Mother’s Day in Guatemala

Today is Mother’s Day here in Guatemala.

The atmosphere in the streets of Antigua is even a little more colorful than usual. There are people with flower arrangements in hand, folks printing photos of their Moms in mugs at the photo shop, and Moms hand in hand with kids getting treats from the street vendors.

Walking randomly I came across Señora Maria, pictured above. She called me over to see the fabrics she was knitting but, to be honest, what she really wanted was to chat. And that’s what we did for a little while…

I learnt that, even though she is only 48, she has had 6 kids and already numerous grandchildren, one even as old as 12. If any of her granddaughters becomes a mother as young as she did, she will become a great grandmother by the time she is 50!

I am very happy, you know? Living in Antigua is a blessing and I have so many people in my family!”

People in Guatemala seem to be very family oriented. The high number of kids most families have seems quite obvious when you see women who work selling souvenirs or food on the streets. Very often, they bring their kids along.

Lili sits in the park and scribbles on her notepad, as her Mom sells hand-knit fabrics to tourists passing by

Studies say that women represent 38% of the work force in Guatemala. But I bet that number would be way higher if we were to count in all the artisans and hard working ladies who come up with “unofficial” yet creative ways to support their families.

On the other hand, women seem to cover almost 50% of all managerial positions in the country. And this puts Guatemala in the top 10 countries where women are in higher positions. The mayor of Antigua, for example, is a woman.

To those Guatemalan Moms who stay at home doing one of the hardest jobs in the world, as well as to those who step out yet still come back and take care of everything in the house: Feliz Dia de la Madre!