The Guatemala Facts Come from the diverse cultural influences that this country has received since the beginning of time.
Guatemala is a Central American country with a great cultural mix. Its origins are strongly marked by the Mayan culture And the Spanish, which was installed since the time of the conquest.
Ruins of ancient Guatemala
Most of the more curious aspects of this country are related to the Guatemalan cultural identity, such as the hymn or the language. In this article you can see in more detail what these curiosities are.
The 20 most outstanding curiosities in Guatemala
1- The Guatemalan anthem was not written by a Guatemalan
The national anthem of Guatemala was written by a Cuban poet called José Joaquín Palma , Who realized it in 1887 after a national call to create a hymn of Guatemala and officially proclaimed in 1897 with the music of the master composer Rafael Álvarez Ovalle .
The authorship of the letter was signed as"anonymous"until Palma, in 1910, confessed to having done it (National Anthems Info, s.f.).
2- In Guatemala, 21 indigenous languages are spoken
The official language of Guatemala is Spanish, followed by English because of the phenomena of Globalization , However, there remain 21 indigenous languages inherited from the Mayan communities of Guatemala and two dialects, Xinca and Garifuna.
In fact, a foundation called Francisco Marroquis Linguistic Project was created dedicated to the study, preservation and defense of the languages and the Mayan cultural identity in the whole territory (Spain Exchange, s.f.).
3- It is one of the countries with the greatest biological diversity
Orchid, one of the most typical flowers of Guatemala
Guatemala, as well as other Latin American countries, has a high biodiversity index and natural resources . Only in the Sierra las Minas Biosphere Reserve and the Bocas del Polochichabitan Wildlife Refuge there are more than 800 species (DW, 2017).
The quetzal is its national bird, a small bird with bright red and green plumage, while the white Monja (Lycaste skinneri) orchid is its national flower (Markussen, 2005).
4- Your coin has a bird's name
The quetzal is the official currency of Guatemala and alludes directly to its national bird. This is because the Maya ancestors used feathers of quetzal like currency.
5- Instant coffee was invented in Guatemala
The English chemist George Washington was the inventor of the first process to make instant coffee in 1906. And in 1909, while living in Guatemala, he founded and promoted his brand"Red E Coffee"(Casey, 2009).
6- A country with high concentration of ozone
In 2007, it was ranked as the second country with the highest ozone concentration in the world, according to The Economist World studies.
7- Guatemala, the"Land of Trees"
According to millennia Toltec culture , The word"Guatemala"means"Land of Trees".
8- Diet full of flavors
Guatemalans have a varied and colorful cuisine. They consume large quantities of corn, grains and rice with meat and fish. Their diet also includes several servings of fruits, especially mangoes, papayas, bananas, pineapples and carambolas.
9-"Topado", a striking typical dish
Topping is a spicy stew based on fish, coriander, coconut and banana. This is the most identifiable dish of the Guatemalan gastronomy.
10- Its capital is called New Guatemala of the Assumption
Better known as Guatemala City. Its name comes from the Nahuatl word and the Virgin of the Assumption. It is one of the most populated capitals of Central America: in 2015, 1,578 people per square kilometer were counted in the Department of Guatemala.
11- Lake Atitlán is the deepest of Central America
Lake Atitlán, located in the Sierra Madre mountain range near the volcano of Atitlán, is one of the most attractive sources of tourism in Guatemala. It has a maximum depth of 340 meters, which makes it the deepest lake in the entire region. It is also recognized its strong midday wind called Xocomil (Turansa, s.f.).
12- There are more than 30 volcanoes in Guatemala
The geography of Guatemala is rich in Volcanoes , Which are part of the Central American Volcanic Arc, but only 3 of them are currently active.
These are some of the Guatemalan volcanoes: Suchitan, Ixtepeque, Acatenango, Atitlan, Moyuta, Agua, Cerro Santiago, Tajumulco, Chingo, Quezaltepeque, Chiquimula, Cuilapa-Barbarena, Flores, Fire (active), Ipala Volc Field, Santa Maria ), Tacaná, Almolonga, Santo Tomas, Tahual, Pacaya (active), Tecuamburro and Toliman.
13- The highest volcanoes in Central America are in Guatemala
The Tajumulco and the Tacaná are considered the highest volcanos of all Central America since its height exceeds the 4,000 meters. (Volcano Discovery, s.f.)
14- Agriculture still important for its economy
While services continue to be the main activity contributing to Guatemala's GDP, the primary sector through agriculture is still important for the Guatemalan economy. The most important items are banana, cardamom and coffee, followed by corn, grains, mango, sesame and tobacco (World Bank, 2014).
15- It is one of the main producing countries of jade
Guatemala's diverse economy also positions it as one of the leading nations in the production of jadeite, the finest and most costly variant of this ornamental rock (Brendecke, s.f.).
16- In Pacaya you can see the lava running
Pacaya is one of Guatemala's active volcanoes. Currently it is a national park of great tourist attraction and the favorite of those visitors who want to see and photograph the lava. Its volcanic activity is frequent and, occasionally, it produces eruptions of great force.
17- Shots of joy for Christmas
Each year, Guatemalans shoot the air during the Christmas celebrations. It is a tradition rooted in the country, despite the fact that every year there are at least 5 deaths from bullets lost after the festival.
18- Maximón, a popular saint
Maximón is revered by Mayan peoples from the highlands of western Guatemala, even during processions during Holy Week.
Legend has it that Maxim6n took advantage of the absence of men, in connection with his work in the countryside, to enter the city and sleep with all his wives. It also represents a man addicted by alcohol and tobacco (Atlas Obscura, s.f.).
19- The Great Hollow in 2010
On May 30, 2010 something incredible happened: a large gap 60 feet wide and 30 floors deep was created in Guatemala City that swallowed a three story building and a house. This is believed to be due to the vulnerability of floor Guatemalan: volcanic pumice (Than, 2010).
20- Famous born in Guatemala
The scientist Ricardo Malla
Some of the most recognized Guatemalan personalities in America and the rest of the world are the following:
Miguel Ángel Asturias (writer and Nobel Prize winner), Oscar Isaac (actor), Ricardo Arjona (singer), Marco Pappa (soccer player), Rigoberta Menchu (novelist), Soluna Somay And Hector-Neri Castaneda (philosopher).
References
- Atlas Obscura. (S.f.). Maximón. Retrieved from Atlas Obscura website: atlasobscura.com.
- Brendecke, F.C. (s.f.). Guatemalan Jadeite. Retrieved from Mineral Town website: mineraltown.com.
- Casey, W. (2009). Firsts: Origins of Everyday Things That Changed the World. London: Penguin Group.
- (2017, January 31). Guatemala: land of many trees. Retrieved from website of dw.com.
- Markussen, M. (2005). Valuation and Conservation of Biodiversity: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Convention on Biological Diversity. Berlin: Springer Science & Business Media.
- National Anthems Info. (S.f.). Guatemala. Retrieved from National Anthems website Info: nationalanthems.info.
- Spain Exchange. (S.f.). The Languages spoken in Guatemala. Retrieved from Business Exchange Spain Exchange website: Retrieved from studycountry.com.
- Than, K. (2010, June 1). Sinkhole in Guatemala: Giant Could Get Even Bigger. Retrieved from National Geographic's website: nationalgeographic.com.
- Turansa. (S.f.). Lake Atitlan. Recovered from Turansa website: turansa.com.
- Volcano Discovery. (S.f.). Volcanoes of Guatemala. Recovered from Volcano Discovery website: volcanodiscovery.com.
- World Bank. (2014, September 10). Guatemala economic DNA: harnessing growth with a special focus on jobs. Retrieved from the World Bank website: documents.worldbank.org.