In 1996 I spent my Christmas Holidays alone in Guatemala City as a graduate student doing archival research there for a doctoral dissertation in history. From that research I recently published a book entitled I spent part of the 1997 Christmas season in Guatemala City. Christmas means tamales in Guatemala and other parts of Latin America. In autobiography Guatemalan Rigoberta Menchu explains the origins of the relationship between Christmas and tamales. “The Guatemalan Indian custom for a very important fiesta is to make atol [corn based thick hot drink] and tamales,” she writes. Ladinos, continued this custom particularly as part of Christmas celebrations.
