Aj Tikonel Kab’ — Harvester of Honey, Guatemala

Apiculture by Linda Conard photos: Pueblo a Pueblo Beekeepers On a hot, humid Sunday morning nine men and women beekeepers hiked the slopes Lake Atitlán’s Volcán Tolimán to tend small boxes quietly buzzing in a forest clearing. Wearing a veil, jacket, and gloves over her traditional huipil and skirt, Felipa Ajcalon Sajquiy, president of the Pampojila beekeeping association, stands by […]

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A Spoonful of Honey

2nd in a series by Judy Cohen The natural healing properties of honey cover a wide range of ailments, and more uses are still being discovered. Doña Gavi’s tienda, located on 3a avenida behind the cathedral in La Antigua Guatemala, carries all-natural products, including several types of honey. Her favorite is gravilea, which she buys from nearby farms. I learned […]

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A Honey of a Business

by Judith Cohen An expert’s view on how honey and bees are faring in Guatemala Alejandro Nicol is an expert in the honey business. After studying beekeeping for two years at Ohio State University, he now advises the Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación (MAGA) on the care, feeding, export, import and preservation of bees. I met him at the […]

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