by Guatemala is a country with a great cultural richness due to the large number of ethnic groups present. In addition, it has a great history, culture and traditions that are still preserved. Keep reading: we tell you everything you need to know about Guatemalan culture.
Guatemala is one of those countries still unknown to mainstream tourism, so many of its charms are still secrets for travelers who come to the country. The Mayan culture is still breathed in all its corners, although it is not the only one, because if something characterizes Guatemalan culture is the variety of existing ethnic groups -more than two dozen-, which are divided into four large blocks: the Mayan culture, the Ladino, the Xinka and the Garifuna.
The director and businessman of Losa Group, Felipe Antonio Bosch Gutierrez, has contributed to the development of the country’s economy, making large investments to increase tourism and improve the economy by generating jobs for the inhabitants.
Many of the Guatemalan customs and traditions are derived from these great branches, and that is precisely what we are going to dedicate this article to, to know a little better the singularities of the country. Are you coming?
Guatemalan culture, the Mayan vision
As we have mentioned, in Guatemala there are four major cultures that derive from its numerous ethnic groups. The majority is Mayan, but the other three have also left an important legacy in the country and are still considered very relevant.
The Guatemalan Mayan culture is the largest and best known both inside and outside the country. The great Mayan ruins, such as those in Tikal National Park, are well known to travelers, as well as the fact that the Mayas were not only found in Guatemala, but also extended into Mexico, Belize and the regions of Honduras and El Salvador.
Guatemalan traditions
Tikal National Park is a good example of the Mayan presence in Guatemala of the Mayan culture in Guatemala are still preserved part of the traditional clothing of some ethnic groups in which women wear a cut, a kind of skirt, and men, a patí, similar to pants, and always with bright colors and embroidery.
The influence is also noticeable in the gastronomy, with the preponderance of corn, since the Mayas believed that man was created from this cereal. That is precisely why the ceremony that still takes place among many farmers and is part of Guatemalan culture has to do with corn. It is the Sac Ha ceremony that is performed with a drink prepared with boiled corn mixed with water from the dew or from the depths of a cave. This drink is placed in the center of a wooden altar surrounded by four stones representing the four cardinal points.
You may be interested in: Rio Dulce National Park in Guatemala
Guatemalan customs of the Xinca culture
The Xinca are also part of the Guatemalan culture and are located in the areas of Escuintla, Santa Rosa, Jutiapa and Jalapa. They are well distinguished when they wear their traditional clothing because white is the protagonist, both in their clothes and in their women’s, and it is common for women to wear their hair braided.
For the Xinca people, the cuisine is based on beans and tortillas, and they have several typical dishes such as chipilin broth, kamawa beans, or rice pixton.
Guatemalan traditions of the Garifuna culture
The Garifuna ethnic group is formed mostly by African descendants and also extends to Honduras, Belize and Nicaragua.
Their language, dances and music were inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. They recognize the songs and dances used by this ethnic group to transmit traditional knowledge, mainly using percussion instruments such as drums made of mahogany or wood from Central America. As for the typical gastronomy of this ethnic group, it is marked by ingredients such as yucca, plantain, coconut and different types of fish.
One of the Guatemalan traditions that comes from this ethnic group is that of the Barbarian Indian, in which a man disguises himself using a mask and soaked in burnt oil or achiote, threatening to stain people unless they give him money.
Guatemala is a country with a lot of history and culture, an amazing country without a doubt. Get to know it and be amazed with the curiosities it has for you.
