One Guatemala

Adriana Estrada, Gregor Pechmann, and Silvia Álvarez

One Guatemalan mom. One Guatemalan daughter abroad. One Austrian with a lot of questions. Join us as we explore the stories, history, food, traditions, and hidden gems of Guatemala from three different perspectives. Here in the podcast or via Instagram instagram.com/oneguatemalapodcast One Guatemala. Three voices. Countless stories.

Episodes

  1. Oct 30

    Canvas of the Sky, Layers of Memory: Kites and Fiambre

    Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! STORY 05 — Canvas of the Sky, Layers of Memory: Kites and Fiambre What if remembering someone meant filling the sky with color—and the table with memories? On 1 November, Guatemala’s giant barriletes and traditional fiambre bring together art, food, family, and remembrance. Mami Linda shares the craft and meaning behind the giant kites of Santiago Sacatepéquez and Sumpango, alongside memories of making smaller ones with her grandmother. Then we explore fiambre, a dish with as many layers of history as ingredients. Adrianita brings her craft-maker curiosity and connections with Taiwan, while Gicito adds his questions and Austrian perspective. Because remembering those we’ve lost can also mean sharing stories, laughter, and a meal. Stay until the end for the clue to our next story. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 UNESCO — Technique of making the giant kites of Santiago Sacatepéquez and Sumpango, Guatemalahttps://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/technique-of-making-the-giant-kites-of-santiago-sacatepequez-and-sumpango-guatemala-01991Agencia Guatemalteca de Noticias — Festival de Barriletes Gigantes: colorido arte y tradición en Guatemalahttps://agn.gt/festival-de-barriletes-gigantes-colorido-arte-y-tradicion-en-guatemala/Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes / CulturaGuate — El fiambre es tradición y saborhttps://culturaguate.gob.gt/2021/11/03/el-fiambre-tradicion-y-sabor/Taichung City Government, Civil Affairs Bureau — Tomb Sweeping Dayhttps://www.civil.taichung.gov.tw/1072572/postTaiwan Tourism Administration — Traditional Festivals (Zhongyuan Festival and Ghost Month)https://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002020

    Canvas of the Sky, Layers of Memory: Kites and Fiambre

  2. Oct 23

    Wrapped In Tradition: Tamales

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

    Wrapped In Tradition: Tamales

  3. Oct 16

    The Heart of our Table: Tortilla

    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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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

    The Heart of our Table: Tortilla

  4. Oct 2

    The Soul of Guatemala: Maize

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

    The Soul of Guatemala: Maize

  5. Aug 31

    From Zero to Celestial Heroes: Mayan Astronomy

    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_1063950Saturno 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

    From Zero to Celestial Heroes: Mayan Astronomy

  6. Season 1 Trailer

    Welcome to One Guatemala

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

    Welcome to One Guatemala
  • 1 Trailer
    5 Episodes

Trailer

About

One Guatemalan mom. One Guatemalan daughter abroad. One Austrian with a lot of questions. Join us as we explore the stories, history, food, traditions, and hidden gems of Guatemala from three different perspectives. Here in the podcast or via Instagram instagram.com/oneguatemalapodcast One Guatemala. Three voices. Countless stories.

Information

  • Creator
    Adriana Estrada, Gregor Pechmann, and Silvia Álvarez
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © One Guatemala Podcast
  • Show Website
    One Guatemala