During the corn harvest everyone in the family is in the field working. The men carry reds, or very heavy bags of corn that they hand picked from the corn fields, and bring them to their pick up truck or if their land is close enough carry them to...
Both men and women take part in the hard labor of hand tilling the corn fields. Starting early in the morning, eating lunch in the field that is brought in baskets by the women, and then returning the next day since there are several acres...
The sister and nephew work side by side to hand till the corn fields in November 2011. This is when the corn harvesting takes place, which is between October and December every year, and planting begins in March since it takes about 9 months for...
The entire family takes part in the annual corn harvest here in the highlands of Guatemala. When the corn fields are next to the house they are carried up on the roof where they are then shucked and left to dry out for several weeks. This photo was...
The highlands of Guatemala gets very cold during the night and in the morning one finds frost all over. The corn is placed on the roofs to dry out to be used all year, and in the morning it is found with frost and dew. This photo was taken in...
Many families living in rural areas breed turkeys and sell them in the local markets as a major source of their income once they grow big enough. This photo was taken in February 2012 in the highlands of Guatemala.
Most rural families have at least a few animals such as chickens, pigs, turkeys, ducks, dogs and cats. They breed them and then sell them in local weekly markets as a source of income. It is rare they can use one of these animals for their own food...
Breeding and selling cats is another way families can make some extra money, and the kids in these families always play and spend time with the baby animals up until they are sold. This photo was taken in the highlands of Guatemala in December 2011.
The process to make Corte, the traditional Indigenous wrap worn by the women of all ages, has many steps and takes several weeks. Hand-dying the thread is done outside in big buckets year-round since corte is made daily here in San Andres Xecul,...
A typical way for many kids in Guatemala to make money is tofind busy tourist areas or cities and shine shoes. This photo was taken in Antigua, Guatemala in November 2011. They work all day trying to earn enough money to eat. Many are sent by their...
After a long day of work the kids took a nap in the corn husks on top of the roof where all the corn is brought to dry out under the strong sun so it will last them the entire year for making tortillas. This was taken in November 2011 during the...
Guatemalan kids love fire crackers, especially as a tradition many take part in during the holidays. Stores always sell fire crackers and in December 2011 just before Christmas many were being lit and set off here in the highlands of Guatemala.
During recess the kids love to be active and play, and many like to climb things. This photo was taken in a village in the highlands of Guatemala in February 2011.
Spinning the thread is one of the many steps in the process of making corte, the traditional wrap worn by indigenous women of Guatemala. Kids of families start working at a young age in order to help the family in their overall attempt to survive...
Spinning threads is a necessary task for families that make corte, the traditional wrap worn by Indigenous women of Guatemala. This photo was taken in fall 2011, however, this process is done year around since corte is made daily by thousands of...
Everyday corn is eaten with each meal in the form of tortillas or tomalitos. The corn must be ground in order to make a masa that can then be formed by hand to make tortillas or cooked in a the same corn husk leaf to cook in water to make...
Guatemalan tamales are made with corn masa or ground rice, small piece of pork or beef cooked in a spiced sauce, and for special occasions prunes and red pepper are added. These are eaten around holidays, birthdays, or in some communities every...
Hand dying the threads is one of the essential steps in the process to make the traditional hand woven wraps worn by the Indigenous Women of Guatemala. This photo was taken in December 2011 in a village in the highlands where these wraps are made...
Everything changes when living in a foreign country, even how one bathes! Using firewood to heat up water, and finding a big bucket for bathing has become a normal way of living during my time here in the highlands of Guatemala. This photo was...
Market days are typically 1-2 times a week in the towns, daily in the big cities, and from the campo (rural areas) they bring down chickens in baskets on the camionetas (chicken buses) to sell in the market. They even put pigs on top of the buses...