Welcome to our final episode. Today we continue talking to Eric, Elias and Barbara. Together we'll discuss immigration, the impacts it has on the family members remaining in Huehuetenango as well as the impacts it has on the communities that lose their most valuable resource, its people. 

Our guests:

Eric Galvez: Program Coordinator for the Ixtatan Foundation in Huehuetenango

Elias Alonso: Director of Development for the Ixtatan Foundation. He was born and raised in San Mateo Ixtatan, a town north of the city of Huehuetenango, and about a 3.5-hour drive away. To learn more about his personal story you can listen to episode 1 of the second season of the Guatecuenta Podcast.

Barbara Mariel Recinos Morales: An English teacher, born and raised in Huehuetenango. However, her family is originally from San Antonio Huista, a town, approximately 3 hours west of the city of Huehuetenango.

Contact us:

[email protected]

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[email protected]

IG: Guatecuenta_podcast

Credits:

Graphic Designer & Illustrator: Diego Sac

Interview Coordinator: Elias Alonso (Director of Development, Ixtatan Foundation)

Producer / Editor / Writer: Lilian Cruz

In our second to last episode, we’ve brought 4 guests to the table to help us Explore Huehuetenango’s work force / employment field, to understand what makes up its commerce, to discover what kind of help and guide are available to those entering the work field or wanting to become entrepreneurs, and finally to learn about family structures and finances. 

Our guests:

Eric Galvez: Program Coordinator for the Ixtatan Foundation in Huehuetenango

Elias Alonso: Director of Development for the Ixtatan Foundation. He was born and raised in San Mateo Ixtatan, a town north of the city of Huehuetenango, and about a 3.5-hour drive away. To learn more about his personal story you can listen to episode 1 of the second season of the Guatecuenta Podcast.

Barbara Mariel Recinos Morales: An English teacher, born and raised in Huehuetenango. However, her family is originally from San Antonio Huista, a town, approximately 3 hours west of the city of Huehuetenango.

Ashley Gomez: An English teacher, born and raised in Huehuetenango

Contact us:

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

IG: Guatecuenta_podcast

Credits:

Graphic Designer & Illustrator: Diego Sac

Interview Coordinator: Elias Alonso (Director of Development, Ixtatan Foundation)

Producer / Editor / Writer: Lilian Cruz

Welcome back!
Today we present Edyth Santiago, a young and vibrant musician from Huehuetenango. She was the recipient of the English Access Microscholarhip Program sponsored by the US Embassy in Guatemala and studied English for four years. She dreams to become a music producer and be able to give back to her community.  Today we hear her experience as she has navigated this field in her hometown, but we also hear her plea for more support to the artistic community of Huehuetenango.

For more information regarding the English Access Microscholarhip Program, please visit:https://gt.usembassy.gov/english-access-microscholarship-program/

https://exchanges.state.gov/non-us/program/english-access-microscholarship-program/spotlight/access-alumni-serve-interpreters-during-medical-mission

For more information regarding the Gumercindo Palacios Flores Conservatory and other conservatories in Guatemala, please visit:  https://mcd.gob.gt/conservatorios-de-musica/

Contact us:

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

 
Credits:

Graphic Designer & Illustrator: Diego Sac

Interview Coordinator: Elias Alonso (Director of Development, Ixtatan Foundation)

Producer / Editor / Writer: Lilian Cruz

We’re 3 out of 6 episodes in this journey of Exploring Huehuetenango. 

Today, Monica Lopez, an English teacher and a Huehuetenango native explores her city from the outside. You may ask how? Well, when she traveled to Charlottesville in 2016, she didn’t travel alone; she traveled with everything Huehuetenango had prepared her with. While being there, she compared her hometown to the Virginian city, and although she embraced everything about it and was amazed by the entire experience, she concluded that the trip made her feel prouder of her city and of her cultural identity. 

Contact us:

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

Credits:

Graphic Designer & Illustrator: Diego Sac

Interview Coordinator: Elias Alonso (Director of Development, Ixtatan Foundation)

Producer / Editor / Writer: Lilian Cruz

In the second episode to the six-part series of Exploring Huehuetenango, we hear from Fredy Ramirez Palma, the founder of Natucultura, an authorized agency located in Huehuetenango offering tour guides and information regarding the city and the department’s culture. In this episode we learn about Huehuetenango’s history dating back to the BC era. Fredy follows a chronological order when presenting Huehuetenango as not only a territory, a settlement, and a premature city, but also as what it is today, a rich melting pot nurtured by the 9 different maya cultures that surround it and that make of it a unique experience to live.

To learn more about Natucultura, visit their Facebook page: 

https://m.facebook.com/people/NatuCultura/100063466873132/?locale=es_LA

To learn more about La Cueva del Mamut, visit:

https://mcd.gob.gt/la-cueva-del-mamut-en-huehuetenango/

To learn more about Zaculeu, visit:

https://mcd.gob.gt/zaculeu/

To learn more about Huehuetenango’s Annual Fair (Fiestas Julias), visit:

https://www.municipalidaddehuehuetenango.gob.gt/eventos-actividades-fiestas-julias-d

To learn more about the Princesa Chinab’ajul pageant, visit:

https://youtu.be/v2D5OeBnYVU

To learn more about Huehuetenango via its municipality, visit:

https://munihuehuetenango.laip.gt


Contact us:

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

Credits:

Graphic Designer & Illustrator: Diego Sac

Interview Coordinator: Elias Alonso (Director of Development, Ixtatan Foundation)

Producer / Editor / Writer: Lilian Cruz

A helpful guide to understanding the playlist. Each track represents one of the 22 states that make up Guatemala. In bold you’ll find the name of the department (state). These are organized geographically. With the help of a map, you can follow along. 

 1. Flores Peteneras: In honor of the island of Flores, the capitol of Peten
2. Cobanerita: Coban is the capitol of Alta Verapaz; the demonym for the people from Coban is cobanero/cobanera.
3. Puerto Barrios: The title is the name of the capitol of Izabal
4. Soy de Zacapa: Translation: I am from Zacapa; a state in the northeastern part of the country
5. Corrido de Chiquimula: in honor of Chiquimula, a state located about 100 miles from Guatemala City
6. Juventud Jutiapense: in honor of the state of Jutiapa
7. Cuilapa: the name of the of the capitol for the department of Santa Rosa
8. Cumbia Jalapaneca: “jalapaneca” is the demonym for women from the state of Jalapa
9. Noviembre en Sanarate: Sanarate is a city in the department of El Progreso
10. Cumbia Salamateca: Salamateca is the demonym for the women of Salama, capitol of the state of Baja Verapaz
11. Guatemala: The name of the country as well as the name of one the departments of the country. And believe it or not, you'll also find here the City of Guatemala, which is the capitol city of the country.
12. Sacatepequez: the title of the track is the name of the state Sacatepequez
13. Noches de Escuintla: Escuintla, the state known as the "City of Palm Trees."
14. Chimaltenango: both the state and capitol are named alike, Chimaltenango; this state is most commonly referred to as just "Chimal"
15. Chichicastenango: a town of the department of Quiche; In Chichicastenango you'll find one of the most colorful open markets (mercado) in the country
16. San Miguel Totonicapan: in honor of Saint Michael Archangel, patron of the department of Totonicapan
17. Panajachel: not only the name of one of the towns belonging to the state of Solola, but also one of the most visited towns of Guatemala.
18. Mazatenango Lindo: this track is dedicated to Mazatenango, the capitol city of Suchitepequez, a state located in the south west part of Guatemala
19. Retalhuleu: the state of Retalhuleu is where you'll also find el Irta, a group of popular amusement parks
20.  Luna de Xelaju: in honor of the state of Queztaltenango which is also known as or referred to as Xela (pronunciation in English: shella, in Spanish: shela)
21. Concepción Tutuapa: a city in San Marcos, one the departments that borders with Mexico.
22. Canto a Mi Huehuetenango: in honor of Huehuetenango, the name of its department as well as its capitol city. 

Congratulations, you've traveled through Guatemala via different melodies, now you just have to travel there and listen to the marimba live. 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/69TJCysbZt3nZPq41PYPyA?si=77c3a1acd22049db

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This six-part series will explore Huehuetenango from different perspectives and different voices.

Edward Herring, a systems engineer and currently a language teacher for the Charlottesville City Schools, shares his observations on his recent trip to Huehuetenango as a member of the Charlottesville Sister City Commission. His vast experience and technical eye give insight to where the relationship between the two cities has begun. 

Jordan Lindbeck is a grad student at the University of Texas in Austin, however in 2017 she lived in Huehuetenango for a year while she worked for the Ixtatan Foundation, the organization which serves today as a bridge between Charlottesville and Huehuetenango. Her time there is an open window to appreciate differences and to learn about life in Huehuetenango.   
 

To learn more about the Ixtatan Foundation, please visit:
https://ixtatan.org

To learn more about Charlottesville and its relationship with Huehuetenango, please visit:
https://huehuecharlottesville.com

To learn more about Guatemala's Commission for Historial Clarification, please visit:
https://www.usip.org/publications/1997/02/truth-commission-guatemala
 

[email protected]
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[email protected]
IG: Guatecuenta_podcast
FB: Ixtatan 
IG: Ixtatan Foundation
Twitter: Ixtatan F

Credits:
Graphic Designer & Illustrator: Diego Sac
Interview Coordinator: Elias Alonso (Director of Development, Ixtatan Foundation)
Producer / Editor / Writer: Lilian Cruz

Charlottesville, Virginia is not new to sister city relationships. It embarked on this curious and incredible journey close to five decades ago with Poggio a Caiano, Italy, and since then it’s been working with other cities across the world to connect its residents. In this podcast, you’ll learn of its newest and first relationship with a Latin American municipality: Huehuetenango, Guatemala. Although they are currently in the friendship city process, they are actively working on becoming its fifth sister city. 

To learn more about Sister Cities International, please visit:
https://sistercities.org

To learn more about Charlottesville and its other Sister Cities, please visit:
https://www.cvillesistercities.org

 To learn more about Charlottesville and its relationship with Huehuetenango, please visit: https://huehuecharlottesville.com 

[email protected]
[email protected]
IG: Guatecuenta_podcast

Credits:
Graphic Designer & Illustrator: Diego Sac
Producer / Editor / Writer: Lilian Cruz

Migración: Los Que Se Fueron y Los Que Se Quedaron

Hoy, irregular o no, la migración de miles de guatemaltecos tiene varias causas, pero en la década de los ochenta la migración tenía una variante mas: el conflicto armado interno. Miles de personas salieron de Guatemala en busca de refugio en diferentes países, entre los que se encuentra Estados Unidos. Algunas personas regresaron y otras se quedaron en los lugares donde encontraron protección y una oportunidad de comenzar de nuevo. ¿Qué ha sido de sus vidas?

 Don Antonio Silvestre, nacido en Jacaltenango, Huehuetenango, llegó a Estados Unidos en 1981. Su sueño de seguir estudiando y cerrar una carrera universitaria en Guatemala se quedó a medias cuando vio la necesidad de salir del país por su protección y la de su familia. Después de vivir un par de años en el estado de Pensilvania, su liderazgo comunitario y preparación académica captaron la atención de un sacerdote católico irlandés que trabajaba con familias mayas de Guatemala en el estado de Florida. Una llamada lo llevó a un pueblo que era peculiar en ese momento pero que hoy es un espejo de varias otras comunidades guatemaltecas en los Estados Unidos. 

 Esta es la historia de alguien que se fue

Si desea donar o conocer mas sobre la escuela primaria, Hope Rural, que se menciona en el episodio, visite el website: https://www.hoperuralschool.org

Migración: Los Que Se Fueron y Los Que Se Quedaron

Cuando se habla de la migración, y mas cuando es de la migración externa, quizá con frecuencia se piensa en el hombre. Muchas veces es él quien emigra, dejando atrás a la familia, esposa e hijos. Se admira la valentía y el coraje del migrante. Toma la decisión de empezar de cero en otro lugar, y en varios casos guatemaltecos su enfoque principal es aportar a la familia que quedó. Pero ¿que del rol de las mujeres? en particular de las madres. Muchas veces y a solas, se enfrentan a la gran responsabilidad de criar, educar, proteger y velar por el bienestar de los hijos.  No se trata de desmerecer el trabajo del migrante sino de conocer también el trabajo y las responsabilidades de quienes se quedan. 

Ese fue el caso de la madre del sacerdote católico, Fredy Méndez. Él es uno de ocho hijos. Nació en San Pedro Soloma, Huehuetenango.  A los tres años vio a su padre salir de Guatemala hacia EE. UU. Aunque por temporadas lo miraba cuando llegaba a Guatemala, realmente no fue hasta que cumplió 21, casi dos décadas después, que volvió a convivir con él por aproximadamente 10 meses. Padre Fredy y sus hermanos crecieron en una familia separada por distancia pero unida por amor y convicción.  

Esta es la historia de alguien que se quedó