A little bit about...

To give a better idea of where I’m living, I thought some of this information might be a bit useful to get a better perspective of my life here.

Though I didn’t write all of this up myself, I did make a few minor changes:

The municipality I live in is located in the western highlands of Guatemala, in the Department of San Marcos, at an altitude of 2,280 meters (7,480 feet) above sea level, which makes for warm and sunny days during the day, but can drop to almost freezing in dry season (November – April). The wet season (May – October) is, as you could imagine, wet. It tends to rain around the same time of the day, usually in the afternoon. And when it rains, it pours, as the saying goes. Consequently, it can take days for laundry to dry during the wet season, if it doesn’t mold first.

There are around 60,000 inhabitants in the municipality, 3,000 of which live in the town center itself. It is believed that town was inhabited by the Mayan people well before the Spanish invasion in 1633. The current inhabitants are descended from the reign of the Mames, whose capital is in Zaculeu, Mexico. In Mam, the name means “between rivers”, or “between the houses”.

99% of today’s inhabitants are Maya-Mam, and speak Mam as their first language. About 60% also speak Spanish. Unfortunately, the town has consistently been recognized as one of the poorest municipalities in Guatemala and has one of the highest rates of malnutrition in Central America.

Unfortunately, alcoholism is a growing problem- between both men and increasingly women as well. This problem is being addressed through a couple AA locations that have opened in town; the programs here are intertwined with Evangelicalism, which teaches that forgiveness can be found through God. Whether or not you’re a believer, you have to admit that this is probably one of the better solutions for a problem that leaves many mothers with up to 14 children to take care of themselves. Family planning is yet another issue, as many women don’t realize that they can decide beforehand how many children they want.

Being so close to the Mexican border (two hours), it is not uncommon to hear that someone’s family member (children) or husband (who has consequently left behind a wife with a number of children) has crossed into the US through Mexico to try to find better fortune. Some of the stories I have heard are indescribable. Though I do not advocate illegal immigration, just by living here and seeing how people live day-by-day has made me think completely differently on the immigration problem the US faces. On the other hand, here and where ever you might find yourself in Guatemala, speaking English freely isn’t always the best of ideas, as many people have returned from the states and can understand more than you’d think.

The citizens in my site are the only people in Guatemala to use a distinct hand-gesture as their greeting. The women still wear their traditional Mayan clothing and weave on traditional back-strap looms. The holiday of the Sacred Cross, which appeared as a gift from God in the spot where the Catholic Church currently stands, is 29 April through 3 May.

So there you have it. Despite some of the more serious problems that my site faces, it is moving forward. One example of that is the agency that I work for, which works on teaching families better nutritional practices to solve the malnutrition problem. Additionally, the artisanal groups are a compliment to that- not only does it provide income generation to allow the purchases of healthier (and often more expensive) foodstuffs, but it also encourages and empowers women to have a sustainable income apart from that of their husband’s. Food security, women’s rights and empowerment and income generation, all in one.