Bronte Barnes
30. 4. 2016
Spanish 1
Guatemala
Guatemala is country located in central American, surrounded by the waters of the Pacific and Caribbean. Its name comes from two Spanish meaning “the snake eating bird” and “land of the forest” which is derived in 1523, from one of the Mayan dialects spoken by indigenous people at the time of the of Spanish Conquest. Although it is still used by outsiders as well as citizens today, many descendants of the original still prefer to Identify themselves by he names of their specific language dialects instead. Persons of mixed or non-indigenous race and heritage may be called Ladino, a term that today indicates adherence to Western, as opposed to indigenous, culture patterns, and may be applied to acculturated Indians, as well as others. A small group of African–Americans, known as Garifuna, lives on the Atlantic coast, but their culture is more closely related to those found in other Caribbean nations than to the cultures of Guatemala itself (Richard Adams).
The national culture was also influenced by it’s arrivals of different ethnic, such as Germans, Europeans and etc. This made the Country rich but also created histories of violence and wars. Unfortunately this help make the country poor. Hundreds of years ago, the Mayan Indian and other tribe that lived in villages and mountains made gorgeous clothing and textiles. Guatemala is also a country of tradition, and many Indians still wears the traditional costumes. Although there aren’t any electrify, there are market places, beautiful volcanoes and lakes that make up the experience.
There are several factors that influence he climate of Guatemala. One of them is location. Being bounded on the west and north of Mexico, on the east of Belize, the Caribbean sea and south by the Pacific ocean, Guatemala is located where the temperature is rather warm. In the southern highlands, where Guatemala City is located, the temperature rarely deplete below 50 degrees. Another factor is the winds. As the winds blow inland from the ocean through Guatemala, the warm moist air causes rain. This means a constant rainy season is from May through October. The average annual rainfall for Guatemala City and the southern highlands is about 52 inches. Another factor that effects the climate is the two mountain ranges that are a part of the Andes Mountains, the Sierra Madre and the Cuchumatanes. So altitude plays an important role in the climate.
Guatemala has a clean, sanitary and modern conditions and places throughout most parts of the country. Although Spanish is he official language; since the end of he the civil war in December 1996, many different languages such as English, Kekchi and etc. has been constitutional amended to recognized or different purposes. There are over 20 different languages still spoken today. About the 60% of the population speaks Spanish and the other 40% is of various languages. Since Spanish is increasingly important, many Indians especially families abandon their own language to ensure that their children became fluent in Spanish. Which is recognized as a necessity for living in the modern world.

Source
Adams, Richard N.Cultural Surveys of Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, 1957.
Carlsen, Robert S. The War for the Heart and Soul of a Highland Maya Town , 1997.
Carmack, Robert. Rebels of Highland Guatemala: The Quiche-Mayas of Momostenango , 1995.
Handy, J.Gift of the Devil: A History of Guatemala, 1984.