Juanita: La Niña Que Contaba Estrellas (the Girl Who Counted the Stars)

A magical story of a Guatemalan girl named Juanita, who loved cooking crunchy maize tortillas and counting stars every night.

For a long time, Guatemala has had an important place in my heart. My son has raised a beautiful family there, and I believe that when you love the places you visit, the land gives back that love in the form of unforgettable experiences.

Mayan temples, majestic volcanoes, most of them active, with the heat throbbing inside them, contrast with the lush green of the tropical forests. Rivers and lakes meander through the mountains, ending in breathtaking waterfalls, which naturally sustain the extensive coffee and corn crops.

Corn is the daily bread of Guatemala and the main food for the entire indigenous population throughout the year. Many varieties are grown, and they all are of different colors. The local women make delicious white, yellow, black, and red corn tortillas.

The inhabitants of this beautiful country are kind and loving.

I met Juanita one sunny morning. That day, Lake Atitl n woke up slowly, and we quietly sailed away, visiting the small villages that surround the lake. When we arrived in Santa Catarina Palop , a pretty seven-year-old girl with jet-black hair and a gummy smile-she was missing two of her baby teeth-was sitting on the pier, wearing a beautiful huipil embroidered in blue tones. She looked like a little Mayan princess sitting on a wooden throne.

The huipil is a square piece of cloth with a hole in the center. Guatemalan women and girls wear it as a blouse, and in each region they weave them in different colors.

Juanita sold woven cotton bracelets. She did it to help her mother, who sat on the floor weaving a few meters away from her, while she rocked to sleep a tiny baby that she was carrying on her back.

Back in Spain, with a head full of memories, the words began to take shape on paper, until Juanita came to form a part of this little tale.

--Lola Walder

Una m gica historia de una ni a de Guatemala a la que le encantaba cocinar tortitas de ma z y contar estrellas cada noche.

Desde hace tiempo, Guatemala forma parte de mi coraz n: mi hijo ha formado all una bonita familia y creo que cuando uno ama los lugares que visita, la tierra devuelve ese amor en forma de vivencias inolvidables.

Templos mayas, majestuosos volcanes, la mayor a activos, con el calor palpitando dentro de ellos, contrastan con el verde de los bosques tropicales. R os y lagos serpentean entre monta as por las que se escapan impresionantes cascadas de agua, alimentando de forma natural los extensos cultivos de caf y ma z.

El ma z es el pan de Guatemala y el principal alimento para toda la poblaci n ind gena a lo largo del a o. Se cultivan muchas variedades y todas son de diferentes colores. Las mujeres preparan unas deliciosas tortitas de ma z blanco, amarillo, negro y colorado.

Los habitantes de este precioso pa s son amables y cari osos.

A Juanita la conoc una ma ana de sol. Ese d a el lago Atitl n despert tranquilo, navegamos en calma, visitando los peque os pueblos que rodean el lago. Al llegar a Santa Catarina Palop , una preciosa ni a de siete a os con el pelo negro azabache y la sonrisa mellada --le faltaban dos dientecitos-- nos esperaba sentada en el embarcadero; vest a un precioso huipil bordado en tonos azules. Realmente parec a una peque a princesa maya sentada en un trono de madera.

El huipil es un trozo de tela cuadrado con un agujero en el centro. Las mujeres y ni as guatemaltecas lo usan como blusa y en cada regi n los tejen de diferente colores.

Juanita vend a pulseras trenzadas de algod n, lo hac a para ayudar a su mam , que a pocos metros de ella tej a sentada en el suelo, mientras mec a a un beb de pocos meses que portaba a su espalda.

De vuelta a Espa a, con la memoria empapada de recuerdos, las letras empezaron a correr por el papel hasta que Juanita form parte de esta peque a historia.

--Lola Walder