En leyendo un articulo en La Prensa Libre, lei esto. El Nobre “Guatemala”, hes pensada significar ‘Tierra de Arboles’, ‘Muchos Arboles’, o alungas veces es pensada significar ‘Entre los arboles’. La cosa es que en realidad nadie sabe por cierto que significa ‘Guatemala’. Pero, recientemente ha salido una nueva hipótesis. Los hitoriadores y lingüistas de Nahuatl (que es una de muchas lenguas Mayan) piensan que quisas la palabra no es ‘Cuactemallán’ pero, ‘Coactimallán’! Que quiere decir “lugar donde se posa el águila”, o algo de águila. En k’iche, “Quiché” es como llamaban a Guatemala en ese tiempo hace años, pero esa palabra significa ‘muchos árboles’, y por tiempo fue cambiado a “Tierra de árboles”. Cuando lee esto, me di cuenta de algo. Nosotros pasamos muchisimo tiempo pensando y hablando sobre la corrupción, pobreza, y todas las cosas malas en Guatemala. Hay que tener entusiasmo para ir a Guatemala, hay que tratar de no pensar en sólo de lo malo. Cuantos de nosotros sabemos el himno de Guatemala? O que signifca la bandera? O que es el pajaro nacional de Guatemala?
The “ Resplendent Quetzal” is the national bird of Guatemala. They are largely found in humid highlands of Guatemala (and central America, different to the Quetzal’s found in South America), and largely feed on fruits, berries, insects, wild avocadoes and small vertebrae. The word “Quetzal” comes from Nahuatl ‘quetzalli’ that means ‘large brilliant tail feather’. The Quetzals are about 36cm long, and the males are the ones with the long feathers that can be up to 64cm long. When not breeding Quetzal’s are usually alone, during breeding both male and female take turns incubating. Often, during the last few days of incubation the female will abandon the eggs and leave it up to the male to take care of the young. The Quetzal is extremely important in Mayan legend wherein it was ‘Tecúm Umán’s’ (a prince and warrior of the K’iche) spirit guide. Who it is said to have fought Pedro De Alvarado a conquistador. During their fight a Quetzal was said to be flying overhead, and allowed Tecúm Umán to disable Alvarado’s horse. Unfortunately Alvarado was given another horse and put a spear through Umán’s chest. The Quetzal then is believed to have landed on the prince’s chest, and it was there that this bird got its red chest feathers. As well during this time it was illegal to kill a Quetzal, and they would simply be caught, plucked of a few feathers then set free to be used for rulers’ crowns. The Quetzalcoatl was considered to be the creator god and god of wind, which was derived from the word Quetzal. The Quetzal was believed that it would kill itself if ever put into captivity, symbolizing freedom and liberty. Recently though a zoo in Mexico has managed to breed a few. The Quetzal is on the Guatemalan flag, and is also the currency of Guatemala. It is ‘near-threatened’ on the endangered species list. A picture can be found here: http://www.islapalenque.com/blog/2009/11/el-valle-de-anton/
The national Anthem of Guatemala can be heard here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O8mA565IGg&feature=related With the Spanish Words. Here are the English words:
Verse
Fortunate Guatemala! May your altars
Never be profaned by cruel men.
May there never be slaves who submit to their yoke,
Or tyrants who deride you.
If tomorrow your sacred soil
Should be threatened by foreign invasion,
Your fair flag, flying freely in the wind,
Will call to you: Conquer or die.
CHORUS
Your fair flag, flying freely in the wind,
Will call to you: Conquer or die;
For your people, with heart and soul,
Would prefer death to slavery.
It was written in by José Joaquín Palma (1844-1911) who was born in Cuba but was exiled due to his involvement in the war of 1868, he then moved to Guatemala where he died in 1911.
The national flower of Guatemala is the ‘white nun orchid’ or ‘la monja blanca’ which is quite rare and grows in the Verpaz district in Guatemala. It symbolizes beauty, peace, and art. A picture can be found here: http://life-in-guatemala.blogspot.com/2008/09/national-flower-of-guatemala.html
I believe it is important to know these types of things about a country when travelling to it. Who are we, if not common clueless tourists if locals ask us if we’ve heard the national anthem? Or about the national bird? Or Flower? As well these are some things to look forward to when we travel to Guatemala. Perhaps we’ll get a glimpse of a Quetzal the centre of so many myths and legends. Maybe we’ll see this rare flower? I believe that these types of national symbols say a lot about a country. That it is searching for liberty, peace, freedom and beauty. I encourage everyone to look up the meanings of the flag, crest, and the types of food in Guatemala so we can all get excited to visit this beautiful country.
Reference List:
http://www.prensalibre.com/opinion/Guate_0_377362353.html
http://www.questconnect.org/guat_symbols.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resplendent_Quetzal
http://life-in-guatemala.blogspot.com/2008/09/national-flower-of-guatemala.html
http://www.islapalenque.com/blog/2009/11/el-valle-de-anton/
http://lyricsondemand.com/miscellaneouslyrics/nationalanthemslyrics/guatemalanationalanthemlyrics.html
No comments:
Post a Comment