Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
For business travelers, suits are still very much the norm for men. Professional women
tend to wear conservative dresses or two-piece suits. The less affluent will pay careful at-
tention to dress as neatly as possible, especially for trips to the capital or other urban cen-
ters.
Backpackers, known as
mochileros
, often get a bum rap as an unkempt group who con-
tributeverylittletotheeconomyandonlycausetroubleforhotelownersandtouristservice
operators. This is generally manifested as a form of marked distrust, though this is usually
not the case in places that cater to these types of travelers as their main clientele, such as
budget hostels.
The formality of Guatemalan culture also extends to etiquette. Guatemalans take titles ser-
iously (including
doctor
or
doctora
for doctors and
licenciado(a)
for an attorney or holder
of a bachelor's degree). Whenever possible, they should be used when addressing the in-
dividual in person or via correspondence. Women usually greet men and each other with
air kisses. Men will greet friends with a handshake different from the standard business
handshake. Grips tend to be firm. When meeting someone for the first time, it's customary
to say, “
mucho gusto
” (a shortened version of “nice to meet you”). Simply saying “
hola
”
is considered too casual. Other greetings include
“buenos días”
(good morning),
“buenas
tardes”
(goodafternoon),and
“buenas noches”
(goodevening).Particularlyinruralareas,
people will greet each other with one of these as they pass each other along the trail, road,
or street. In urban settings, you'll often hear one of these greetings when someone walks
intoaplaceofbusiness,suchasadoctor'soffice,forexample.Anotherformalityistheuse
of
“buen provecho”
when walking into a restaurant where people are eating and
“muchas
gracias”
upon getting up from the table after a meal.
It's never a good idea to photograph Mayan people without their permission, as they con-
sider it highly offensive and it intrudes upon their spiritual beliefs. The old photographers'
rule contending that it's easier to apologize (for taking a candid photo) than to ask per-
mission doesn't really apply in Guatemala. This is especially true concerning photographs
of children, and you should be careful not to show them undue interest and attention, as
persistent rumors of foreigners involved in child-snatching of Guatemalan children for or-
gan transplant abroad have led to mob incidents on at least two occasions, with two people
killedandoneseriouslyinjured.(Thelastincidentwasin2000inthevillageofTodosSan-
tos.) In both cases, the foreigners were trying to photograph a child. This scenario is most
plausible in the highlands, though not exclusively so.
