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Guatemala Local Customs
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Guatemala Local Customs

Learn the local customs of Guatemala. Tips and photos posted by real travelers and Guatemala locals.
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Guatemala Local CustomsTips 1 - 10 of 52  
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Barter when buying
  • Tip Rating:
    • free4eva
  • By free4eva on February 25, 2004
  • Guatemala Page by free4eva
    • Guatemala Local Customs
    by free4eva
    Common sense may tell you to keep a watchful eye on your money while exploring an underpriviliged nation. In the market you will encounter pushy peddlars, and it is part of the Mayan system to bargain with their prices. It is suggested to start bargaining at half the price which they first give you. Examples: she says her beaded belt is 60 quetzales, you want to offer 30. Most likely she'll go down to 50, then 45, and so on until you've reached an agreeable price. It was hard for me to do this at first because I thought everything that was handcrafted was so beautiful and I felt guilty by trying to lessen its value, but apparently this is a common way to shop throughout the country.

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    Visiting Guatemala?

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    Where Most People Can't Read....
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    • vaticanus
  • Updated By vaticanus on September 9, 2006
  • Guatemala Page by vaticanus
    • GM89107 - Guatemala
    GM89107
    by vaticanus
    Public education in Guatemala is a joke. School supplies sit in warehouses and schools (when not closed for innumerable holidays) close after half a day. Literacy is a luxury for "Guatemaltecos". Bookstores are unheard of. Other than newspapers and a few magazines there is little to read besides pulp fiction novellas printed in Mexico. Radio and TV supply what little Guatemalans know about national or international news.

    Because of the widespread illiteracy, shop owners, particularly in rural areas, paint their walls to advertise their products and services. Keep your camera going and you'll bring home some striking pictures.

    A little off topic, but another theme to follow with a camera (particularly in Guatemala) is doorways. There has already been one exhibition on the topic.

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    Scourge of Alcohol
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    • vaticanus
  • Updated By vaticanus on September 9, 2006
  • Guatemala Page by vaticanus
    • Advertisement - Guatemala
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    by vaticanus
    The government of Guatemala is deeply involved in the production and sale of hard liquor. Anyone who travels through Guatemala- particularly in the highlands- will see the devastating effects of alcohol. Although used by the Indians for ritual purposes and festivals- it is a familiar and distressing sight to see semi- or unconscious men exposed to the wet and cold, lying along the sides of roadways on the outskirts of towns.

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    Sculpting Shrubs
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    • vaticanus
  • By vaticanus on May 14, 2003
  • Guatemala Page by vaticanus
    • PAC-MAN (1985) - Guatemala
    PAC-MAN (1985)
    by vaticanus
    All over Guatemala, you will see shrubbery cut into strange whimsical designs. It occurs throughout the country. Who sponsors it, who encourages it, where the impulse to do it comes from I have no idea. My guess is that the Mayan Indians of Guatemala picked it up from the Europeans and made it their own. This example was found in Solola- the capital city of the province that overlooks the famous Lake Atitlan with its three volcanoes.

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    Handicrafts
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    • Mongy
  • By Mongy on March 31, 2003
  • Guatemala Page by Mongy
    • Guatemala Local Customs
    by Mongy
    By the footsteps of the volcanoes on the other side of lake, local people are selling traditional handicrafts. The village is very authentic, surviving on the tourism that buy the handicrafts.
    The crafts range from Traditional cotton bracelets (they believe it brings good luck), Crapets, Traditional clothes, jars etc...

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    Chichicastenango, procession
  • Tip Rating:
    • sachara
  • Updated By sachara on December 12, 2006
  • Guatemala Page by sachara
    • Guatemala Local Customs
    by sachara,
    4 more photos
    We were lucky to visit the sunday market in Chichicastenango at a very special day, the first of november. All the streets adn alleyways looked filled with peopel from all the surrounding villages carrying colourful images of their saints. Many of them were ornamented with colourful ostrich feathers.

    There were also lots of musicians in the procession, playing marimba and trumpets. It's was an impressive and joyful happening. That was the nice part. There were also lots of fireworks in the streets including loud bangs of carbid. Here my friend got severe hearing damage. That was the bad part.

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    Panajachel, baptism in the lake
  • Tip Rating:
    • sachara
  • Updated By sachara on December 13, 2006
  • Guatemala Page by sachara
    • Guatemala Local Customs
    by sachara, 1 more photos
    In the morning we went to the lakeside for the boat tickets, we saw a lot of people close to the landing stages. At a closer look we saw what was going on. Some people got baptised in the lake going under water for a while.

    From a small distance at the lake side people were watching the ceremony and were praying.

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    Understanding Guatemala
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    • tampa_shawn
  • Updated By tampa_shawn on December 7, 2006
  • Guatemala Page by tampa_shawn
    • I have provided information on the human rights issues in Guatemala in other tips. The following is a list of references of the websites of internationally recognized human rights organizations.

    These websites are great resources for information on all the of the world's countries - especially to those of you who, like me, have a special interest in the developing world and post conflict countries.

    It is important to remember that it is the job of these NGOs and their websites is to look for and detail human rights violations - many of these organizations are very passionate about their mission - - and so problems reviewed on these website may appear worse and more widespread then they actually are. Problems detailed may be regional and in some cases people may spend their lives in these countries and never see the issues.

    These sites do provide great information for compairson purposes.

    PLEASE NOTE - this is a very touchy topic - this information is for your use - a tool to help open your eyes & to provide a better understanding of the country and some of issues it is trying to overcome.

    I would NOT recommend discussing these issues with the local people.

    Human Rights Watch
    Hrw.org

    ACLU - American Civil Liberties Union
    http://www.aclu.org/

    IRC - International Rescue Committee
    http://www.theirc.org/

    Ammesty International
    http://www.amnestyusa.org/

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    Not really a cultural tip -...
  • Tip Rating:
    • DianeDundee
  • By DianeDundee on September 8, 2002
  • Guatemala Page by DianeDundee
    • Not really a cultural tip - but one to remember - you need hard cash (dollars or quetzals) to pay the departure tax at the airport - approximately $20 US.

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    Spirits of the ancient Mayan...
  • Tip Rating:
    • jio
  • By jio on September 8, 2002
  • Guatemala Page by jio
    • Guatemala Local Customs
    by jio
    Spirits of the ancient Mayan civilisation wander the the vast uncharted rainforests of Guatamala. Even today, they discover lost cities. Interested?

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