Post by Nancy Besa
Photos by Peter Obetz
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If Louisa May Alcott had ever visited Guatemala, she whould have had material for several more novels. You would not believe the responsibility these little girls shoulder with such good spirits and grace. It is nothing to see an eight-year-old girl shepherding two or three siblings with one securely planted on h
er back. They carry babies to toddlers on their backs in what I can only compare to a papoose. I actually watched a two-year old swing a sweater across her back practicing for when she gets older. When I look at them I think of my daughters aged 6 and 8 who will know nothing of this kind of responsibility until they are so much older. They dress exactly like their mothers, just in smaller versions - usually a hand-made colorful blouse and a long skirt which they wrap and then
tie with a sash. The colors vary depending on their village. The traditional colors of Santa Maria de Jesus are a red blouse and a navy skirt. Even the littlest girls are quite adept at wrapping and tying their skirts - it's really
amazing. I could go on and on about how impressed I am with the little women of Guatemala, but as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.
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