CULTURES OF GUATEMALA: CHARACTERISTICS, TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS - CULTURE VOCABULARY

The cultures of Guatemala comprise all those civilizations that made life in this geographical space in ancient times and that, in some way, define the essence of the Guatemalan people today.

There were many original societies that emerged and developed in this Central American country. This diversity was due in part to the variety in terms of geography and landscapes that Guatemala offers: different ancient civilizations developed on the coasts, highlands and plains.

Undoubtedly, Guatemala is the scene of an important multi-ethnicity that was fundamental in pre-Hispanic times and that is reflected in the great variety of languages, religions, gastronomic manifestations and art that derive from that period.

The most important cultures of Guatemala

- Mayas

The Mayan settlement covered the entire Guatemalan territory. This is demonstrated thanks to the large number of archaeological sites found in this nation. In fact, the oldest city in the so-called Mayan lowlands is in the Guatemalan department of Petén.

This city was called Nakbé, and it is believed that the largest constructions found there date back to 750 BC. C. approximately.

In the valley of Guatemala there was also another great city that was occupied for about two thousand years: it is Kaminaljuyú. On the other hand, towards the highest areas of Guatemala, the city of Q'umarkaj stood out, one of the most important of the Empire.

The latter was among the most influential: from there, access to the region's obsidian deposits was controlled and it was one of the settings in which the Mayan playing fields remained active, even in the early times of cohabitation between Spaniards and natives. It was conquered by the Spanish in 1524.

Guatemala was the space in which the early Mayan writing was born, this occurred during the last years of the 1st century AD. C.

New find

In 2018, a group of researchers found some 60,000 ruins of the Mayan culture that were inside the Guatemalan jungle. It is believed that between 10 and 15 million people lived there.

This discovery was possible thanks to the use of the novel LiDAR technology, which translated from English refers to the "detection and measurement of laser images".

- Ladinos

The term Ladino refers to a mestizo group that originated at the end of the colonial era. According to the researcher Severo Martínez Peláez, Ladinos arose from the mix of mulattoes, indigenous people, mestizos, Spaniards, Zambos and blacks.

In colonial times this term was considered pejorative, as it served to identify anyone who was not Spanish, Creole (descendant of Spanish) or indigenous. In addition, within the Ladinos there were different typologies, which made it even more difficult for them to be conceived as a compact group.

The Ladinos were located in rural areas, for which they were emerging as a mainly peasant community, and eventually they managed to have great social power in the region.

Reports indicate that in 1824 the Ladinos made up both the most popular stratum of society (with fewer economic resources) and that located in a middle point and with an interest in emancipation, made up of artists, ecclesiastics, farmers, teachers and professionals.

Historically, since colonial Guatemala there have been encounters and disagreements between creoles, ladinos and indigenous people, and scholars of the area indicate that this marked the relations between Guatemalans in the agrarian sphere during the 19th and 20th centuries.

- Garífunas

The Garífuna are one of the most populated Guatemalan ethnic groups. Source: Peace Corps

It is a community generated from the fusion between Africans and the Arahuaco and Caribbean indigenous ethnic groups. The first Garífuno group emerged in 1635, in the seventeenth century, on the island of San Vicente; even today the language of this community (Arawak language) is spoken by about 90,000 people.

The first Garífuna settlers arrived from West Africa to the coasts, fleeing the threat of being enslaved, and once there they related to the Arawak ethnic group. Thanks to this inter-ethnic marriage strategy, they managed to avoid slavery.

Later this group fought hard against the British and, despite having resisted a lot, in 1796 they had to surrender. This implied a displacement of the Garífuna, who in the 19th century finally founded a town in Guatemala (Livingstone), where they settled.

The Arawak language, which is still present in the Garífuna culture, is made up of French, Spanish, English and African elements, demonstrating the diversity from which they originated.

- Xincas

The Xinca family settled in eastern Guatemala and was made up of indigenous people from South America who moved to these territories from the Andes.

This indigenous group was located mainly in the current departments of Escuintla, Jutiapa, Santa Rosa and Chiquimula, among others, and its time of greatest influence was between 900 and 1100 AD. C.

During 1524 the Spanish conquerors arrived at the Xinca settlements and the latter were defeated despite the strong resistance they demonstrated. According to the historian Bernal Díaz del Castillo, the final defeat occurred in 1575.

Currently there are records that only about 200 people still speak the Xinca language. The population of this ethnic group has decreased over time, although there are still representatives who advocate for the rescue of this culture.

- Uspantekos

This ethnic group has Mayan origins and currently lives in the department of El Quiché, specifically in the San Miguel de Uspantán municipality.

Historical records relate that the uspanteks originated during 600 and 500 BC. C. The first known settlement was located in the town of San Sigüan.

The expansion took place exponentially, and the uspanteks moved to different towns, among which Chiyutales and Calanté stand out.

The Uspanteks were characterized by being fierce in battle. The Spanish Gaspar Árias Dávila led the first conquest operation in 1529, and ended up wounded and defeated. It was during the third attempt at conquest, carried out by Francisco Castellanos, when the Uspanteks were defeated.

Currently an estimated 3,000 people are speakers of the Uspantek language. The members of this ethnic group are linked to the work of the land and the production of handicrafts with cotton fabrics.

- Tektitekos

The department of Huehuetenango is home to the Tektitekos ethnic group, located in the border area between Guatemala and Mexico. In fact, this group was also widely present in Mexico.

There are still representatives of this indigenous family who maintain traditions such as language. However, it has been difficult to accurately count the number of speakers of this language: records indicate that they exist from 1,100 to 6,000. This indigenous group is one of the most threatened and at the highest risk of disappearing.

- Sipakapense

Currently, Sipakapenses live in the department of San Marcos, in southwestern Guatemala. At first, the members of this group were united to those of the Quiché ethnic group, but eventually the Sipakapenses separated from the latter.

The houses characteristic of this ethnic group were built with adobe for the walls and straw for the roofs. Currently the main economic practices that they carry out are related to carpentry, agriculture, commerce and masonry.

- Sakapulteco

This ethnic group also has Mayan origins and has a language that bears the same name; This language is closely related to the Quiché language. It is estimated that the current Sakapulteca population is around 14,000 inhabitants.

The members of this population are located in the northwest of Guatemala, in the department of El Quiché (specifically in the municipality of Sacapulas).

- Kekchi

These indigenous people are also present in Belize and have Mayan origins. In the beginning they settled in the northern part of Guatemala, and later they moved to occupy northeastern and northwestern parts of the territory.

It was a large community that also included areas of Mexico, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador.

The language of this ethnic group bears the same name, Kekchí, and is characterized by being one of the most widespread and used today by populations with Mayan origins.

- Q'anjob'al

Historical records indicate that the first settlers of this ethnic group came from Mexico. The area in which they settled was the Sierra de los Chucumatanes, located in western Guatemala.

This space is considered an important archaeological record, since various samples of the cultural and traditional manifestations of the Q'anjob'al ethnic group have been found there.

One of the characteristic elements of this indigenous family is that their worldview was closely linked to the interrelation between humans and nature. Currently the members of the Q'anjob'al ethnic group live in the department of Huehuetenango.

- Poqomchí (ethnic group)

According to recent records, there have been about 95,000 speakers of the Poqomchí language, typical of this indigenous ethnic group.

During the 16th century this family had a considerable number of settlers, thanks to which much more territory was covered.

Among the most outstanding characteristics of the Poqomchí, the construction of various religious and ceremonial centers with modern elements stands out. These remains were found in the current municipalities of Tucurú, Tactic and Rabinal, among others.

- Poqomam

Members of the Poqoman ethnic group currently live in the municipality of Palín, in the department of Escuintla.

With the intention of maintaining the customs of this indigenous family, different educational and informative initiatives have been carried out in this sector. An example of this is the creation of the Poqomam Qawinaqel Cultural Association, which aims to promote the use of the Poqomam language among infants.

Another initiative in this regard is the creation of the Poqomam Linguistic Community, attached to the Academy of Mayan Languages of Guatemala, which offers language courses to those who want to enter this culture.

- Mopan

The Mopan originally inhabited the department of Petén. There they resisted the attacks of the conquerors until in 1600 they were defeated and turned into slaves.

The vast majority of the members of the ethnic group abandoned their customs, surrendering to Catholicism as the main religion. The last census that is recorded was conducted in 2000; at that time there were almost 3,000 members of the Mopan ethnic group in Guatemala.

References

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CULTURES OF GUATEMALA: CHARACTERISTICS, TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025