The Barrilete Gigante project
is a group project for our Spanish 121 class where we are asked to research and
learn about the Guatemalan culture, as well as construct our own group kite. Through
our findings and class lectures we have learned of the time honored tradition
of Barriletes Gigante. This
custom began long ago with the Mayan Indians. These indigenous people believed
that by constructing enormous kites to be flown, they would be able to
communicate and pay respect to their departed loved ones. This is certainly a time honored tradition that
has been passed down from the generations and is still prominent today in many
Spanish speaking countries with a main focus in Guatemala. There are festivals that take
place where communities come together to show off their oversized, super
colorful, creative kites and the surprising thing is that they indeed can fly!
The kites are detailed in color,
patterns, adornments and sizes. Various materials are used to construct the
kites. Our guidelines suggest the use of bamboo poles or wooden dowels to form
the frame, which I’m assuming most people participating in this tradition use
bamboo as well. It is said that the kite makers can compete with each other for
trophies. Even children can participate in this time honored tradition which
definitely makes this a family affair!
As we are split
into groups, we are asked to construct our own Barrilete Gigante that will
represent the Guatemalan culture. We are given specific guidelines that are to
be followed to help us construct these kites.
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