Guatemala is a country of rich history, great landscapes, good artists, delicious food, and have exceptional people who are rooted to their history, culture and Ethics, the people of Guatemala are quite intelligent as well they are trying to make this country great by their efforts, there are a lot of things related to Guatemala that are being known worldwide due to the intensity of their work, Here are some interesting Facts regarding Guatemala and its rich history and people.
The motherland of Maya
Guatemala is where the Maya people lived. The Mayans built amazing pyramid-temples. They are thought to have been one of the most advanced and sophisticated cultures before Columbus. They knew about the stars and used cacao as money.
They had an accurate way to count, made accurate calendars, invented rubber, and made a ball game that was a lot like soccer. They also made a lot of art. The Mayans lived in parts of Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Belize, and Guatemala in the past.
They are still very much alive and are still coming up with new ideas in art, science, sports, and every other part of life and Guatemalan culture today. Read the Mayan texts Popol Vuh, Chilam Balam, and Rabinal Ach, which are all available in both Spanish and English, to learn more about the people who lived there before the Spanish came.
Why is it Called “Guatemala”?
“Quauhtemallan” was the name of the land that is now called Guatemala. Many experts and historians think that “Quauhtemallan” means “land of many forests,” which roughly means “land of abundant forests” in English.
Some historians think that the name “Guatemala” comes from the word “Guhatezmalha,” which means “mountain of vomiting water.” The name “Guatemala” has been used since at least 1524. In May of that year, a Spanish explorer named Pedro de Alvarado wrote to another conquistador named Hernán Cortés about his trip to Guatemala in the 1600s.
200 Years and Still Going
On September 15, 1821, 200 years ago, fifteen people signed the Act of Independence of Central America, which said that Central America was no longer part of the Spanish Empire. Yes, Guatemala became a republic two hundred years ago.
Since it became independent, Guatemala has been through two revolutions, several dictatorships, an intervention by the US, a long civil war, many military coups, and 22 earthquakes. In 2000, the country was the site of the FIFA Futsal World Cup.
Two Nobel Prize Winners
Did you know that the Nobel Prize has been given to two people from Guatemala? First was Miguel ngel Asturias, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1967. He was a novelist, poet, playwright, journalist, and diplomat. He was the second author from Latin America to win the Nobel Prize.
Gabriela Mistral, from Chile, was the first. Rigoberta Mench Tum, a K’iche woman and human rights activist from Guatemala, was given the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 for her work “based on respect for the rights of indigenous people.”
World-Famous Coffee
People think that Guatemalan coffee is one of the best in the world. In the middle of the 1700s, Jesuit missionaries were the first to bring coffee to Guatemala. It quickly became one of Guatemala’s most important exports.
Guatemala’s microclimates, altitude, soil quality, amount of rain, access to sunlight, and farming methods all affect the quality of the coffee grown there. Guatemala has eight coffee-growing areas: Antigua, Acatenango, Atitlán, Cobán, Fraijanes, Huehuetenango, and Nuevo Oriente.
Volcanoes are a great place for tourists to go.
Guatemala is also known for the 37 volcanoes that can be found there. Don’t be afraid. Only three of the volcanoes are still active (Fuego, Pacaya, and Santiaguito), and many of them are visited by tourists.
Tajumulco is the tallest volcano in Guatemala. It is 13,789 feet tall and is in San Marcos. It is also the tallest volcano in Central America.
Lake Atitlán is the world’s most beautiful lake.
In 1934, Aldous Huxley, the author of “Brave New World,” wrote in his journal, “(Lake) Atitlán is (Lake) Como with a few huge volcanoes added to it.” It’s really too much of a good thing.” Also, writers and historians say that parts of Le Petit Prince were influenced by Guatemala.
He did crash in Guatemala in 1938, and he spent some time in Antigua getting better. Many people have also noticed that the drawing of the elephant in the boa looks like Cerro de Oro, a hill that can be seen from Lake Atitlán. Choose for yourself.
What is the population of Guatemala?
Want to know this very important fact? In 2018, there were 14.901 million people living in Guatemala, which is 3.5 million more than in 2002, when the last national census was done by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) of Guatemala.
Also, the World Bank says that in 2020, there will be 16.86 million people living in Guatemala. Guatemala is the country with the most people in all of Central America.
Myths and Legends
Myths and legends are some of the most important parts of Guatemalan folklore. For example, you’ve probably heard of La Llorona, a woman who drowned her kids in a river and then killed herself in the same river. People say that they can still hear her crying for her children.
But there were a lot more, like La Tatuana, a witch who avoided being killed by getting on a small ship she had drawn in her cell. Or El Cadejo, a dog with red eyes that leads drunks or wanderers to their deaths. Or La Siguanaba, a monster with a horse’s head and a woman’s body.
We talked about the author Miguel ngel Asturias earlier in this list. He wrote a book called Leyendas de Guatemala about the stories and myths of Guatemala (Legends of Guatemala). Learn more about Guatemala and its culture by reading it.
A wealthy, many-language country
Spanish is an official language in 21 countries, including Guatemala. The country also recognises that 25 languages, including Spanish, Xinka, Garfuna, and 22 Mayan languages, are spoken on its land.
Almost everyone in Guatemala speaks Spanish. But many of Guatemala’s indigenous people still speak their native languages, like K’iche’, Mam, and Kaqchikel.
Many climates in one country
Due to its mild weather, Guatemala is known as the “land of the eternal spring.” But because of its unique geography, Guatemala has places that are colder, places that are drier, places with misty mountains, places with damp lowland jungles, places with hot beaches, and so on.
So, if you’re going to Guatemala, pack for the weather, which means bringing both a sweater and flip-flops.
Where the Happy Meal comes from
You’re right! The Happy Meal from McDonald’s comes from Guatemala. Yolanda Fernández de Cofio, a businesswoman and philanthropist from Guatemala, came up with a small meal for kids in the 1970s. She referred to it as the “Ronald Menu.”
Guatemalans also invented instant coffee, a log called Mr. Fuego (fire) that is good for the environment, a healthy drink called Incaparina, and online security systems called CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA, which brings us to the last thing on our list.
The Wiz Tech and Duolingo
Luis von Ahn, a business owner from Guatemala, started reCAPTCHA in 2007. After two years, Google bought the business. Two years later, in 2011, Luis launched Duolingo, his world-famous website and mobile app for learning languages.
Luis is still the CEO of Duolingo, and he is still breaking new ground in technology and education.