15 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS LATIN AMERICA & GUATEMALA

My contribution to knowledge researches the significance of storytelling within Latin America’s Indigenous communities and the efforts to safeguard their way of knowledge through the years by documentation, preservation, and dissemination of oral history. I will analyze the preservation of native foods through oral recipes as part of the culture, ending with the use of the available technology and the late role of social media to spread oral history for generations to come.

I do not belong to a specific Indigenous group; but as a Guatemalan from Latin America (Latin American geographic location is Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean), my mixed race and culture has given me a sense of belonging. I grew up surrounded by Indigenous groups that have struggled to preserve their traditions, culture, foods, and garments. I did not realize it, but early in life I knew the importance of storytelling not only for them, but for us Guatemalans and Latin Americans in general. Now I know that was a way to preserve history and convey identity, a uniqueness that was besmirched by the conquerors’ superciliousness imposing their languages and cultures throughout the Latin American continent.

In the process, while reading about the importance of storytelling as a qualitative research method, I have learned that metaphors, analogies, and tales are ways to grasp and identify a culture through its context (Chen, 2012, Ch.11). Storytelling is an important way to preserve alive memories and culture among Latin Americans wherever they live, but especially if they are abroad. For instance, Latin Americans living in the United States count 19-20% of the US population (Wikimedia, 2023). Despite the country’s cultural melting pot analogy, this group maintains their culture, family ties, and above all their traditional foods. On the other hand, oral history sometimes transfers heavy hearts filled with animosity and despair (Carey, 2023) over massacres, destruction, and loss experienced in the past.

Yet, just that, is not unique to Latin Americans but a universal affliction…which makes it more difficult to fully trust a stranger or an interviewer to simply collect data from their communities. It is important for the interviewer to gain trust, speak their language, and listen to them with respect. Latin Americans are not up to blunt yes or no responses. They are prompt to tell a story around their answers. They are more open when the interviewer relates to their community and especially if the interviewer is bilingual (Rubenstein, 2020)

INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES AND STORYTELLING

Latinos, Hispanic or Spanish-speaking Indigenous communities in Latin America, and those living in the United States and abroad, have their own way of knowing and communicating their traditions and cultures to new generations. The elders have passed verbal knowledge, traditions, ways of living, values, principles, tales, foods, and the core of their beings in diverse ways. One of those ways has been storytelling. Through the years each group has used recent technologies or the novel way available to preserve their oral history and culture, from Mayan hieroglyphics on the Estelas Mayas (Mayan Stelaes) to books, radio, TV, and social media in recent years.

One of the first efforts to preserve Pre-Hispanic (Pre-colonial or Pre-Spain-Conquest) Mayan oral history occurred in the 17th century. Father Ximenez transcribed in a manuscript a compilation of narratives from the Maya people in Guatemala. Written in parallel columns in K’iche’ or Quiché a Mayan language and Spanish, the sacred book “Popol Vuh” (Book of the Community) (Wikimedia, 2023) documented and preserved knowledge passed through generations from Indigenous people and their ancestors. Such a compilation became one of the most precious and sacred books that has preserved the Mayan culture. Father Ximenez’s passion to learn and document the language was such that despite his role as a priest, he collected the essence of the Maya’s oral history. The most efficient qualitative research method used for this work was approaching the community to gain trust and learn their language. Then, as he learned to communicate and understand their culture, he listened to their tales and started to write such new language transcribing their oral history to preserve their essence for generations to come (Woodruff, 2020).

I have learned verbally through friends that in Guatemala the reading of this book became mandatory by middle school. Conversely, despite the efforts to include and require Mayan language in the school curricula, Mayan bilingual education has stumbled over the years to become a reality (López & Cortina 2009). I just realized that through my life in Guatemala, I witnessed a missionary/religious group El Instituto Linguistico de Verano (The Summer Institute of Linguistics) and their efforts to assist different communities to learn, transcribe, and educate regional groups in their native language. They help them to preserve their culture and traditions in their own language. Now, in my research, I have learned that the Institute’s efforts during the 1920s and 1930s helped them to read and write in their native languages. As a result our Indigenous groups, in contrast to other countries, were able to preserve their languages (López, 2014).

Critics have seen the work of this institution as Imperialism and deculturalization, which is understandable because of the intrinsic religious parameters of their job. Yet, I admire their work and their cultural interaction that allowed them to listen to the communities. It was through that approach (interviews as qualitative research and classical ethnographic research methods) that the Institute was able to learn, preserve, and document Indigenous languages that otherwise would end extinct by their subjugator’s Spanish language and culture (Washbrook, 2019).

Knowledge has helped the communities to fight for preservation. They have embraced their written languages to train new generations and others. Also, they have used the Popol Vuh to recognize their essence and to value their culture and language. In other words, if those researchers from the past, could see now the result of their work; if those who took time to learn Indigenous languages and cultures in Guatemala, could see now that there are still more than 22 languages in the country; they would know that their effort and research methods worked, and that they helped those languages and cultures to survive…against all odds.

CONTINUATION OF KNOWLEDGE THROUGH STORYTELLING, PRESERVATION, AND COMPILATION

I remember as a child listening to my parents always telling us a mix of stories about Indigenous people and about Latin people. Later, as I grew, I remembered listening to a radio show called “La calle donde tu vives” (The street where you live) (Pilot program, 2022). It had narratives of the same tales and stories I heard as a child. The author and narrator Hector Gaitan was a prominent communicator and storyteller in Guatemala. The show always started and ended with his famous phrase, “Como me lo contaron te lo cuento…porque todo cabe en lo posible” (As they told me, I tell you…because everything may be possible) (Guatemala.com, 2018). Storytelling and interviews were the main qualitative research methods. Traveling throughout the communities and closely approaching them, he interviewed people and connected with them and with what they had to say. Their names are quite often written in the stories. Not only was the method of storytelling the main source of information but the same method was used to transmit the stories to others. He documented the storytelling as continuation of knowledge and also wrote in his second book:

On that occasion, we had the chance and the participation to interview eminent figures that are still alive and who left with us first-hand historical material on Guatemala’s touchy history and legend. (Gaitan)

He broadcast each story on the radio, got a spot on TV, and ended up transcribing the stories into a compilation of books named after the radio show. Once again, storytelling through time has made effective use of the current technology at hand as a tool to preserve and spread oral history.

People still treasure the book collection, which is not fancy at all, but meaningful…and for us, very dear. Now, when my mother reads the books it, brings memories of the stories she used to know and heard from her parents and grandmother…and like that, the storytelling continues for generations to come.

STORYTELLING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA DISSEMINATING LOCAL ORAL AND CULINARY HISTORY WORLDWIDE

It was not until 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, that we started learning about a show on YouTube, “Relatos del lado oscuro” (Dark side tales) (Cantalapiedra, 2018). A show with the same concept I knew from Guatemala, but with its own taste—authored and narrated by Jose Ramon Cantalapiedra, a Mexican civil engineer, communicator, and now a well-known storyteller. The show was initiated in 2003 in a local radio station in Puebla, Mexico with local tales. Then, after struggles and because of the Covid-19 Pandemic, he restarted it via YouTube. Instantly the show created a sensation. I have seen that this show has elevated the folk of storytelling to a new level and opened local stories and tales to be known by a worldwide audience. The use of technology, especially during and post-pandemic has opened the cyber space for storytelling that can reach people massively.

This show focuses on tales, stories, and traditions touching different topics from different countries—even from other continents. They make use of different qualitative research methods: they use interviews or let people collaborate by sending their local or personal stories, sometimes recording themselves telling their tales. Another research method is finding supportive written materials for their stories: this way of knowing and passing traditions from generations down is known as cuentos o leyendas (tales or legends). The verbal way of dissemination is storytelling, and this is a notable example of researching, capturing, collecting, and communicating knowledge (which nowadays can be done virtually and worldwide).

As far as culinary history as a continuation of knowledge, people have done qualitative research using technology to record food preparation videos for social media. Although they may or may not know that they have gone deeper into qualitative research methods, there is always storytelling present in traditional food preparation. The ingredients, the utensils, and all that is behind their foods tell a story that comes from their ancestors. The videos create interaction with Indigenous cultures, the interviewers, and the viewer. One example is from Oaxaca, México: “Doña Paula Cocina” (Ms. Paula Cooks). Her food preparations start with the source of her food ingredients, how to obtain them, and recipe tales from the past.

Also while doing my research, I came across an extraordinary documentary film that involves all the qualitative research methods we have approached in this paper: from Manabí, Ecuador the traditional usage of, “El Horno Manabita” (The Manabita Oven) (Día a Día). The most used was storytelling: how they build the oven, how they use it, and the tradition and history behind it. An important lesson I have learned from this video and the Ecuadorian culture is that:

The only direct link between death and life is food. Something must die for us to eat and nurture. That is why there is always food around a newborn or death. (Día a Día)

For this group in Ecuador and their culture, these events are always commemorated around their Manabita Oven…quite an interesting analogy

CONCLUSION

In this work we have analyzed real field work done through qualitative research methods. People that have documented oral history through storytelling and narratives into manuscripts, books, radio shows, TV, videos, and social media. Also, how Indigenous cultures have always used the technology available to capture, preserve and disseminate knowledge. Nowadays…not different at all. We are here in the present, learning from the past, leaving a legacy for the future.

REFERENCES

Carey, D. (n.d.). Oral history in Latin America. Google Books. Retrieved May 7, 2023, from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=iTslDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=storytelling%2Bguatemalan%2Boral%2Bhistory&ots=_dfAH3BttO&sig=WbxwV6H_pi6TRak58A0Izx9qdrI#v=onepage&q=storytelling%20guatemalan%20oral%20history&f=false

Cantalapiedra, J. R. (n.d.). (2018) Relatos del lado oscuro. YouTube. Retrieved May 7, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/@RelatosdelLadoOscuro

Gaitan, H. (n.d.). La Calle Donde Tu Vives. Google Books. Retrieved May 7, 2023, from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=L55s2esu0x4C&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=la%2Bcalle%2Bdonde%2Btu%2Bvives&ots=-Gtt0rYb0d&sig=cG6TrcffnWulKKzgQNLaJSl-De0#v=onepage&q=la%20calle%20donde%20tu%20vives&f=false

Historia de Héctor Gaitán: “Como me lo contaron, Te Lo Cuento” 🤓 ¡Definitivamente Uno de los Mejores de Guatemala! 👌🇬🇹 ¿Ya Conocías su historia? #aprendeguatemala: By Guatemala.com. Facebook. (n.d.). Retrieved May 7, 2023, from https://www.facebook.com/Guatemalacom/videos/historia-de-h%C3%A9ctor-gait%C3%A1n/2071235523110315/

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