Music of Guatemala, Vol. 1

"The music presented in this album is typical of rural Guatemala. Most of the inhabitants of this area are Indians of Mayan descent, but almost everywhere in the Guatemalan countryside one can also find Ladinos: persons, of whatever descent, who speak Spanish in their homes and have adopted the Ladino way of life, which is mostly Spanish. It is not completely Spanish, however, because both the cultures of rural Guatemala are the result of the confrontation over several centuries of two very different civilizations, the indigenous Mayan, and the Western, introduced by the Spanish in the 16th century. Both cultures have borrowed traits from the other, and this is nowhere more evident than in their music, which is a mixture of European, Indian, and perhaps also African elements..." Jacques Jangoux

En Español
"La música que se presenta en este álbum es típica de la Guatemala rural. Muchos de los habitantes de esta área son indios descendientes de los Mayas, pero también se pueden encontrar ‘ladinos’ casi en todo el país rural guatemalteco, es decir, personas de diversos orígenes étnicos que hablan castellano en sus casas y han adoptado las costumbres ladinas, principalmente españolas. No completamente, porque ambas culturas de la Guatemala rural son el resultado de una confrontación de varios siglos entre civilizaciones muy diferentes, la Maya y la occidental, introducida por los españoles en el siglo XVI. Ambas culturas han tomado algunos rasgos de la otra, y esto no puede ser más evidente en ningún otro sitio que es su música, que es una mezcla de elementos europeos, indígenas y quizá también africanos..." Jacques Jangoux

Track Listing

101	San Juan La Laguna: Chirimía and Drum (1)	Two K'iche' musicians from Nahualá and Ixtahuacán	02:33
102	San Juan La Laguna: Chirimía and Drum (2)	Two K'iche' musicians from Nahualá and Ixtahuacán	01:24
103	San Juan La Laguna: Chirimía and Drum (3)	Two K'iche' musicians from Nahualá and Ixtahuacán	01:21
104	San Pedro La Laguna: Baile de los Mexicanos on Marimba and Clarinet (1)	Tz'utujil musicians from San Pedro Laguna	02:02
105	San Pedro La Laguna: Baile de los Mexicanos on Marimba and Clarinet (2)	Tz'utujil musicians from San Pedro Laguna	02:31
106	San Pedro La Laguna: Chirimía and Drum (1)	Tz'utujil musicians from San Pedro Laguna	01:34
107	San Pedro La Laguna: Chirimía and Drum (2)	Tz'utujil musicians from San Pedro Laguna	01:40
108	Jocotán: Baile de los huastecos	Ch'orti' musician from Jocotán	03:33
109	Todos Santos Cuchumatanes: Whistling	Ana Ramírez	02:02
110	Todos Santos Cuchumatanes: Spanish Children's Song (1)	Juan Ramírez	00:54
111	Todos Santos Cuchumatanes: Spanish Children's Song (2)	Juan Ramírez	00:59
112	Todos Santos Cuchumatanes: Spanish Children's Song (3)	Juan Ramírez	00:40
201	Todos Santos Cuchumatanes: Humming	Ana Ramírez	05:03
202	Todos Santos Cuchumatanes: Marimba (1)	Marimba players from Todos Santos Cuchumatanes	01:06
203	Todos Santos Cuchumatanes: Marimba (2)	Marimba players from Todos Santos Cuchumatanes	02:22
204	Todos Santos Cuchumatanes: Marimba (3)	Marimba players from Todos Santos Cuchumatanes	02:03
205	Todos Santos Cuchumatanes: Marimba (4)	Marimba players from Todos Santos Cuchumatanes	05:10
206	Todos Santos Cuchumatanes: Los Almendras	Two male singers from Todos Santos Cuchumatanes	01:25
207	Todos Santos Cuchumatanes: Adiós Juanita	Two male singers from Todos Santos Cuchumatanes	02:41
208	Indian Song (1)	Two men from Todos Santos Cuchumatanes	01:49
209	Indian Song (2)	Two men from Todos Santos Cuchumatanes	01:18