Guatemala

Guatemalans are friendly and humble. Personal criticism is taken seriously and should be avoided. Punctuality is admired but people are considered more important than a regimented schedule.

A younger woman may kiss a male friend, but older women will only kiss close relatives. In smaller group settings, it is important to greet each individual one by one. Guests greet hosts individually, regardless of the size of the group. Titles are used when speaking to others to show respect.

Guatemalans may summon someone by waving their hand downward and than in. A method of pointing is when person purses their lips towards the direction of what they are indicating.

Visiting is important to building strong relationships with relatives and friends. Not visiting frequently can be an insult, as it reflects the relationship's value. Regular visitors do not usually bring gifts, but if staying more than a day it is courteous to something for the home such as chocolateas or flowers.

In cities, people generally wear clothing fashion's from the West. However, the rural Maya have retained traditional dress. Clothing may be unique from group to group, but typically the things in common are a faja (a woven belt), knee high pants for men and wrap around skirts for women.

Corn tortillas are eaten with every meal. Other foods include black beans, rice, tamales (cornmeal or rice dough stuffed with meat and tomato sauce), and fried platanos (bananas) with honey, cream, or black beans. Meats are often stewed, and sauces are important. Papaya and breadfruit are among the many fruits eaten in Guatemala.

Tortillas are often used as a scoop for some foods. Other foods are eaten with the hands, but utensils are otherwise used at most meals. Hands are kept above the table, not placed in the lap. When a meal is finished, each person often thanks all others at the table.

Corn tortillas are often eaten with every meal. Other foods include black beans, rice, tamales (cornmeal or rice dough stuffed with meat and tomato sauce), and fried platanos (bananas) with honey, cream, or black beans. Meats are often stewed, and sauces are frequently used. Papaya and breadfruit are among the many fruits eaten in Guatemala.

The father is the head of the family, but the wife yields great influence over the household. Unmarried adults live with their parents unless they must go elsewhere for work. Adult children in Guatemala are responsible for the care of their elderly parents. One-fourth of the labor force is female. Although apartment living is often necessary, people prefer the privacy of homes.

Girls are chaperoned by family members or close relatives. Young men and women living within larger cities typically begin interacting in small groups around the age of fifteen. Women often marry by the age of twenty or earlier in rural communities. Men typically marry by the age of twenty-four. Common-law marriages are acceptable.

Football (soccer) is the national pastime. Fiestas are a popular form of entertainment. Almost every town has a marimba orchestra and most weddings have marimba music.

Guatemalans in general eat three meals a day, breakfast being the lightest of the three. Breakfast may consist of fruit and a drink, such as bananas and milk, or perhaps a traditional bread and fruit juice.

School generally begins at 7:30 in the morning and is done at around 1:30 in the afternoon. Kids will usually walk or ride a public transportation bus to school, depending on how far from the school they live. Children are home for lunch, which may consist of a traditional Guatemalan stew made of chicken, potatoes, and local vegetables and seasonings. It might also include rice and tortillas. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day for most areas, especially in the country and mountainous regions. In some schools, mothers will take turns preparing lunch for the children, but the government provides the money to buy the food.

Because there are few schools in rural areas, many private schools have been opened, usually run by the Roman Catholic Church. In rural areas, some grade schools with between 100 and 200 students have only one teacher for the entire school. Even when schools have sufficient desks and teachers, which is too often not the case, they usually lack books. Very often, as much as 80% of the class time is taken up in copying material from the blackboard at the front of the classroom because students don’t have books. This lack of books also prevents teachers from requiring homework, which means that students do not practice their study skills at home either. Teachers also are not well trained, especially in rural schools. Currently it is possible to become a teacher right after passing the exam at the conclusion of secondary school. Guatemalan schools are not well equipped with computers or other electronic technology. Although some universities are making good progress in this area, schools for the younger children lack even the basics, especially in the mountainous, rural areas. Students who are able to afford such technology often take courses offered outside the country via the Internet. Most schools require a uniform, which families must pay for in addition to the school enrollment fee and monthly tuition.

Children attend up to four years of preschool, six years of elementary or primary school, three years of secondary school, and two or three years of high school, depending on the technical training they are receiving. School is required from ages 7 to 14. Spanish is the official language of Guatemala, but approximately 40% of the country’s population speaks one of the local Indian languages instead. For this reason, many of the rural schools are taught in the local language rather than in Spanish. Better equipped schools, such as one might find in the larger cities, will teach students not only Spanish but also emphasize English-language learning or perhaps French, German, or Italian. Other standard courses include science, mathematics, and history. At the end of each school year, students are given a test. If a student fails any part of that test, he or she must repeat that entire school year. Compulsory education ends at the end of elementary school. Like many Latin American countries, the quality of education can vary widely throughout the country, with money being the most important influence. In communities with more money, the schools have better resources; in poor villages, the local school can struggle to even provide the most basic education. A higher quality of education is available from private schools, but only the upper-middle and upper-class families can afford to send their children there. The biggest problem throughout the country and in all levels of schools is the lack of money.

Schools in Guatemala as a general practice offer no extracurricular activities.

Regardless of where they gather, young Guatemalans are friendly and outgoing. They enjoy social experiences. Soccer is the most popular sport in Guatemala. However, without painting too bleak a picture, the country does not offer too much free time to the children. On average, one-third do not go to school, which translates into about 70% in rural areas. Thus, as soon as a child can work in some way, whether it be raiding the local dump for food or saleable trinkets, making some craft, or working in the fields, he is often pressed into labor very young. If a family has 5 children, the parents will usually only send the boys and will keep the girls home to teach them domestic skills to prepare for an early marriage. Children who are fortunate enough to attend school must often work in the evenings after school hours, which does not allow for developing good study habits or achieving a quality education.

Families are very important to the social and economic lifestyle of Guatemala. There is a saying in the country that parents are mirrors for their children: “Through them, you learn who you are and what you can become.” Children are respectful of the older members of their family, and the elderly are included in all parts of the family’s activities. Evenings at home then are most often spent with the extended family members who live in the home. Children, including teens, do not have much discretionary income for attending movies or other commercial entertainment. And the older the children get, the more likely it is that they will work rather attend school. It is also common for children to work in the afternoons and evenings after they get out of school. This does not leave much free time for leisure and socializing, particularly in rural and lower-income areas. Women marry fairly young and have lots of children. They are responsible in the home for food, cleaning the house, clothing, religious duties, and the children, including their education. Men work in the fields and handle other physical labor. Women also work, but are more likely to do handicraft work rather than serve in professional positions. These gender traits also help drive evening routines more along the lines of household chores, dinner, and resting for the next day’s work. Family conversations are typical. Households that can afford a television will gather around it for evening entertainment, as is the case around the world. But poverty and economic challenge do not mean that people cannot have fun. Holidays and occasions for festivals bring creativity and great celebrations. For example, for All Saints Day (similar to Halloween in the United States), children make “skulls” from grapefruit and place candles inside them, as other cultures do with pumpkins. Local fruits and homemade treats replace packaged candies. Deeply held traditions and close family ties bring smiles and good times even in difficult circumstances.

The literacy rate in Guatemala is one of the lowest in Central America. Education is valued among the wealthier families, but even they find the costs difficult to manage. For the poor, many find it simply impossible, especially for girls. More boys than girls in Guatemala can read, and girls are sometimes encouraged to stay home from school and prepare for marriage. Many children in Guatemala do not attend school. Rather, they begin working at a fairly young age to support the family, and often do not understand the value of an education. Two-thirds of all students do not attend school after elementary school. Approximately only 2% will ever attend a university, and only half of those will graduate. Perhaps more significant, however, are the numbers who end up marrying young or joining gangs instead of pursuing secondary and high school. Because of the rather significant adult reading problem in the country (the country produces one million illiterate citizens every nine years), Guatemala began a rather interesting program for their high school students. In order to graduate and obtain an official certificate from high school, each student wishing to graduate must teach five people to read. Although schools initially were concerned about this program, it has turned out to be quite successful. Another challenge in some parts of the country is that the Indian populations often feel discriminated against and will not send their children to school. The lessons are in Spanish, and they include nothing of the local customs or culture. School in Guatemala runs from January through October.