GUATEMALA PEOPLE POPULATION Guatemala is the most populous country in all of Central America, with a population of around 17.6 million, despite a large number of diaspora all over the world. The majority of the populations consists of Ladino people; a mix of Mestizos and Hispanic people, with some 41% being Mayans of which the K’iche’ and Q’eqchi and Kaqchikel […]
GUATEMALA – LAND
GUATEMALA LAND GEOGRAPHY Guatemala is bordered by Mexico on the north and west, by Belize and the Caribbean on the north-east, by Honduras on the east, by El Salvador on the south-east, and, finally, by the Pacific on the south. The country is divided into three major regions by two mountain ranges crossing the country from west to east, giving […]
GUATEMALA – HISTORY
GUATEMALA HISTORY PRE-COLUMBIAN Whilst the first evidence of human settlement dates back to some 12,000BC, the main players in the country’s Pre-Columbian history were the Mayans, with the height of their power here being between 300 and 900AD, with most of their cities being abandoned by the end of the same period. POST-CONQUEST By the time Spanish conquerors arrived in […]
GUATEMALA – COUNTRY
GUATEMALA COUNTRY NAME The name Guatemala is believed to be derived from Cuauhtēmallān; a Nahuatl word that translates to “a place of many trees”, referring to the abundance of kidneywood trees found in the area when discovered during the Spanish Conquest. Another possible explanation for the name would be the Mayan word ‘Guhatezmalh’ which means “mountain that vomits water” in […]
I.III.I.I – Flores: Day One
FLORES I.III.I.I – DAY ONE 30/09/22 It was time to cross yet another border. Always, every time, unfailingly, I’m a friggin wreck. When the time approaches, I feel my heart thumping like crazy – as if suddenly I’m this criminal who’s trying to run away from another country, as if my bag is full of explosives and weapons. I had […]
IV.I.VII – The Brightest Month
IV.I.VII THE BRIGHTEST MONTH A few months before enrolling into my penultimate year, Momma Bear and I had applied for a medical elective in the UK as part of a programme offered by the University of Cambridge. Somehow, some way, we both got accepted into the same programme. Of course, this was no valorous feat. Applications are on a first come […]
AFTER BELIZE
AFTER BELIZE RECAP My three weeks in Belize were very different than those in Mexico. In Mexico, on most days, I’d be up and ready to go by 7AM in order to get an early start to the day. Then I’d proceed to see and do as much as possible until the very second I’d fall asleep. From tours to […]
IV.I.VI – The Blackest Day
IV.I.VI THE BLACKEST DAY Three words; “I love you”. Just three words. Three words so simple that they’re usually part of an infant’s jargon. Put a monkey on a typewrite and it’s bound to spell them out eventually. Three simple words. I’ve been known to speak at an alarming rate of WPMs. I’m talking Lorelai Gilmore or someone who’s on […]
IV.I.V – Shades of Cool
IV.I.V SHADES OF COOL Things with Alex were very… different. Probably because he was different than what I was used to. Very bohemian and alternative – but not at all forced or fake, just the way he is. I don’t know what it was about him that drove me so crazy and wild. And it wasn’t just him, his face or his […]