The myth of why people from Antigua Guatemala are called panzas verdes, or green bellies, states that the reason is all the avocados they eat. Certainly, we eat a lot of avocados here since we have several kinds and a plentiful supply of aguacates. Even on this website we reinforced the myth almost a decade … Read more
Look at all the different kinds of beans available at this grains stand inside the mercado of Antigua Guatemala. The same can be said about the maize varieties. Yet, many people think that we only eat black beans and white corn in Guatemala. You have to remember these lands are the birthplace for many staple … Read more
We are what we eat. So Guatemalans are made from a big proportion of maize, beans, fruits and vegetables. Of course, beans and maize are even mentioned in the Popol Vuh, the sacred Mayan book of the creation, as being part of the genesis of humanity. Guatemalans prefer black beans over all other kinds, but … Read more
Guatemala 1 Monsanto 0 Guatemala repealed the ‘Monsanto Law’ pushed by the United States as part of the “free” trade agreement. The ‘Law for the Protection of New Plant Varieties,’ dubbed the ‘Monsanto Law’ by critics for its formidable seed-privatization provisions, is an obligation for all nations that signed the 2005 CAFTA-DR free trade agreement … Read more
I enjoy talking to and interviewing the campesinos I encounter on my morning walks on the hills of the skirt of Volcán de Agua. In this instance, Don Vicente, 70, shared with me that plot he cultivates measures 9 “cuerdas”, 1 block equals 6 “cuerdas” and that he grows maize, beans, flowers, cilantro and fruits, … Read more