After a long delay in Newark and last leg journey from Guatemala City to San Lucas Toliman, the group has safely arrived at the San Lucas Mission!
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Friday, February 27, 2015
Some more facts about Guatemala
Hello everyone!
It's officially less than hour until we leave! We will post tonight upon arrival in San Lucas so you know we made it there safely! In the meantime, here's some more facts about Guatemala:
Coffee:
It's officially less than hour until we leave! We will post tonight upon arrival in San Lucas so you know we made it there safely! In the meantime, here's some more facts about Guatemala:
Coffee:
- Coffee has been an important part of Guatemala's economy since the 1850s.
- In 1880, coffee was 90% of Guatemala's exports and is still their largest export today.
- Guatemala was the top coffee producer in Central America until 2011, when Honduras overtook them.
- Many indigenous people were evicted from their ancestral home without benefits in order to produce more coffee.
- Harvesting the coffee crop depends on a massive, seasonal influx of migrant workers who travel to supplement their meager income. They are paid $2 a day (48 cents less than minimum wage); this only pays for a third of a family's calorie requirements.
- Half of their coffee is exported to the US.
We will most likely be harvesting coffee while in Guatemala. Please keep in mind that some of your coffee you drink in the morning may be produced by these workers who are paid sub-poverty-level wages - try fair trade coffee, where workers are paid fair living wages!
Powerful Women Figures:
- Rigoberta Menchu is an indigenous Mayan woman born in 1959. She has renounced marriage and motherhood so that she can dedicate her life to raising awareness about racism in Guatemala and work toward equal treatment of the Mayan people. She received the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts.
- Guatemala's Attorney General is a female, Claudia Paz y Paz.
- Irma Flaquer Azurdia is a psychologist known for her critique of the Guatemala government.
- Maria Josefa Garcia Granados y Zavala is an intellectual, writer, journalist, poet, and feminist.
Jade:
- Jade is an ornamental green rock.
- It was rare in southern Mayan cultures; therefore, it was very valuable.
- It was used in Mayan art and for religious purposes.
Thank you for all your support as we prepared for our journey, and please continue to keep us in our thoughts and prayers as we travel!
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Some facts about Guatemala
History & Disappearance of the Mayan Civilization
The Mayan civilization was the most dominant society in Mesoamerica (Mexico & Central America)
Earliest Maya settlements date to around 1800 B.C. These civilizations were agricultural. They grew crops such as corn, beans, squash and cassava. They also become culturally advanced and started building pyramid buildings and developing cities.
During the classic period around 750 AD is considered the Golden Age for the Maya Empire. The civilization grew to about 40 cities, and may have reached a population around 2,000,000.
The Maya were deeply religious and they worshipped God related to nature. At the top of the Mayan society were kings. These kings were thought of the earth. The inscriptions of temple walls led people to believe they were very violent. As a part of religious ritual they performed torture & sacrifice. During this time they also made advancement in math & astronomy, and created the 365-day calendar.
From the 8th - 9th century the Mayan society started to fall classical cities were abandoned and by 900 AD the Mayan civilization had collapsed.
These popular theories exist as to why the extinction of society occurred one theory is the people completely exhausted the environment to the point it could no longer sustain the population. Another theory is that the constant warfare caused the society to breakdown the final common theory is extreme environmental change, like an intense drought.
San Lucas Mission
The San Lucas mission was founded by the Franciscan order in the late 16th century, the mission church was founded in 1584. In 1958, the catholic church in Rome called for greater involvement of clergy and lay people in world missions. Diocese of New Ulm launched a partnership with the Diocese of Sololá Guatemala. Father Greg Schaffer a Diocesan priest from New Ulm began serving as a pastor for the San Lucas Mission in 1962.
Devotion has been the enhancement and enrichment of the whole person - spiritually, intellectually, and physically addressing immediate effects of poverty and its underlying causes.
Father Greg Schaffer
Father Greg was born on January 29th, 1934 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He entered the seminary in 1954 and started working at San Lucas Mission in 1963. He stayed for nearly 4 decades and oversee the mission and always made upholding the dignity of the Guatemalan people. He also started many aspects of the mission such as medical and dental clinic, elementary school, library and a women's center . Many awards were bestowed on him, specifically order of the Quetzal.
Civil War
During the civil war thousand were killed and many more unclaimed. People were forced from homes or killed because the rich people wanted the lands. Men were recruited and they were killed or kidnapped if uncooperative.
The Mayan civilization was the most dominant society in Mesoamerica (Mexico & Central America)
Earliest Maya settlements date to around 1800 B.C. These civilizations were agricultural. They grew crops such as corn, beans, squash and cassava. They also become culturally advanced and started building pyramid buildings and developing cities.
During the classic period around 750 AD is considered the Golden Age for the Maya Empire. The civilization grew to about 40 cities, and may have reached a population around 2,000,000.
The Maya were deeply religious and they worshipped God related to nature. At the top of the Mayan society were kings. These kings were thought of the earth. The inscriptions of temple walls led people to believe they were very violent. As a part of religious ritual they performed torture & sacrifice. During this time they also made advancement in math & astronomy, and created the 365-day calendar.
From the 8th - 9th century the Mayan society started to fall classical cities were abandoned and by 900 AD the Mayan civilization had collapsed.
These popular theories exist as to why the extinction of society occurred one theory is the people completely exhausted the environment to the point it could no longer sustain the population. Another theory is that the constant warfare caused the society to breakdown the final common theory is extreme environmental change, like an intense drought.
San Lucas Mission
The San Lucas mission was founded by the Franciscan order in the late 16th century, the mission church was founded in 1584. In 1958, the catholic church in Rome called for greater involvement of clergy and lay people in world missions. Diocese of New Ulm launched a partnership with the Diocese of Sololá Guatemala. Father Greg Schaffer a Diocesan priest from New Ulm began serving as a pastor for the San Lucas Mission in 1962.
Devotion has been the enhancement and enrichment of the whole person - spiritually, intellectually, and physically addressing immediate effects of poverty and its underlying causes.
Father Greg Schaffer
Father Greg was born on January 29th, 1934 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He entered the seminary in 1954 and started working at San Lucas Mission in 1963. He stayed for nearly 4 decades and oversee the mission and always made upholding the dignity of the Guatemalan people. He also started many aspects of the mission such as medical and dental clinic, elementary school, library and a women's center . Many awards were bestowed on him, specifically order of the Quetzal.
Civil War
During the civil war thousand were killed and many more unclaimed. People were forced from homes or killed because the rich people wanted the lands. Men were recruited and they were killed or kidnapped if uncooperative.
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