Alta Verapaz Research Articles

“Their debts follow them into the afterlife”: German Settlers, Ethnographic Knowledge, and the Forging of Coffee Capitalism in Nineteenth-Century Guatemala

AbstractGerman coffee planters in nineteenth-century Alta Verapaz, Guatemala were also ethnographers, archaeologists, and geographers who published their works in Germany, the United States, and Guatemala. Their published works, as well as coffee plantation records, government correspondence, judicial records and other archival materials reveal how German coffee planters-cum-ethnographers drew upon ethnographic knowledge and representations to forge a reliable labor force. Like ethnographers in Britain's colonies, German settlers in Alta Verapaz understood the potential symmetry between ethnography and the governance of indigenous peoples. Their ethnographic knowledges also push us to reconsider distinctions drawn between German cosmopolitan ethnographic traditions and British functionalist ones and demonstrate how ethnographic knowledge and cultural difference could be deployed to forge new kinds of racial capitalism. In Guatemala, the intimate relationship between the rise of capitalism and ethnography shaped the anti-communism of mid-twentieth-century anthropology in the region.

The elusive Sobralia amabilis (Orchidacae): a range extension of its distribution to Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, with notes on its habitat

We present a range extension for Sobralia amabilis, previously recorded from the southeastern border of Guatemala to Panama and Ecuador. Here, we detail its taxonomic history, description, and geographical distribution, along with photographs of the plants in vivo, habitat notes and recommendations for collecting and preparing herbarium specimens.
 Key words: cloud forest, Northern Central America, occurrence, orchid, Sobralieae

Contextualizing a Maya Collection from Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, at the University of Ghent, Belgium

The aim of the present study is to contextualize a collection of Maya artifacts that have been kept for 125 years at the University of Ghent, in Belgium. The objects came from one of the first archaeological excavations carried out in Guatemala, between 1880 and 1900. The collection includes 130 pottery pieces, 64 jadeite pieces, 24 stone objects (serpentine, silex, and other stones), and 52 obsidian pieces. The study started in 2016, with the identification and location of the provenance site, which was visited in 2017. The phases of documentation and photographic registration of the objects were completed in 2019. It is the intention to digitize the collection and make it available to scholars for further research. This report presents a brief description of the site, Chich’en, and analyzes aspects of its geographical environment, as well as the historical and religious context that determined its relevance from the Classic period to the Late Postclassic and the early colonial period. A selection of the objects is presented, and outstanding iconographic elements are analyzed. The analysis is based on a bibliography review in the fields of archaeology, history, and ethnology in the Maya region and in Mesoamerica in general. It is extraordinary to find an extensive collection of Maya archaeological artifacts in the reserves of a university museum, and a privilege to study them. These artifacts hold a wealth of information about the archaeological site Chich’en, where they were excavated 126 years ago. They enlighten the role of this site in the history of Verapaz (ancient Tezulutlán), strategically situated between the Northern Highlands and the Lowlands of Guatemala. Little is known about the history of this region. We are fortunate to lean on the research carried out by countless scholars in various disciplines to guide us in our search for answers to the many questions. Making this collection accessible for collaborative study should ensure that this cultural heritage will not remain silent nor stay forgotten.

<p><strong>A conspectus of<em> Magnolia </em>(Magnoliaceae)<em> </em>in Guatemala: novelties and conservation</strong></p>

Magnoliaceae of Guatemala are summarized, and two new Guatemalan species from Alta Verapaz are described and illustrated. Two Magnolia occurrence records are added to the flora of this country. Magnolia archilana is similar to M. hondurensis, but it differs from the latter in having glabrous terminal twigs, petioles, spathaceous bracts, peduncles and carpels, broadly obovate leaves, longer peduncles and larger sepals, outer petals and polyfollicles. Magnolia tribouillierana resembles M. montebelloensis but differs from the latter in lacking branches below five metres; in having glabrous twig internodes, spathaceous bracts and carpels, more numerous leaf veins per side, longer longest peduncular internode, abaxially yellowish sepals, fewer spathaceous bracts and more numerous carpels. A key to species and a distribution map of native Guatemalan magnolias is also provided. Data on diversity, endemism, ethnobotanical knowledge and conservation are also provided. Using the IUCN criteria, conservation status of M. archilana and M. tribouillierana are here assessed as endangered (En) and critically endangered (CR), respectively. Conservation actions are urgently needed for the six Guatemalan magnolias faced with extinction.

Detection of high-risk pregnancies in low-resource settings: a case study in Guatemala

BackgroundMaternal and neonatal mortality is still very high at a global level, even though its reduction is a goal established among the Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations. In order to improve prenatal care to address this challenge, this article proposes a strategy to detect and refer high risk pregnancies in rural setting through a portable ultrasound system combined with blood and urine strip tests.MethodsThe Healthy Pregnancy project was conceived as a single, explanatory and positivist case study, with a sample of ten thousand pregnant women attended by itinerant nurses of the Departments of Alta Verapaz and San Marcos. These nurses were trained and equipped with 31 portable ultrasound, and blood and urine tests to detect common obstetric pathology. Moreover, two obstetricians were responsible for remotely supervising the quality of prenatal care. Target communities were selected by the Health Directorates of the public health system from those that had the highest maternal mortality in previous years.ResultsThe project attended to 10,108 women in 2 years and 3 months. 55 twin gestations (0.54%) were diagnosed. Non-cephalic presentation was found in 14.87% of the pregnant women attended from week 32 onwards. 20 patients were referred for non-evolutive gestation. An 11.08% prevalence of anemia was detected. Urine infections were diagnosed in 16.43% of the cases. Proteinuria was detected in 2.6% of patients, but only 17 of them presented high blood pressure and were therefore referred with a suspected pre-eclampsia.DiscussionThe results obtained indicate that an intervention of these characteristics makes it possible to improve the quality of care of rural pregnant women in low and middle-income countries.ConclusionThe results show that with suitable equipment, training, and supervision, the nursing staff in charge of care in rural areas can identify and refer most of the obstetric risks in time, which may contribute to the reduction of maternal mortality.Trial registrationThis research was not registered because it is a case study in which the assignment of the medical intervention was not at the discretion of the investigators.

A new troglobitic species of Typhloroncus (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones: Ideoroncidae) from Guatemala.

Typhloroncus guatemalensis sp. n., found in Gruta de Lanquín, a limestone cave located in the municipality of Lanquín (Alta Verapaz, Guatemala), is described. It can be distinguished from the congeneric species mainly by the presence of lanceolate ventrodistal telotarsal setae on all legs; by the chelal teeth, which exhibit a varied morphology; by the number of trichobothria (30‒32); and by its measurements. Typhloroncus guatemalensis sp. n. represents the first record for the genus in Guatemala and is considered to be troglobitic.

Description of the adult female of Diplocentrus lachua (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae: Diplocentrinae) from northeastern Alta Verapaz, Guatemala

The female of the scorpion Diplocentrus lachua Armas, Trujillo & Agreda, 2011 is herein described, on the basis of a single specimen collected at Parque Nacional Laguna Lachuá, Alta Verapaz Department, Guatemala, type locality for this species. An emended diagnosis is provided and the known distribution of all described Guatemalan Diplocentrus species is graphically presented.

The Agricultural Deities of Q ’Eqchi’ Mayas, Tzuultaq’as: Agricultural Rituals as Historical Obligation and Avatar of the Cultural Reservoir in Rural Lanquín , Alta Verapaz, Guatemala

Abstract This study, based on fieldwork in rural Lanquín, Guatemala, discusses cultural continuity and the sense of historicity through agricultural rituals and worship of the agricultural deity Tzuultaq’as. The place, Lanquín, and the Q’eqchi’ Maya peasant farmers are situated within a two-fold tension and contradiction. Geographically remote in relation to the economic centers in Guatemala, and marginal in infrastructural development, while their cash crop harvests never fail to be effected by the fluctuations of the global market. From the eclectic stance merging both theories of cultural essentialism and constructivism, by juxtaposing the emblematic event of the anti-Monsanto Law movement in 2014 in Guatemala, and by the calendrical cycles of ritual events, routines, and ceremonials in rural Lanquín, the subsistence practices of milpa (corn field) cultivation emerge as a central theme for cultural survival and continuity. The aggregated clusters of ritual processions and the system of symbolism used manifest the Q’eqchi’ peasant thought and practice of sustainability and conservancy in their construction of a modern cultural identity that maintains congruency with the cultural essence of a nativist identity.

Ethnopharmacological Field Study of Three Q'eqchi Communities in Guatemala.

Mesoamerica is well known for the Mayan civilization, which flourished in this region during pre-Columbian times and made use of plant diversity for medicinal purposes. Currently, there are 21 Mayan ethnic groups in Guatemala, including the Q'eqchi'. The use of medicinal plants is still prevalent among them, they have been an important medicinal source for the population. The present study aims to compile traditional knowledge of the use of medicinal plants from three Q'eqchi' communities in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala and identify the important medicinal plants that are currently being used to treat relevant diseases. The study also aims to determine the relative importance of the identified species to propose new species for further pharmacological studies. Based on the cultural richness and the low level of perturbation of the vegetation, we selected the Q'eqchi' communities of Sanimtaqá, Santo Domingo de las Cuevas, and Chirrepec in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. There, semi-structured interviews were conducted between June 2013 and December 2014 with common people. Plant-related questions and certain sociocultural contexts of the informants were included. Herbarium specimens for identification were collected with the help of the informants in their gardens with people from each community. The data were analyzed in two forms, the first non-quantitative based on the interpretation of the interviews (emic concepts of diseases) the second by following quantitative methods: informant consensus factor (Fic), Friedman's fidelity index (Fl), and use-reports (Ur). A total of 169 interviews were conducted. One hundred thirty-seven species of plants with medicinal uses were identified, which were described 2,055 times. These species belong to 59 families and 117 genera. Gastrointestinal conditions and pain/fever had the highest number of plant species uses for treatment. The main gastrointestinal conditions included diarrhea (Nume'sa'), stomach pain and worms (Luqum), while the pain/fever classification included headaches (rail jolom), and fevers (Tiq'). The most important cultural condition is called Chaquiq'yaj, the symptoms of the disease; diarrhea, vomiting, fever, lack of appetite, and thirst could be associated with a gastrointestinal. Conclusions: After analyzing the data, we can conclude that; Ageratina ligustrina, Catopheria chiapensis, Baccharis inamoena, Peperomia maculosa, Baccharis salicina, Clinopodium brownei, Calea integrifolia, and Smallanthus maculatus var. maculatus are the most culturally relevant species.

Anti-urease activity of native species of genus Piper from Guatemala with potential application in infection control

Introduction: Urease is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of urea in the gastrointestinal and urinary systems, related with chronic bacterial infection. Piper is a basal angiosperm genus with ethnobotanical application. The aim of this study was to determine urease inhibitory activity of extracts from ten Guatemalan Piper species. Methods: Leaves from 7 species were collected in Suchitepequez (P. amalago, P. auritum, P. hispidum, P. jacquemontianum, P. oradendron, P. retalhuleuense, and P. umbellatum), and 3 in Alta Verapaz (P. psilorhachis, P. sempervirens, and P. variabile), shade-dried and milled. Dichloromethane (DCM) and methanol (MeOH) extracts were prepared by percolation and concentrated by rotavapor. The inhibitory effect was determined by enzymatic assays, qualitative by thin layer chromatography developed by phenol red; and quantitative by spectrophotometric kinetic method evaluated by microcolorimetry at 630 nm with phenol red. Results: Seventeen extracts out of 20 demonstrated anti-urease activity by TLC, showing one discoloration band with Rf 1.4-5.8; P. psilorhachis showed 2 discolorations bands at Rf 5.3 and 5.8, and the best activity (IC50 MeOH 1.9 ± 0.08 μg/mL and DCM 2.1 ± 06 μg/mL), similar to positive control (hydrocyclohexanone IC50 1.4 ± 0.05 μg/mL). Two other species, P. umbellatum (IC50 MeOH 2.5 ± 0.06 μg/mL) and P. retalhuleunse (IC50 MeOH 4.1 ± 0.7 μg/mL, DCM 4.8 ± 0.06 μg/mL) showed a moderate activity. Conclusion: Three species showed interesting anti-urease activity that deserves future studies by bio-guided fractionation. Literature review demonstrated that this is the first report about the urease activity of these Piper species.

Comportamiento productivo de dos parvadas de gallinas de traspatio, utilizando una ración balanceada artesanal y un comercial, Cobán, Alta Verapaz

Como una alternativa a la alimentación de gallinas de traspatio (Gallus gallus) se formuló una ración artesanal a base de materias primas existentes en dos comunidades Ceiba del Norte y ECA Sauchil de Cobán, Alta Verapaz, para fortalecer la alimentación de las aves que se encuentran en las comunidades, ya que estos animales se encuentran adaptados a las condiciones prevalecientes y son resistentes a las enfermedades en general. Se elaboró una ración artesanal a base de materias primas locales, para lo cual se utilizó: 28 libras de maíz, 17 libras de frijol, 20 libras de hojas de gandul, 13 libras de hojas de madre cacao, 11 libras de hojas de malanga, 8 libras de cascara de huevos, 1.5 libras de sal común y 1.5 libras de huesos tostados y molidos, para un total de 100 libras, con la finalidad de determinó el efecto en la producción de gallinas de traspatio y el costo de producción de la ración en estudio, comparado con el alimento comercial. El alimento artesanal fue balanceado de acuerdo a las características nutritivas que presenta el alimento comercial para aves de traspatio, el cual se caracteriza por poseer once por ciento de proteína cruda (11% de PC). Se comprobó que la utilización de la ración artesanal fue efectiva, se logró un consumo del ochenta y cinco por ciento de la ración proporcionada e incremento considerable del peso de las aves; al inicio del experimento se determinó el peso promedio de las parvadas, las cuales empezaron el estudio con un peso promedio de 1.45 kg (equivalente a 3.2 libras).al final del experimento las dos parvadas que consumieron la ración balanceada con materias primas locales aumentaron a 1.68 kg de peso promedio, mientras que las dos parvadas de aves alimentadas con el concentrado comercial aumentaron a 1.77 kg, se procedió a llevar registros de postura durante ocho semanas, obteniendo los siguientes resultados las dos parvadas que recibieron alimento comercial reportaron una producción de huevos de treinta y cinco por ciento (35%), y en las parvadas que recibieron alimento artesanal la producción fue treinta por ciento (30%). Se realizó el recuento de la inversión por cada tipo de alimentación proporcionado, se utilizaron 34.09 kg de alimento en la fase de adaptación y 136.36 kg de alimento en el transcurso de la investigación, cada una de las parvadas consumió 170.45kg de alimento durante el estudio. Realizando un análisis de beneficio costo se determinó que se invirtió una cantidad de Q656.25 en la compra del alimento comercial; mientras que la elaboración de la ración balanceada tuvo un costo de Q402.56.

Características generales del comportamiento del venado cola blanca (Odocoileus virginianus) en semicautiverio en Cobán, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala

En Guatemala, el venado Cola Blanca es de los animales cinegéticos más importantes y sin duda de los más perseguidos a pesar de eso, se han realizado pocos estudios sobre él. En la actualidad, con la formación de la colección de la Fábrica de Municiones del ejército-FME-localizada en el municipio de Cobán, en el departamento de Alta Verapaz, se busca asegurar la conservación de esta especie. El estudio consistió en observaciones diarias para determinar el comportamiento general: social, productivo, reproductivo del venado y colectas de campo realizadas en las épocas de menor y mayor precipitación, con el objeto de obtener información acerca de la calidad de las principales plantas forrajeras, mediante análisis por el método de Weende. Se cuantificó la disponibilidad del forraje, utilizando porcentajes estimados de cubierta, para las plantas herbáceas y para arbustos y árboles se usó el muestreo sistemático por medio de parcelas de 10 x 10 m. Las plantas forrajeras principales fueron hierbas graminoides por existir en mayor disponibilidad (75%), luego los arbustos (22%), y por último las especies arbóreas (3%). Los forrajes consumidos fueron generalmente de calidad inferior que los forrajes de otras latitudes. Dentro de las especies arbustivas cabe mencionar como las más importantes para el venado del área, el clavel de Panamá (Hibiscus rosasimensis),pera (Pyrus communis) y Costa Rica (Bahuinia sp.). Estas especies junto con gramíneas como Andropogon bicornis, Panicum sellowii y Paspalum conjugatum, constituyen la base alimenticia del venado Cola Blanca en la FME. Los datos presentados sobre comportamiento social, sugieren diferencias en algunas estrategias sociales y de comportamiento a una edad temprana entre la población estudiada en semicautiverio y los reportes para poblaciones que habitan áreas silvestres o en completo cautiverio. Las hembras generalmente tienen sus crías en marzo, con un pico de nacimientos al final de dicho mes, aunque este es un período que puede prolongarse hasta mediados de abril. Lo que se observa en Cobán es una estacionalidad en la época de partos, lo cual concuerda con los factores climáticos que están relacionados con la sobrevivencia de los cervatos. Se infiere que los cervatos nacidos durante los meses de marzo y abril tendrán una mayor probabilidad de sobrevivencia que aquellos nacidos después o antes de la estación.Cuando las lluvias fuertes se presentan los cervatos son capaces fisiológicamente de utilizar los recursos vegetativos disponibles para su crecimiento y desarrollo. Por otra parte, las madres se recuperan de la tensión fisiológica como consecuencia de la lactancia.

Evaluación del peso final y rendimiento en canal en Búfalos de agua (Bubalus bubalis) en un sistema extensivo, en la finca Iruña del municipio de Panzós, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala

En el presente trabajo se evaluaron los indicies productivos, como ganancia de peso y rendimientos de las carcasas,en un lote de veinte búfalos de agua (Bubalus bubalis), en la finca Iruña, ubicada en el valle del río Polochic,municipio de Panzós, Alta Verapaz. El manejo de los búfalos inició desde la época de parición, identificándolos por medio de tatuaje y aretes, los pesajes desde el nacimiento al destete y la etapa final, así como prácticas de manejo ya establecidas en esta empresa ganadera, como castración, desparasitaciones, etc. Las variables a evaluar fueron:la ganancia de peso desde el nacimiento hasta la etapa final de comercialización y rendimientos de canal, realizando un análisis estadístico de carácter descriptivo. Se determinó la ganancia de peso promedio por día, teniendo como resultado 0.65 Kg. Desde el nacimiento hasta el pesaje final y un rendimiento en canal promedio de 50.18% (caliente)y 48.87% (frío). El tiempo para el retorno del capital invertido es muy importante al momento de analizar económicamente cualquier explotación animal, por lo que se comparó el peso y la edad de los búfalos tomando en cuenta que fueron manejados bajo un sistema extensivo y se determinó en esta investigación que el promedio de edad fue de 22 meses con 7 días, con un peso promedio de 472.8 Kg. Por las características del rastro privado donde se faenaron estos búfalos, se logró determinar la merma entre la canal caliente y la canal fría, siendo esta de 1.31% aplicada a un dato normal.

Cero muertes maternas comunitarias por hemorragia postparto: urge intervenir

Introducción: La hemorragia vaginal post parto continúa siendo una de las primeras causas de muerte materna en países con desarrollo social y económico pobre o detenido. Existen a la fecha intervenciones de éxito que son utilizadas a nivel hospitalario y comunitario en países con altas tasas de parto en el hogar. Propósito: Sugerir intervenciones que mejoren la salud materna de la población indígena, rural y pobre del país. Material y Método: Se realizó un análisis secundario de bases de datos sobre vigilancia de muerte materna. Se revisó la base de datos del Sistema Gerencial de Salud (SIGSA y SIGSA2) sobre muertes en mujeres de edad fértil y muertes maternas de 17 municipios y 19 distritos del departamento de Alta Verapaz y 32 municipios del departamento de Huehuetenango, previamente analizados por los comités de mortalidad materna. Cálculo de razones de muerte materna por 100,000 nacidos vivos, razones ajustadas para la edad al morir, número y proporciones encontradas son presentadas. Resultados: Durante el periodo de estudio no existe ningún cambio en la tendencia de la hemorragia post parto. Del total de casos ésta continúa siendo la primera causa de muerte materna. El 65% y el 75% de las muertes por hemorragia post parto sucedieron en el hogar en el departamento de Alta Verapaz y Huehuetenango respectivamente, principalmente por retención de placenta. Conclusiones: Los datos presentados muestran una situación dramática para las poblaciones rurales del país en el siglo XXI, existe la necesidad de que los proveedores de salud y los hacedores de políticas determinen estrategias que mejoren los servicios de salud materna tanto a nivel institucional como comunitario. En Guatemala, cualquier iniciativa que busque disminuir las muertes por hemorragia vaginal post parto tiene que tomar en cuenta la información sobre estos departamentos.

A revision of Astyanax (Characiformes: Characidae) in Central and North America, with the description of nine new species

ABSTRACTSince the restriction of Astyanax fasciatus to Brazil, most authors have assigned Central American and southern Mexican forms of Astyanax to A. aeneus. However, molecular studies support the hypothesis that more than one taxon is involved. With the aim of clarifying the number and status of species hidden behind the name ‘A. aeneus’, this revision comprises 80 populations of Astyanax (and ‘Bramocharax’) from Panama to Texas, with comparative material from South America, based on morphological characters (mostly osteological). Astyanax aeneus is hereby restricted to the Pacific slope, from Río Papagayo, Guerrero, to Honduras. Several species are resurrected from synonymy or redescribed: A. altior (restricted to north-western Yucatán), A. argentatus (Texas and northern Mexico), A. belizianus (central-southern Belize, Izabal, Caribbean Honduras), A. brevimanus (upper Usumacinta and Grijalva, Chiapas, Quiché, Alta Verapaz), A. finitimus (Veracruz, Tabasco, northern Chiapas), A. mexicanus (restricted to Colima and the Balsas River basin), A. nicaraguensis (Caribbean Nicaragua to Sixaola, Panama), A. orstedii (south-eastern Nicaragua, Costa Rica and westernmost Panama), A. panamensis (Pacific Panama), and A. petenensis (Campeche, Petén). Nine species are newly described: A. acatlanensis sp. nov. (inland Oaxaca and Puebla), A. bacalarensis sp. nov. (Quintana Roo, northern Belize, Petén), A. cubilhuitz sp. nov. (Alta Verapaz), A. macal sp. nov. (Maya Mountains, Belize), A. ocotal sp. nov. (Lake Ocotal, highland Chiapas), A. rioverde sp. nov. (San Luis Potosí), A. salvatoris sp. nov. (Tamazulapan, Oaxaca), A. tamiahua sp. nov. (northern Veracruz) and A. tehuacanensis sp. nov. (Papaloapan, Oaxaca). Others were already recognised as different from A. aeneus, among these A. cocibolca and A. nasutus, as well as species included before in the genus Bramocharax.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:ABC57223-DF66-49B6-8FE0-87CFF5D3EA03

The taxonomic status of Long-tailed shrews (Mammalia: genus Sorex)from Nuclear Central America.

We examined 256 specimens of long-tailed shrews (Sorex) from 53 localities throughout the highlands of Nuclear Central America. We evaluate the efficacy of using three qualitative characteristics to identify populations of Sorex from Nuclear Central America: 1) the presence or the absence of a postmandibular foramen and canal; 2) relative size of U3 compared to U4; and, 3) the presence or absence of a pigmented ridge on the lingual side of each unicuspid tooth. In our data, the first character is invariable for the specimens we examined. Two species groups can be recognized based on the presence (S. salvini species group) or the absence of a postmandibular foramen and canal (S. veraepacis species group). The other two characteristics were useful, but not diagnostic. Based upon Principal Component Analysis we recognize nine species of Sorex in Nuclear Central America. Five species belong to the S. salvini species group: S. cristobalensis, S. salvini, S. sclateri, S. stizodon, and a new species from Honduras. Four species belong to the S. veraepacis species group: S. chiapensis, S. ibarrai, S. veraepacis, and a new species from western Guatemala. We also present evidence that the type locality (Cobán, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala) for S. veraepacis is not correct.

Malaria elimination challenges in Mesoamerica: evidence of submicroscopic malaria reservoirs in Guatemala.

BackgroundEven though malaria incidence has decreased substantially in Guatemala since 2000, Guatemala remains one of the countries with the highest malaria transmission in Mesoamerica. Guatemala is committed to eliminating malaria as part of the initiative ‘Elimination of Malaria in Mesoamerica and the Island of Hispaniola’ (EMMIE); however, it is still in the control phase. During the past decade, the government strengthened malaria control activities including mass distribution of long-lasting insecticide-impregnated bed nets, early diagnosis and prompt treatment. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of malaria, including gametocytes, in three areas of Guatemala using active case detection (ACD) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).MethodsCross-sectional surveys were conducted in three departments with varying transmission intensities: Escuintla, Alta Verapaz and Zacapa. Blood samples from 706 volunteers were screened for malaria using microscopy and qPCR which was also used to determine the prevalence of gametocytes among infected individuals. Results were collected and analysed using REDCap and R Project, respectively.ResultsMalaria was diagnosed by microscopy in only 2.8 % (4/141) of the volunteers from Escuintla. By contrast, qPCR detected a prevalence of 7.1 % (10/141) in the same volunteers, 8.4 % (36/429) in Alta Verapaz, and 5.9 % (8/136) in Zacapa. Overall, 7.6 % (54/706) of the screened individuals were positive, with an average parasitaemia level of 40.2 parasites/μL (range 1–1133 parasites/μL) and 27.8 % carried mature gametocytes. Fifty-seven percent (31/54) of qPCR positive volunteers were asymptomatic and out of the 42.6 % of symptomatic individuals, only one had a positive microscopy result.ConclusionsThis study found a considerable number of asymptomatic P. vivax infections that were mostly submicroscopic, of which, approximately one-quarter harboured mature gametocytes. This pattern is likely to contribute to maintaining transmission across the region. Robust surveillance systems, molecular diagnostic tests and tailored malaria detection activities for each endemic site may prove to be imperative in accelerating malaria elimination in Guatemala and possibly across all of Mesoamerica.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12936-016-1500-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Participating in a Food-Assisted Maternal and Child Nutrition and Health Program in Rural Guatemala Alters Household Dietary Choices

Background: Food assistance programs may alter food choices, but factors determining households’ decisions regarding food acquisition, preparation, and consumption in the context of food aid are not well understood.Objective: This study aimed to understand how the Programa Comunitario Materno Infantil de Diversificación Alimentaria (Mother–Child Community Food Diversification Program; PROCOMIDA), a food-assisted maternal and child health and nutrition program in rural Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, altered household food choices.Methods: We conducted semistructured interviews and focus groups with 63 households in 3 participating (n = 32 households) and 3 control (n = 31) villages. A last-day food recall (without estimating quantities) and food-frequency questionnaire that used food cards assessed dietary choices. Qualitative analysis used thematic a priori and emergent coding; food group consumption frequencies were analyzed by using 2-level, logistic, mixed modeling, and chi-square testing while accounting for community clustering.Results: Compared with control households, PROCOMIDA changed household food choices through a combination of providing food resources (with monthly food rations) and new knowledge and skills related to health and food (in the program’s behavior change communication component) while reinforcing existing knowledge and beliefs. PROCOMIDA families consumed rice, red beans, and oil more frequently than did control families (differences of 2.20 (P < 0.001), 2.68 (P < 0.001), and 1.64 (P = 0.038) times/wk, respectively); these foods were in the rations. PROCOMIDA families also ate chicken, local plants, and some vegetables more frequently. The importance of these foods was emphasized in the behavioral change communication component; these foods may have been more accessible because provision of food rations freed resources.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that if a program provides food free of cost to rural indigenous families in the context of a maternal and child nutrition and health program, it may be important to include a well-designed behavioral change communication component to improve household food choices.

The Classic-period pictographs at Juliq’ Cave, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala: an interdisciplinary approach to cave art as organizing principle

The Cave of Juliq’ in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala contains an impressive corpus of ancient Maya rock art. Unlike other examples of rock art in this area, the Juliq’ pictographs are simply rendered, generally consisting of lines, handprints, and other basic shapes. We thus focus on context rather than on iconographic content in order to access the meaning of these ancient pictographs. We argue that they were used to record human presence in and movement through the alien cave environment in specific ways, demarcating procession routes, points of transition, moments of physical prowess, and places charged with sacred power. These circuits within Juliq’ reflect attempts to order the Underworld landscape and link it to the surface world through ritual movement akin to aboveground ritual processions.

“The Shadow of Slavery”: Historical Time, Labor, and Citizenship in Nineteenth-Century Alta Verapaz, Guatemala

AbstractIn the midst of Guatemala's nineteenth-century coffee boom, a frost struck the department of Alta Verapaz, destroying coffee harvests and catalyzing a debate over the “slavery” of mandamiento (forced wage labor). At the heart of these disputes was the problem of how to achieve Guatemalan political modernity, which focused discursive struggles over mandamientos around questions of national progress and related conceptions of history as the teleological march of nations and people forward in historical time toward modernity. While state officials justified mandamientos by arguing that Mayas were not yet civilized enough for equality and freedom, Q'eqchi’ Maya patriarchs and their ladino allies argued for abolishing mandamientos by drawing upon the metanarrative charting the end of slavery and feudalism and the rise of capitalism. While scholars have illustrated the importance of history to nationalism, this article argues for a broader understanding of historical discourse as a conceptual framework for ordering the world.