GUATEMALA

Passport to the

POLOCHIC REGION

Your Passport to the POLOCHIC REGION of Guatemala

N

TELEMÁN

SENAHÚ

SEAMAY

QUINICHESANTA ROSITA

LA TINTA

Alta Verapaz

POLOCHIC REGION

To El Estor, Rio Dulce & Lake Izabal

PANZÓS

SOLEDAD

SENAHÚ / SEAMAY AREA

THE REGION

Located in the Alta Verapaz department (similar to a state) of

Guatemala, The Polochic (pronounced Polocheek) Region is often used

interchangably with the name, Polochic Valley. It is a catch-all name for

the villages located in the mountains above the actual Polochic Valley

by the Polochic River.

QUICK FACTS

Population Approximately 6,000

Languages spoken Q’eqchi’ and Spanish

Rainy season May to October

Currency Quetzal (pronounced ket-zal)

This area was once a part of the Mayan Empire. The civilization

suddenly and mysteriously declined around 1100 A.D. Even still, when

the Spanish Conquistidores arrived in the 1520s, they met with fierce

resistance. The Spanish had previously conquered the central and

southern highlands of Guatemala, but were unable to conquer the

Alta Verapaz region. Spanish friars came under the guise of peace,

converting the natives to Christianity, and thus gaining control for the

King of Spain without warfare. Verazpaz means True Peace since the

friars were able to avoid fighting by trickery.

In the 1800s, this area became an important coffee producing region.

During that time, Guatemala gained independence from Spain in 1821.

Dictatorships ruled Guatemala until the 1944 revolution. Various

leaders ruled until 1984 when an elected assembly wrote a new

constitution. The year 1996 brought an end to a 36 year civil war and

the resulting political stability has helped to bring more assistace to the

area from the central government. However, there is still a great need

for more teachers, schools, medical attention, medicines and

improvement in living conditions.

HISTORY

The collapse of the coffee industry in the 1990s due

to Brazil increasing their plantations and Vietnam’s

entry into the coffee market at cheap prices was

devastating to the area. Many of the villagers who had worked on

large German-owned coffee plantations suddenly had no work.

Maya Nickel and other mining interests have come into the area to

tap into nickel and other mineral resources that are abundant in

the Polochic Region.

Cardamom and mandarin oranges are grown as

a cash crop. There is a need in the area to form

a co-op to allow all of the villages to sell their

crops together to command a higher price. But while they work on

making an agreement, the individual farmer is left prey to those

who come up from the city offering them quick money for the

crops, only paying a fraction of what they are worth.

LOCAL ECONOMY

Clothing for the Q’eqchi’ people

is very distinctive for the women,

but not as much for the men.

Most women and young girls

wear a special crocheted shirt,

which provides a thin covering

over a tank top, and long, full

skirts. They generally wear

sandals or flip-flops.

Men and boys generally wear

Western clothing of jeans and

t-shirts, although the distinctive

cowboy hat can often be seen

among the men.

CLOTHING

For cookingcorn tortillas

Corn tortillas form the backbone of the Q’eqchi’ diet. Tortillas are

generally eaten at every meal and are often eaten with a hot chili

sauce.

Beans are another staple and plantains (similar to bananas) are

plentiful. Meat, vegetables and most fruit are expensive or hard to

find, so getting a balanced meal is difficult.

In the Polochic, the villagers have begun a gardening project to help

them grow vegetables other than the traditional corn that is seen

growing along the mountainsides.

FOOD

Education opportunities are limited in the region. There are several

elementary schools, but until a secondary school was built recently

through humanitarian efforts, typically only one of the children in

the family was sent to a larger city to attend school. It was often a

male child, which accounts for the larger number of males who also

speak Spanish, Guatemala’s official language.

EDUCATION

The Q’eqchi’ people value education and

see it as a way to improve the lives of their

children. Schools are simple buildings

constructed from cinderblock with open

windows on opposite walls to allow for light

and ventilation. The teachers are dedicated

and work hard to teach the children despite

low pay and difficult conditions.

While some individuals in the Polochic Region know Spanish, the

majority speak Q’eqchi’ (pronounced Kek-chee), a Mayan dialect.

Basic Sounds:

x = “sh” sound • j = “h” sound • w = “kw” or “qu” sound

A FEW WORDS TO KNOW IN Q’EQCHI’

Hello – How are you?

Ma Sa Laa Ch’ool?

Goodbye

In Wanb’i

What is your name?

Chanru Laa K’aba?

Thank You

B’antiox

Good

Us

Yes

Henh’

No

Ink’a

I’m Sorry

Chi Na Kuyaq’

DAILY LIFE

A TYPICAL HOUSE

THE PEOPLE

PO

LO

CH

IC

F a m i l y H u m a n i t a r i a n e x p e r i e n c e