Coffee from Guatemala

In Guatemala coffee grows in the heart of what was once the center of the Great Mayan Civilization. The Maya ruled this region of Central America from around 2500 B.C. until the arrival of Spanish Conquistadors in mid 1500 A.D.

Coffee arrived in Central America from the Caribbean around 1700 and local cultivation began shortly after. Commercial export of coffee from Guatemala did not begin until the mid 1800's as the square-rigged sailing ships of the day could only travel downwind. The trade winds blew the ships across the Atlantic toward the coast of Central America, but there was no easy way to sail back east. The advent of clipper ships around 1850, which could point higher into the wind, made commercial exports possible.

In order to export Guatemalan coffee the small growers expanded into full-scale production. This led to a land war of sorts and the larger plantations took over the smaller ones, sometimes by buying them out and sometimes by force. In Guatemala coffee growing land is in small supply, being that the country is about the size of a small U.S. state.

The larger plantations, or fincas, were owned mostly by wealthy descendants of the Spanish Conquistadors who viewed the native Maya people as inferior. They quickly enslaved large populations of Mayans to work on the Guatemala coffee farms. As you may expect they did not submit voluntarily and a bloody resistance ensued.

In 1877 the Guatemala government passed a law that made it easier for foreigners to get land, granting exemptions for taxes and import duties on machinery and tools. Many Germans fleeing the political unrest in their country took advantage of the opportunity and set up operations to grow, process and export coffee from Guatemala. The German influence had a very positive effect on the coffee industry in Guatemala. The Germans brought capital and modernization to a poor and under developed country. They financed the construction of a railroad from the mountainous interior to the sea to transport coffee. They built sea ports for the ships and processing plants that were previously unavailable to smaller growing operations.

The Germans also treated the Mayan workers better, paying them for their labor, not as much as they would pay non-Mayan workers but it was definitely an improvement. This however, caused dissent among the Spanish plantation owners who were used to getting their labor for free. The Spanish tried to lobby the government to pass laws that made paying the Mayan illegal but they were unsuccessful.

Today, coffee from Guatemala is highly respected among aficionados and is prized for its smooth character, balanced acidity and full flavor.

© Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved.

Randy has more articles on coffee such as Starbucks Coffee Company, Coffee Beans and Coffee Colonics.

---

English Coffee

With English Tea being a very familiar term, English coffee... Read More

Coffee and Alzheimers Disease

With the American population aging rapidly, diseases that affect the... Read More

Italian Roast Coffee For An Authentic Espresso

One of the things people think of with Italy is... Read More

Pure Kona Coffee

Pure Kona Coffee is gourmet coffee grown only on the... Read More

Why Your Cup of Coffee in the Morning May Keep You Up All Night

One of the most common complaints among coffee drinkers is... Read More

Fresh Gourmet Coffee

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the... Read More

Coffee in America

American coffee? Technically there is no such thing, at least... Read More

Creating the Perfect Foam

Most places that serve cappuccinos in the United States have... Read More

Arabica Coffee Beans Are Pricey Yet Priceless!

Arabica coffee beans are known for a better-flavored coffee. There... Read More

Caffeine & Low Birth Weight Babies

These studies begin to point the way to the more... Read More

Getting Fat These Days; Is it Starbucks

Starbucks has seen tremendous growth in our cities and the... Read More

Make the Switch! Coffee to Tea

Having a hard time giving up your 4 cups of... Read More

Are Coffee Enemas The Real Thing?

Coffee enemas detoxify the liver, as well as cleans the... Read More

Gourmet Flavored Coffee

Coffee tastes great by itself, but for an extra special... Read More

Caffeine - I Bet You Didnt Know This! Health and Nutrition!

What exactly is caffeine? It is a colorless, somewhat bitter... Read More

Portrait of a Barista

The barista is the Italian word for the skilled person... Read More

Coffee ?Nectar of the gods

About 850 A.D it is said that a lone shepherd... Read More

Coffee, Caffeine & Fitness

One look at a line at the local Starbucks in... Read More

Choosing A Coffee Maker - Tips On Finding The Right Features

Choosing a good coffee maker is not a decision to... Read More

Mr. Coffee Versus Bunn-o-Matic - The Coffee Maker Battle Heats Up

For coffee lovers, there are few things more appealing than... Read More

Coffee and Depression: Coffee as an Antidepressant?

When you grab that morning cup of java, you're probably... Read More

The History Of Coffee

Coffee - THE Drink of ChoiceDid you know coffee is... Read More

Coffee and Asthma?

Here are some facts about the relationship between coffee and... Read More

A Coffee Roaster For All Occasions

Coffee roasters and those who roast, brew and serve the... Read More

Those Elusive Coffee Beans!

With the spread of various coffee beans into our lives,... Read More