Gender Roles In Guatemala

Tim LeBel
Anna Bernath
Braden Ridgway
Cassidy Hammond
Professor Gizzi, CORE 103
11/19/12

Guatemalan Families and Culture

Guatemala is a middle sized country within Central Latin America. Guatemala is bordered by Mexico to the north and west, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador and the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the south. At the top of one of the largest Mayan temples within Tikal National Park, the horizon extends far enough to actually see Mexico and Belize in different directions. It is one of the more historical countries within Central America, as Guatemala was and still is home to numerous ancient Mayan societies and Mayan culture. With a population of approximately 13,267,517, Guatemala is considered
These people like to speak loudly and favor direct eye contact. Being late to something is not a big deal in this country. Gender roles are very significant here because men take on a very manly stance where as women are supposed to take on the more passive role as the housewife – cooking, cleaning etc. Gender roles are not the only separation in this country; there is also a huge gap between socioeconomic classes. There is only a 56% overall literacy rate for the country, which causes for a deep divide between those who are wealthy and the peasants. Something that brings these two differing cultures together is through the arts. Guatemalans love to dance with bright and colorful costumes. These dances are symbolic and tell a story. The music is very popular in Guatemala because of its percussion bands and famous history of composers. Both classes enjoy the colorful clothing and mass production of beautiful textiles and handmade baskets.
Guatemala has a surplus of children. It is not unusual for women to have up to ten children. Unfortunately forty-nine percent of the children under the age of five are malnourished. There are many orphanages in Guatemala that house many of children that either lost their parents or have parents that are not able to care for
One common ceremony is a community presentation from each school to choose the Reina (Queen) of the town. Each school chooses one girl to represent their school in front of the whole community. They braid ribbons into her hair and she carries incenses as she does a traditional dance down the aisle. The crowd cheers for which Reina they like the best. Then she is crowned Reina of the town.
Another famous ceremony is the presentation of the Nahuales. This is done around the age of twelve. A Nahual is a spirit animal that is determined by a person’s date of birth. This spirit animal watches of the person until their death. Some Mayans believe that they become the spirit animal after their death. One’s spirit animal explains one’s life and in what areas they will prosper. The ceremony for receiving one’s Nahual is extremely sacred.
In Guatemala, family life is important. With the political and religious systems being weak and not central, people in Guatemala depend on families. Family life is key to child development. Since families are close; the development of a child is based on children learning through their parents. Many Guatemalans say that children are like mirrors because through the parents they can learn who they are and who they can become. The children of Guatemala have mainly cognitive skills because education is not as essential in Guatemala as in other