The New World beginning in 1492 brought about the Christian era, the Spanish and a new morale code, baptism, Mass and new concept of good and evil and the concept of a crucified…
Conquered as a Spanish colony in 1523, Guatemala has been continuously subjected to great adversity. In discussing the colonial experience of this Latin-American nation, it must be known what kind of state it was in at the time it was overcome. From what scientists and historians have gathered, the ancient Maya were the first to settle on the land. They were well developed, advanced, and exceptionally skilled. However, in 1524, their control would be challenged and the course of the land forever changed. Enter Pedro de Alvarado, a Spanish conquistador with a proficient past. Arriving in Guatemala with 120 horsemen, 300 soldiers, and several hundred Mexican auxiliaries, Alvarado began to explore. His expedition met great resistance with a large…
Between 1980 into the mid 1980s… the genocide of the Maya occurred within the city of modern Guatemala (p.355). It was during this time that the Mayan society were forced to leave their home in the altiplano (the highlands—due to an earthquake) and had to begin to assimilate with the rest of the Guatemala population. During this time, the Fuerzas Armadas Rebeldes (FAR) ladino organization extended their communist influence to those Mayas assosciated with the highlands. Therefore because of their emphasis upon the FAR and towards enabling their own highland culture within city of Guatemala that initially caused the Guatemalan city, under the leadership of General Benedicto Lucas, to initiate a war that would deprive the communist forces of their…
In the 10th century, the Christian conquest of Spain occurred. In order to satisfy Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, the king, and queen of Spain, conquerors were forcing conversion on the native peoples of America. In hoping of finding precious golds, and spices. Their missions would often include searching vigorously for these items whilst at the same time finding people to convert. However, some were not handled with care because many of these missions resulted in the killing and abuse of the native peoples of America. However, in Francis Xavier’s specific mission, it included attempting to convert the Indians to Christianity. In India, the harrappean culture emerged in the 1920s. This lead to civilization which included international trade…
According to Distant Train (2007), “ALOM was the god of the sky, COYOPA was the ruler of the sound of thunder. TOHIL was the god of fire, YUM CIMIL was the Death God (also called Ah Puch), or god of the underworld. XIB CHAC was the Mayan rain god”. The difference Between the Mayans and the Inca the Mayans had believed that the universe was divided into thirteen layers. Each of these layers had its own god. Another difference was their creators weren’t a man or women like the Inca’s. A thing that they had in common where earth the sky and the gods and goddesses different names but semi the same.…
In Guatemala, in the religious field one will find Roman Catholics and Protestants. Also there are indigenous Mayan beliefs. This comes from the large population of indigenous people. This also effects the languages spoken in Guatemala. Spanish is the main language, but then there are 23 other recognized indigenous languages. Most of these are Mayan.…
You might be thinking that we dress up as something or someone and celebrate for the dead, and that we have a big party. Well in guatemala city is different we dress up nice for the day if the dead we go to the cementary, we spend most of the day there. After all the families go out and eat. It mainly a day to remember all the people who have passed away and that aren?t with us anymore. That is how we celebrate the day of the dead in guatemala city.…
If you knew me you would know that my culture forms part of who I am. I’ve grown in a Hispanic household and an important aspect of my life is my Guatemalan culture. Right before I would go to bed my parents would speak about Guatemala and its beauties. My dad's favorite memory was walking to school, listening to the silence surrounding him. What he loved the most about Guatemala was when Christmas came. On Christmas Day, women would dress in beautiful colorful clothes to dance to the rhythm of the music. When he remembers those memories it seems that he is transported back to that time and place. He always wished for that day to never end because those were the few days he could act as a normal child. After that he would go back to his normal…
The Maya people practiced polytheism, they believed in many gods and goddess. Like many other ancient cultures, there were gods associated with nature (sun, wind, fire, rain, etc.), gods of heavens, etc and they imagined some of their gods as old or young; some took the shape of animals and some were part humans and part animals (***). The gods involved in every aspect of the Mayan’s life. Their main god was Itzamna, created earth and ruled over heaven (Mark, 2012). Furthermore, people also believed that their kings could carry messages between people and gods, and the priests were responsible for the rituals performances to keep people in good favor of the gods (Mark, 2012). For life after death, Maya people believed that only women died in…
Think of what you had for breakfast, then lunch, now dinner. What if out of the three meals a day you only had the chance to have two, if that. What if you're still under the age of 13 and you had to take over the role of one parent, maybe both for the day because they work in the fields or cleaning houses to be able to pay rent and buy food. So you're stuck taking care of babies, cooking, and somehow still managing to finish your schoolwork. This is what life in the small community of Lake Worth, Florida is like. Knowing about this motivated me to get more involved and help the Guatemalan community through service.…
I would like to say I know Spanish, after four years of studying in high school and multiple trips to South and Central America, yet it seems every time I leave the States, I find myself in a frantic struggle to process the words I know and figure out the meanings of the ones I do not. Sometimes this simply means missing out on a few insignificant details, other times it can seriously complicate life.…
What does Mayan religion involve? The Mayan religion involved several aspects of nature, astronomy and rituals. The Mayans were known for their calendar and their beautiful buildings they constructed. In “Science of Mayan Science/Religion” by Hunbatz Men talks about the teachings that were hidden by the Mayans also he goes in deep depth explaining the meanings of the letters “G”, “T” and “O”. However, in “Religions of Mesoamerica” by David Carrasco focuses on the study of the Americas, the religion, and cultural studies of the new world. Hunbatz Men all his sources come from Indigenous people. In the other hand David Carrasco quotes Bernardo Del Castillo and his information is not one hundred percent accurate. After reading the two books they…
Like many cultures, the Mayans believed in a heaven and an underworld in the afterlife. You would go to their heaven if you were good, and to the underworld if you did not worship correctly. The leader of the heavens was called Itzamn, who also ruled the night and day and would be called upon in the bad times. The ruler of the underworld was called Ah Puch, the god of death. the modern Maya call Ah Puch Yum Cimil (lord of death). More important gods included Chac, the god of rain and weather, Ah Mun, the god of corn and farming, and Ek Chuah, the god of war and sacrifice. The Mayans also believed that everything contained k’uh, which means sacredness. K’uh is also used to define the life force in all objects, and ties into the god's…
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).…
Back then, I was very picky about what I ate. I only ate white rice, chicken nuggets, and pizza, which were all very bad for me. But now that I am all grown up, I am not as picky than I was as a child, and I feel more in touch with my culture now. I am Salvadoran, which people mistakenly think I am Mexican or some other race, and one food I love from El Salvador is pupusas. They are like a very thick tortilla stuffed with beans, pork, and cheese and you put hispanic coleslaw on top and pour red sauce on top of, yet I only the pupusa by itself. I remember my mom tried to make pupusas and it wasn’t like the ones we had at Salvadorian restaurant because this one had love. The first time she made it was awful, it was very dry and the beans were leaking out off the tortilla because she did not have that right corn flour to make it with. Though the food was really bad, all I remember was having fun and making a mess in the kitchen. But the next couple of times, they turned out a lot better. Also recently during Christmas, my mom has been making my great grandmother’s turkey recipe for that last five years, which consists of twenty tomatoes! I love this recipe so much that I wish one day that I could replicated.…
