Student Leadership

Guatemala

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Appearance

  • For business, a lightweight suit is appropriate for men; women should wear a dress or skirt and blouse. Military clothing is illegal; it can neither be worn nor brought into the country
  • Guatemalans wave good-bye using a gesture that looks like someone fanning themselves: hand raised, palm toward the body, and a wave of the fingers back and forth, with the fingers together as if encased in a mitten
  • The "fig" gesture (thumb-tip protruding from between the fingers of a closed fist) and the "O.K." sign (thumb and forefinger forming a circle) are both considered obscene

    • Behavior

  • Business people usually punctual
  • Male guests sit to the right of the host; women to the left
  • Business breakfasts or lunches are preferred to dinners
  • The main meal of the day is taken at noon, and will probably include black beans, tortillas or meat, and fruit and vegetables
  • Gifts are given in a business setting, but not necessarily on the initial visit. Easily breakable gifts may not be the best choice; Guatemala is in a tectonically active zone, with frequent earthquakes and occasional volcanoes
  • Don’t give white flowers; they are reserved for funerals

    • Communications

  • Shaking hands and saying "mucho gusto" is very proper
  • Handshake may seem limp, which is customary
  • Close friends embrace and pat each other’s back
  • Titles, especially among the elderly, are very important. Address a person directly by using his or her title only. A Ph.D or a physician is called Doctor. Teachers prefer the title Profesor, engineers go by Ingeniero, architects are Arquitecto, and lawyers are Abogado. Persons who do not have professional titles should be addressed as Mr., Mrs., or Miss, plus their surnames. In Spanish these are:
      • Mr. = Senor
      • Mrs. = Senora
      • Miss = Senorita

    • Most Hispanics have two surnames: one from their father, which is listed first, followed by one from their mother. Only the father’s surname is used when addressing someone
    • Speaking softly considered the polite thing to do
    • Social conversation before business is the custom
    • Good conversation topics: Guatemalan geography, history, culture
    • Bad conversation topics: politics or "the violence" since 1978
    • UAB Student Affairs
    • Address: Hill University Center, Birmingham, AL 35233
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