Up on the hills of San Pedro Las Huertas, the largest village of Antigua Guatemala one finds fields of maize and other milpa crops. This maize field is on the path the climbs the skirts of Volcán de Agua through the cultivation fields peppered with avocado and nispero trees. About 500 meters up the hill … 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
As I have mentioned before, it is impossible to think of the Guatemalan, Mexican and Mesoamerican diet without maize. From the Popul Vuh (Popol Wuj in modern spelling), the Mayan equivalent of the Bible, which states that humans were literally created from maize, to Miguel Ángel Asturias‘ novel Hombres de maíz (Men of Maize) which … Read more