We recently highlighted some differences between our host country and our home country. Of course there are many similarities too. Here are a few things we've noted in common.
1. Religion. Yes, believe it or not, there are heavy religious similarities between Guatemala and the United States. The dominant religion in both countries is Christianity. In San Pedro, more than half of the population is affiliated with Catholicism. Another significant but smaller portion belongs to an evangelical strain of protestantism. However evangelical churches outnumber the lone Catholic church by more than two dozen. We've also witnessed more traditional Mayan spirituality which is sometimes practiced in tandem with a more Western religion.
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| The Catholic church in the center of San Pedro beneath the volcano and protected by the patron saint. |
2. Economic Strata. As in the States, the population falls into various economic strata. Basically, in Guatemala there are the "haves" and the "have-nots." A very small portion of the population holds the majority of the wealth. Sound familiar? The main difference we see in the economic comparison is that the robust middle class in the United States has no corollary in Guatemala.
3. Social Connections. Facebook and Twitter have a presence here, but the strength of the Guatemalan social fabric is in the thread of family. Multiple generations live together. Extended families often live within walking distance. There is a family in San Pedro whose 100 or so members all live on the same street. Families do everything together. We witnessed our hostess's mother and mother-in-law hand-washing the household laundry together. Perhaps because of distance or cultural reasons, social connections in the U.S. seem to thrive through media.
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| Social and familial connections in action at the birthday party. |
4. Corn. It's the critical staple locally and really is life. It's simultaneously occupation, sustenance, and economy. Corn is similarly significant in the United States, but often in less visible ways. We were reminded of this by the documentary Food, Inc.
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| The early stages of corn grown in the mountains of San Pedro. |
5. Coffee. The other agricultural mainstay and primary export is coffee. We were surprised to observe how integrated coffee is in daily life in Guatemala. Traditionally, Mayan families drink coffee with all three meals each day and even serve it to young children. There are various forms, but we've most frequently experienced it served weakly and with some sugar already mixed in.
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| Coffee beans being dried in the sun on black tarps by the lake. |
6. Kids. They're a universal part of life. And like elsewhere in the world kids in Guatemala love to play, learn, and share. Guatemalan children have been quick to engage all of us in conversation and in play, especially our boys. Because of our consistent trips to the central basketball court, our sons have become somewhat famous around San Pedro. Every day we hear people hollering out greetings by name to Baxter and Atticus as we walk around town.
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| Kids take a break from gym class to pose. (Photo credit to Atticus.) |
7. Smiles. Of course kids offer smiles the most readily, but the local adults show their sociability on their faces too. Those smiles have a way of making us feel welcome and safe. They make us smile more too. And those smiles remind us of some of the best parts of what we've temporarily left behind in the U.S.: warm people.
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| Aweex indulges us with smiles regularly. |
We're wrapping up our time in San Pedro this week so that we can pursue more Latin American adventures. Stay tuned for more!
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