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Family Planning, Pregnancy, And Birth In Guatemala: Maya Women And Modern Healthcare, Kelsay Payton

Honors Theses

Within Maya populations in rural Guatemala, childbearing is considered a sacred and spiritual experience, in addition to a physical one. This country is home to some of the highest rates of maternal and infant mortality in Latin America, along with the largest disparities in health care, primarily between the indigenous Maya and ladino women (Schooley 2009). The use of biomedical reproductive services remains surprisingly low among the Maya, while it is continually rising in the ladino populations. To increase the overall reproductive health care in these indigenous communities, attention must be given to the understanding of Maya’s beliefs, therefore enabling …