and throughout my life saw the struggles of my family and community members. Guatemala is a country of many contrasts,is located in the heart of America, is not in either on the North or the South, is the navel of the continent. The country is culturally rich and full of wildlife. Although Guatemala is a green paradise, that possesses a great architectural heritage of the

Guatemala’s economy is extremely poor compared to other countries. “The poor are getting poorer” is due to the low spending causing a poor infrastructure and slow growth. 40 percent of the country’s poor live on $1.50 per day. Guatemala’s economy has been growing steadily, but has been supported by private consumption. In other words, the government receives money based on what the people are buying for their households. The Guatemalan government fails to collect taxes from a large portion of their population. Therefore, the lack of money puts their economy in great risk when natural disasters occur. Their geography contains hills, mountains, poor soil, and volcanos. It is extremely difficult to build safe, secure houses with the lack of money and resources. People everyday live unsure when a natural disaster will strike and they are unable to protect their loved ones. Guatemala receives around 10 feet of rain during a 5 month rainy

When it comes to climate change directly caused by humans, the Central American country of Guatemala is a prime example. With a population of over 16 million, spread over the course of only 42,000 square miles -- mostly in and around the capital of Guatemala City -- there is plenty being done directly and indirectly to negatively affect climate. But it’s not just civilian’s actions that leave it susceptible to climate change, as location and deforestation also conspire to make the country’s inhabitants more vulnerable to dire conditions, with indigenous communities and farmers among the most affected.

In this chapter the author describes the religious impact specifically Catholic Church on the politics of Guatemala; while Catholic influence was strong in Guatemala, the church had to work to keep out other religious influences such as Protestantism. The primary source is about archbishop Oscar Romero, he taken aback by the death of his friend who died at the hand of the government security forces; in his speech he says while there is a lot of suffering in the country, in the end God has a plan for all of us, he encourages the people to work for reform and freedom; he also pleads to the soldiers to stop killing because the message that comes from God is something they should follow over any order given by a government.

Guatemala does not make the top 50 list of the world’s poorest countries, but somehow this country has the fourth largest rate of malnutrition. Malnutrition is defined as the lack of proper nutrition, cause by not having enough to eat. To truly understand the statistics one must first examine the diet of the average Guatemalan family. In understanding the severity of this issue across the country, the effect on the children, both long and short term, and the multi-generational effects of this epidemic, a solution can be pinpointed to deal with this devastating problem. It is important to know what these children are consuming on a daily bases in order to tell where the child is missing nutrients.

Maize is used to make tortillas, which is possibly the most important staple in their diet. Tortillas are generally eaten with every meal and therefore maize is highly important to ensure Guatemalan food security (Shriar 2003: 97). Many households in Guatemala even grow maize themselves; as they believe without maize, one cannot live. Guatemalan peasants even take pride in cultivating their own maize and knowing that their tortillas were made from their own crop (Isakson 2009: 749-750). It has become a whole cultural experience for many Guatemalan peoples. It seems that now Guatemalans identify themselves with the crop of maize, as it is such an important symbol of their cultural identity. This ability to control their own production of a culturally acceptable food like maize helps them reach closer to food sovereignty but they will not fully reach it until the entire agricultural sector itself is no longer monopolized by a select few

“Entre Hilos y Colores” is a Guatemalan brand dedicated to the selling of high quality artisan handbags with a modern touch. The product is famous for their embroideries, patterns, and colors. These product are made by Mayan woman who dedicate their lives to weave and embroider clothes with amazing designs, in this case purses. Unquestionably, Guatemala is a country famous for its textiles, indigenous people, and social contrasts.

Most children in Guatemala at the age of five begin to suffer from malnourishment while in other countries such as the U.S. children suffer from obesity. In Guatemala, half of all the children under the age of 5 suffer from chronic malnourishment. It is the largest economy in Central America and also the most populous country in the region. Even so, many members of Guatemala remain minimally active in the economy and live in poverty (Guatemala 's government 1). Guatemala is rich in agricultural yet they don 't feed their own people.

Thank you for the birthday wishes! Also, thank you for letting me know that I did not include why I want to go to Guatemala. I would like to go to Guatemala for several reasons. First of all, I would like to experience the Guatemalan culture and daily life. I am interested to see how this experience would help me grow as a person and as a Christian. I have never had the opportunity to serve in a developing country and I am excited to see how Christ would transform the lives around me as I have been transformed. I believe that this trip would be very beneficial for me to learn the Spanish language with more depth. If I were accepted to go on this trip, I would hope to gain a lot of knowledge about the language and culture. I would

Guatemala is located in Latin America and is bordered by Mexico, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador. About 15,000,000 people live in Guatemala at the moment. Currently we get 57% of our energy from fossil fuels. We get no energy through nuclear fuels and 31.8% from Hydroelectric Plants. The other 11.2% comes from other renewable sources. The people and I get around through 291 airports. Only one of those airports is international airport. Also we use 11,501km of road and two major seaports.