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:

• 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!