Planting a Path for The Water & The Wind: Highland Maya of Guatemala Foodways

This book is a treasure trove of stories, images and recipes from Maya and Guatemalan food and agricultural traditions. Its recipes include Jocón, tamales, Caldo de Platano, Canillitas de Leche and Mango Pudding. Planting a Path for the Water and the Wind was born from Guadalupe Ramirez's dream to share a beautiful vision of the world, an ancient template for leading an ethical and happy life. While most of the recipes contained in this book share stitches and threads with Spanish, Catholic and broader hybrid Guatemalan traditions, Planting a Path for the Water and the Wind conveys the local Maya beliefs and rituals that are inseparable from its dishes. These traditions are intrinsically connected to the Maya cosmovision and are still strong in the Guatemalan fields and kitchens we wish to transport you to. It is indeed a miracle that many of these dishes and rituals are still prepared the same way they were centuries, or even millenniums, ago. So, more than simply relaying cooking formulas or processes, it is Guadalupe’s hope that this book will convey some of the attitudes and values she grew up with. Principles the industrialized world can too easily fail to prioritize – namely, human connection, gratitude, and simply stopping to savor flavors, smells, and company.

Guadalupe Ramirez is from the Western Highland town of Tejutla, San Marcos, Guatemala. The eldest daughter of César Ramirez, she spent her childhood attending cooperative meetings of the organization her father directed. It was here that her passion for community organizing a working for food sovereignty was born. Guadalupe's grandmother, Dona Chavé, was a sought-after medium and healer who also produce the best clandestine moonshine in the mountains. Guadalupe spent many days spiriting off to the isolated sites with her grandmother to conduct ceremonies. Guadalupe is the founder of the Association of Highland Women. She is the program manager for the Highland Support Project. An accomplished entrepreneur with her boutique and online shop AlterNatives and the weaving social enterprise Pixan.