Las artesanías de morro del municipio de Rabinal en Baja Verapaz, son ampliamente conocidas en todo el país. Es muy probable que ya te hayas encontrado una de estas artesanías en algún mercado o en la feria de Rabinal, si has tenido la oportunidad de ir. Estas vienen en forma de guacales y chinchines, principalmente,…
The Mesoamerican Christmas tree: Pinabete (Abies guatemalensis Rehder.)
Abies guatemalensis Rehder is a species of pine (family Pinaceae) that commonly receives the name of Pinabete, Romerillo, or Pinabete of Guatemala; In Mayan languages, it is known as Pashaque, Tz’in chaj, Pajchac, and Paqtxaq (INAB & MARN, 2017; INAB, 2019). Its natural distribution includes México (Jalisco), Guatemala, El Salvador and part of Honduras (Lempira).…
Medicinal plants of Guatemala: An approach to ethnobotany
Guatemala is widely known for being a Megadiverse country in terms of its natural and cultural resources, but this diversity is not only special for its uniqueness, but also for the management that has been given to it. The native people of the country have inherited important knowledge about the uses of plants for generations.…
Migratory birds: A special dynamic in the world
On October 12, World Migratory Bird Day was commemorated. This is a very important annual campaign to promote global awareness and conservation of migratory birds and their habitats. Migratory birds play an important role in the ecological dynamics of the sites they visit, as they are important predators of insects and vertebrates, dispersers of seeds,…
Datos interesantes sobre algunos de los símbolos patrios de Guatemala
El 15 de septiembre conmemoramos el día de la independencia en Guatemala, por lo que es un buen momento para recordar sus símbolos representativos. A pesar de que reconocemos lo emblemáticos que son el quetzal, la monja blanca, la ceiba, la marimba y demás símbolos patrios, ¿qué tanto sabemos sobre ellos y su historia? El…
Los pueblos indígenas de Guatemala
Guatemala es un país diverso, integrado por los 4 pueblos que coexisten en él: el pueblo maya, ladino/mestizo, xinca y garífuna. Por ende, es un país pluricultural, compuesto por 24 comunidades lingüísticas sin contar al castellano. Estas comunidades lingüísticas están integradas por el idioma xinca, garífuna y 22 de origen maya: Achi’ Akateko, Awakateko, Chalchiteko,…
Cicadas: The singers of the forest
It is very likely that during a walk through the forest you have heard the sound of thousands of cycads singing. Although they are rarely observed because they are mainly found in the treetops (or because some manage to camouflage themselves very well with the color of the barks from the trees) we can hear…
The Value of the Tropical Forests
Tropical forests or rainforests are located in the Intertropical Zone, between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer (look image 1), near the equatorial line. Its average annual temperature is generally above 24 ° C and its humidity is highly variable. They are considered megadiverse ecosystems because despite occupying just 3% of the…
Guatemala is a megadiverse country
Biodiversity, or biological diversity, is defined as the diversity of species of plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms that live in a given space. This also includes their genetic variability, the ecosystems of which these species are part, the landscapes or regions where they occur or locate, the ecosystems, and the ecological and evolutionary processes that…
Breve Historia del Planeta Tierra
El 22 de abril conmemoramos el Día de la Tierra con la finalidad de reflexionar sobre el cuidado de nuestro planeta y cómo podemos aprovecharlo responsablemente. Es un día importante para recordar las acciones que necesitamos implementar en nuestras vidas o las que necesitamos cambiar para ayudar a disminuir la contaminación y la destrucción de…