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What can be hidden inside a leaf? Quite a lot.

In Guatemala, a tamal is much more than something delicious to eat. It can carry maize, family recipes, regional traditions, celebrations, and memories passed from one generation to another.

In this episode, we unwrap the world of Guatemalan tamales: from chuchitos and paches to sweet and savory varieties, from Thursday traditions and mysterious red lights to the tamales that appear on family tables at Christmas.

Mami Linda takes us through Guatemala's enormous tamal family, G-cito tries to make sense of the Guatemalan culinary calendar, and Adrianita finds a surprising familiarity between tamales and something she discovered thousands of kilometers away in Taiwan.

Because sometimes the food we grow up eating becomes much more important once we're far from home.

Sometimes what we thought was just dinner was actually a memory in the making.

A SMALL LANGUAGE NOTE

During this episode, we refer to an aromatic herb as epazote. While epazote is commonly used in Mexico, in Guatemala we traditionally call it apazote. Both names refer to the same plant. We wanted to clarify this little regional difference!

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One Guatemala. Three Voices. Countless Stories.

Have a question, story, or something about Guatemala you think we should explore? Find us on our socials and join the conversation.

Listen until the end for the clues about our next story.

FOLLOW ONE GUATEMALA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oneguatemalapodcast/

All our links: https://linktr.ee/oneguatemalapodcast

CREDITS

Created & produced by Adriana Estrada, Silvia Álvarez & Gregor Pechmann

Research & story: Silvia Álvarez, with Adriana Estrada & Gregor Pechmann

Audio editing & visual design: Adriana Estrada

Theme music & arrangement: Gregor Pechmann

SOURCES & FURTHER READING

• Sistema de Información Cultural de Guatemala — Tamalitos blancos https://www.sicultura.gob.gt/directory-directorio_c/listing/tamalitos-blancos/
• Sistema de Información Cultural de Guatemala — Tamalitos de chipilín https://www.sicultura.gob.gt/directory-directorio_c/listing/tamalitos-de-chipilin/
• Guatemala.com — Paches guatemaltecos: historia y tradición https://www.guatemala.com/comida/hecho-en-guatemala/los-paches-guatemaltecos-un-platillo-reconocido-de-la-gastronomia-local/
• Municipalidad de Guatemala — Tradicional Cena Navideña https://www.muniguate.com/
• Taiwan Tourism Administration — Traditional Festivals: Dragon Boat Festival and Zongzi https://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0029047

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

How much history can fit inside a tortilla?

From ancient Mesoamerican roots to the everyday Guatemalan table, the tortilla carries centuries of tradition, skill, and memory.

In this episode, we discover how tortillas became such an essential part of life in Guatemala, from the masa and the comal to tortillerías, colorful maize, and the skilled hands that shape them. And along the way, G-cito discovers that making a tortilla might be a little harder than it looks.

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One Guatemala. Three Voices. Countless Stories.

Have a question, story, or something about Guatemala you think we should explore? Find us on our socials and join the conversation.

Listen until the end for Mami Linda’s clues about our next story.

FOLLOW ONE GUATEMALA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oneguatemalapodcast/

All our links: https://linktr.ee/oneguatemalapodcast

CREDITS

Created & produced by Adriana Estrada, Silvia Álvarez & Gregor Pechmann

Research & story: Silvia Álvarez, with Adriana Estrada & Gregor Pechmann

Audio editing & visual design: Adriana Estrada

Theme music & arrangement: Gregor Pechmann

SOURCES & FURTHER READING

SESAN — Tortillas de colores: un nutritivo arcoíris con sabor guatemalteco (2023) https://portal.sesan.gob.gt/2023/10/25/tortillas-de-colores-un-nutritivo-arcoiris-con-sabor-guatemalteco/

MAGA — Familias de Conguaco innovan con tortillas nutritivas de plantas nativas (2026) https://guatemala.gob.gt/familias-de-conguaco-innovan-con-tortillas-nutritivas-de-plantas-nativas/

MAGA — Promueven el consumo de tortillas nutritivas en estudiantes de Jutiapa (2026) https://guatemala.gob.gt/promueven-el-consumo-de-tortillas-nutritivas-en-estudiantes-de-jutiapa/

Santini et al. (2022) — Nixtamalization at San Bartolo https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2022.105581

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Why does maize mean so much more than food in Guatemala?

From the Maya creation story to the tortilla on the table today, maize connects Guatemala’s history, culture, science, and identity. In this episode, we follow the story of the people of maize, from ancient traditions and remarkable biodiversity to a seed vault deep inside the Arctic.

One Guatemala. Three Voices. Countless Stories.

Have a question, story, or something about Guatemala you think we should explore? Find us on our socials and join the conversation.

Listen until the end for Mami Linda’s clues about our next story.

FOLLOW ONE GUATEMALA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oneguatemalapodcast/

All our links: https://linktr.ee/oneguatemalapodcast

CREDITS

Created & produced by Adriana Estrada, Silvia Álvarez & Gregor Pechmann

Research & story: Silvia Álvarez, with Adriana Estrada & Gregor Pechmann

Audio editing & visual design: Adriana Estrada

Theme music & arrangement: Gregor Pechmann

SOURCES & FURTHER READING

• Popol Vuh — Allen J. Christenson (Mesoweb) https://www.mesoweb.com/publications/Christenson/PopolVuh.pdf
• Santini et al. (2022) — Nixtamalization at San Bartolo https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2022.105581
• Congreso de Guatemala — Decreto 13-2014: Maize as Intangible Cultural Heritage https://www.congreso.gob.gt/assets/uploads/info_legislativo/decretos/2014/13-2014.pdf
• FAO — Guatemala’s first deposit in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault (2026) https://www.fao.org/plant-treaty/news/news-detail/guatemala-makes-its-first-deposit-to-the-svalbard-global-seed-vault--safeguarding-national-and-community-seed-heritage/en

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

How did the ancient Maya track Venus, predict celestial cycles, and understand the sky without telescopes?

From the temples of Uaxactun to the mysterious Dresden Codex, we explore how generations of Maya observers turned the night sky into knowledge, and why they were watching in the first place.

One Guatemala. Three Voices. Countless Stories.

Have a question, story, or something about Guatemala you think we should explore? Find us on our socials and join the conversation.

Listen until the end for Mami Linda’s clues about our next story.

FOLLOW ONE GUATEMALA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oneguatemalapodcast/

All our links: https://linktr.ee/oneguatemalapodcast

CREDITS

Created & produced by Adriana Estrada, Silvia Álvarez & Gregor Pechmann

Research & story: Silvia Álvarez, with Adriana Estrada & Gregor Pechmann

Audio editing & visual design: Adriana Estrada

Theme music & arrangement: Gregor Pechmann

SOURCES & FURTHER READING

• Smithsonian — Living Maya Time https://maya.nmai.si.edu/
• Smithsonian Libraries — Astronomy in the Maya Codices https://www.si.edu/object/astronomy-maya-codices-harvey-m-bricker-and-victoria-r-bricker%3Asiris_sil_1063950
• Saturno et al. (2012) — Ancient Maya Astronomical Tables from Xultun, Guatemala https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22582260/
• Cambridge University Press — Maya calendar & astronomical orientations https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/latin-american-antiquity/article/maya-calendar-reform-evidence-from-orientations-of-specialized-architectural-assemblages/656D86E67D61B6C2B147705149D7D1E4

Welcome to One Guatemala! In this introductory episode, meet your three hosts, discover why we created this podcast, why we're telling Guatemala's stories in English, and what you can expect from the adventures ahead.