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It’s time to celebrate! But always loving and caring for our planet
Blog FLAAR Mesoamerica

It’s time to celebrate! But always loving and caring for our planet

Christmas is the most important time of the year for many families. It is celebrated in the whole world with unique traditions in each country and culture. But something that we agree on is the Christmas tree, which became an icon of the Christmas season a long time ago. In Guatemala, many people love the…

Celebrate the biggest feline of America
Blog FLAAR Mesoamerica Flora and fauna research Maya-Ethnozoology

Celebrate the biggest feline of America

The Jaguar (Panthera onca) is one of the most frequently encountered images in Mesoamerican art and iconography, in either naturalistic, stylized, or anthropomorphic form. Art is one of the ways in which people represent how they conceive of themselves, and their place in the world The appearance and frequency of jaguar motifs, as with any…

World Animal Day: Threatened Animals in Central America
Blog FLAAR Mesoamerica Maya-Ethnozoology

World Animal Day: Threatened Animals in Central America

The Census of Marine Life scientists estimated the total number of species on Earth (the most precise calculation ever offered), announcing 6.5 million species found on land and 2.2 million (about 25 percent of the total) dwelling in the ocean depths, that means about 8.7 million. Can you imagine how many exotic animals you don’t…

Maize: The most important crop for The Mayan Culture
Blog Maya-ethnobotany

Maize: The most important crop for The Mayan Culture

It is estimated that, in Mesoamerica, agriculture could have occurred 9,000 or 10,000 years ago, approximately. This area, which covers the southern half of Mexico and part of Central America, has been considered one of the most important centers of plant domestication in the world due to the coexistence of extraordinary plant diversity and a…

Caring for the planet begins by taking care of our soils
Blog FLAAR Mesoamerica

Caring for the planet begins by taking care of our soils

Without the soil, plants would not grow and provide food for many animals and for humans too. Without it, the biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nutrients, and water) would not occur and support entire ecosystems. I’m talking about the soil which sometimes is underestimated, and probably, we haven’t realized how important is its conservation for our existence.…

Meet the sea turtles that visit the coasts of Guatemala
Blog Maya-Ethnozoology

Meet the sea turtles that visit the coasts of Guatemala

June is a special month for the environment, on the 8th we celebrate The World Oceans Day and on the 16th World Sea Turtles Day. These days have been recognized to raise awareness of the impacts that human activities are generating on the ocean and the inhabitants who depend on it. Our oceans have been…

Biodiversity in the Popol Vuh
Blog Educational material FLAAR Mesoamerica Mayan Culture

Biodiversity in the Popol Vuh

The Popol Vuh, also known as the Book of Counsels or the “Bible” of the Maya K’iche’. The Maya word “Pop” means power or sacred and “wuj” paper or book, so literally means Sacred Book. This book was perhaps written in hieroglyphic characters but the Mayan culture was attacked during the Spanish conquest and most…

A Place Called Mesoamerica
Educational material FLAAR Mesoamerica Flora and fauna research

A Place Called Mesoamerica

Do you ever wonder, what does Mesoamerica mean? This name appears in the history books we read at school, but the discussion and research about the breadth of its territory and culture needs to be explored even more. The word “Mesoamerica” has a Greek origin for the prefix “meso” which means “between something” or in…