Robert,
I admire their stoic nature. What is the economic fabric in which they work? Do they rent the land or is it just a public mountainside or they own a family patch?
Do you see men carrying produce like this?
Each society you introduce us to seem so related and yet distinct. These folk appear to be brothers and sisters to the very particles of dirt in the ground and it's hard won harvest of crops!
Thanks for making a showcase of a glimpse of their valuable lives and efforts here.
What is the name of these people? I hope you can find out more about them. I would like to look up about their ancestors and any poems or sayings.
Asher
All this type of land is privately owned by Mayan families. The monetary value of farmland in some of these areas like Almolonga - is some of highest in the world. Some of these more affluent areas even own cooperatives and huge trucking firms that ship their produce all over the country and to Guatemala City for export to the world.
Men are just as involved in the farming and heavy lifting as the women. Very hard working and business savvy - and their culture does not escape their children. They wear it proudly.
Around where we live is this large Mayan culture. The city of Quetzaltenango with its 600,000 population, is made up of around 60% Mayan families. That is who these people are, but there are many different Mayan nationalities you could say ---- I believe around 30 or more different Mayan languages. Kiche is the common language in our city and is spoken by around a million Guatemalans --- but not too far away to the north are the Mam speaking Mayans and nit far to the east of us are the Kaqchikel speaking people. The languages are distinct from each other.
There have been efforts by the government in the not too distant past, to exterminate the Mayans. Around 200,000 were killed in the genecide. They don't tend to trust foreigners as wealthy investors have come and taken over land and they have a huge fear based on the foreigners taking their children from them. A rediculous history really:
"
The Silent Holocaust"
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemalan_genocide
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