What every Girl needs to know about GuatemalaBy Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady
Whenever someone went on a trip, I got a “destination doll.” I had French dolls, Israeli dolls, Italian dolls, and even an Eskimo doll. I played with those dolls and dreamed of visiting far away destinations. Maybe that was my subliminal introduction to a a travel career. No one I ever knew had gone to Guatemala. I had Mexican dolls and South American dolls, but nothing in-between. And even as a travel writer, few of my friends and colleagues had ever been to Guatemala.
I loved everything about Guatemala—the people, the food, the shopping, the heritage, the museums and the heritage. I think Guatemala needs to market their dolls to little girls so the charm of the country would be instilled in future travelers at a very young age. It is not surprising that one of my best friends, Rochelle Brown, collects dolls. So of course I had to bring back a Guatemalan doll for her. I looked in several markets, but my new Guatemalan friend Ceici introduced to the Utzil doll collection which helps employ native women. UTZIL DOLLS
The indigenous population is divided into five different social classes, with a marked difference in each of its “huipiles” (the embroidered tops they wear)
The certificate is a treasured keepsake of the beauty of a land, which is Maya in spirit.
The “Utzil” Doll Collection
GUATEMALA QUICK FACTSClimate: Tropical -- hot, humid in lowlands and cooler in highlands. Attire: Casual. Seasons: Rainy season varies from May to October. Dry season varies from November to April. Currency: Quetzal. LOCATION Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Mexico, and bordering the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean Sea) between Honduras and Belize. What makes Guatemala different from many other countries is it’s variety of environments, you can be enjoying the calm of lake Atitlán and a couple of hours later you can be discovering the history of an ancient city like Antigua, climbing the Agua Volcano or going to a shopping mall in Guatemala city. GREAT GUIDEBOOKS Hidden Guatemala Adventure Guide to Guatemala Fodor’s Belize & Guatemala 2006 Insight Guide Guetemala, Belize And Yucatan LISTEN TO THE SOUNDS OF GUATEMALA Music From The Coffee Lands A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this CD will be contributed to Coffee Kids, an International non-profit organization established to improve the quality of life for children and families who live in coffee-growing communities around the world. BEST SOUVENIRS TO BRING BACK Coffee BEST GUIDE Ivania Sibiran Valle MOST ROMANTIC PLACE Mezon Panza Verde in Antigua. Wonderful rooms that could be filled with passion are only $150 a night. BEST PLACE TO SHOP Antigua DON’T MISS EXPERIENCES Tikal Boat Ride on Rio Dulce Giant Map of Guatemala Madelyn Miller is a food and travel writer who publishes www.travellady.com, www.chocolateatlas.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.carladynews.com |
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When I was a little girl, I collected dolls. Or actually, I had all my relatives collect them for me. 
So when I recently visited Guatemala for the first time, one of the things that fascinated me was the dolls. In every market, I seemed to find beautiful dolls in native clothes. 
“Utzil”, from the Mayan mythology which means “Princess”, is the name of the doll collection hand made by artisans in the heart of the Mayan World. Just as royalty, each doll is a beautiful and vivid representation of the people and traditions, handmade with love by the same people they are meant to represent.
It is then with great pride and honor that they promote to the world the “Utzil” Doll Collection, not just a collection of over 120 different handmade dolls, each one representing a different ethnic group or municipality of Guatemala, but a collection of Guatemalan heritage and stunning cultural diversity.
Therefore, the woman who wears a dress with more decoration or symbols sewn on it represents a higher class, and the woman from a lower class will wear a dress with less embroidery sewn on her “huipil.” The decorations can be birds, flowers, pots, etc.
The Utzil Doll Collection’s value is not only due to its more than 120 models of dolls that represent the different ethnic groups of Guatemala, or that it is a recollection of the Mayan heritage and stunning cultural diversity, but also, because each doll is unique and specially made for you.
Just like the Cabbage Patch Dolls which were individually named and numbered, there is a Certificate of Authenticity enclosed with every doll. The certificate attests the doll’s originality and that is 100% handmade.
After finishing each doll, the artisan certifies his or her work by personally filling each certificate with the doll’s name and date of creation, finally signing his or her name, hence completing the process.
Regrettably, for years the indigenous community has been economically and socially neglected by society, not withstanding their immense contributions to the traditions and vast cultural diversity. For that reason, a percentage of the sales from the “Utzil” Doll collection is invested in the economic development and social integration of the indigenous community in Guatemala.
So when buying a doll, you get a great sense of social responsibility as well as a uniquely beautiful doll. 
Guatemala, a country of contrasts and mosaics of natural vibrant colors that grow from the soil’s unique characteristics; warm and friendly, just as the weather, the people and the traditions.
So strong and playful, it’s beauty is reflected in it’s wide mountains and vast lands with a naturally enriched soil that gives life to a huge diversity of flora and fauna like no other in the world, towering pyramids rise above the jungle’s green canopy and howler monkeys share the tops of trees with colorful birds.
Guatemala has the richest ethnic diversity of all the countries of Central America. Eighty percent of the population is indigenous. Most groups are descendants of the Mayans and have preserved their traditional clothing, folklore and language. Some places from the Mayan empire, like Tikal, are world famous, others still lay hidden in dense jungles waiting for explorers to discover their secrets.