Season 1
The Soul of Guatemala: Maize
From Zero to Celestial Heroes: Mayan Astronomy
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
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.