Stories from Guatemala's Past

My name is Rogelia. I was born in Guatemala, but moved to Mexico with my family when I was 10 years old. We had to leave our country because at that time Guatemala was in the middle of a long civil war and it was getting more and more dangerous for us to live there. Now, after being away for 20 years, I have returned to live in my country. I was very happy to return; living in another country is good because it lets you see new things, meet new peole and it helps you learn to value the place where you live.

Guatemala is a beautiful country. The majority of Guatemala's population is Indigenous from one of the many different Mayan communities. Another part is Ladino, which is the word used for those of us who speak Spanish as our first language. Guatemalans with African origen are called Garifuna. Although there are not many Garifuna people in Guatemala, they have a very interesting history. Escaping from Brittish slavery in the Carribean islands, these people arrived on Guatemala's shore several centuries ago. In all, it is said that there are 23 ethnic groups in Guatemala. This means that there are 23 different cultures with distinct languages and traditions.

Guatemala's geography is impressive because, although it has a long coast along the Pacific Ocean and flat rainforest in the north, the major part of its territory is located in the Sierra Madres. Remember that the Sierra Madre is the mountain chain that extends all the way from Alaska in the north to the Tierra del Fuego at the tip of South America. It's like the backbone of the entire American continent. Because the Sierra Madre crosses through the country, much of Guatemala is mountainous with large lakes and many volcanoes. There are 23 volcanoes in all! Three of these are active and erupt from time to time, spilling lava over the mountainsides.