If you have additions to this list or see anything here which you feel is in error please email us. We will review your comments and include any additions or corrections in a future update. This page last updated 06 Jan 2007.

Information below on: Online Discussion Groups, Government Web Sites, General Guatemala Information, Travel, Images and Cultural Resources, Products for Sale, General Adoption Information, Adoption Publications, and Books.

We expect to have an additional resource page available shortly on bilingual families and bilingualism.

Online Discussion Groups and Bulletin Boards

• Guatemala-Adopt Email List: This active email list with over 2100 members is an excellent source for information and networking and is the largest online resource related specifically to Guatemalan adoption. It includes extensive archives dating back almost nine years. To join, send an email message to listserv@listserv.icors.org. In the body of the message include the single line:

  subscribe guatemala-adopt firstname lastname
  

  (without the quotes, with "firstname lastname" replaced with your real first and last names, and with no signature). Subscription requests are normally approved by the list managers within a day.

• Yahoo Groups: There are several Yahoo discussion Groups (http://groups.yahoo.com/) which deal with Guatemalan adoption. The "Guatemalan_Adoption" list is very active and is focused largely on personal support (as opposed to information about agencies or the adoption process); it has a strong and very visible Christian tone though there is no explicit religious charter. "olderkidsguatemala" is relatively inactive but has many members who have adopted older children and who respond to questions in that area. "GuatemalaBirthfamilies" is a new list which is a support resource for those involved with or considering search or ongoing birth family contact. "OlderParents" is a group for parents who were 40+ years when they adopted a child; it includes many Guatemalan adoptive families.

• http://travel.state.gov/adopt.html: State Department information on international adoption in general.

• http://travel.state.gov/guatemala.htm: Comprehensive State Department travel information on Guatemala.

• http://usembassy.state.gov/guatemala/: The web site of the US Embassy in Guatemala. For adoption information use the INS link.

• http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/formsfee/index.htm: INS web page which allows you to download and print copies of many INS forms.

• http://www.cdc.gov/travel/camerica.htm: CDC traveler's health information for Mexico and Central America.

• http://mars.cropsoil.uga.edu/trop-ag/guatem.htm: The largest collection we know of of online links and resources about Guatemala generally.

• http://www.yaxte.org/: A company that publishes books by and about the contemporary Maya of Guatemala, with links to other resources.

• http://www.ghrc-usa.org/ (Guatemala Human Rights Campaign's USA office) and http://fhrg.org/fhrg (Foundation for Human Rights in Guatemala): These groups have valuable information about general human rights issues in Guatemala. Be aware that they tend to be quite critical of adoption and you may find some strong rhetoric in that area if you look.

• http://www.prensalibre.com/, http://www.sigloxxi.com/, http://lahora.com.gt/: Major Guatemalan daily newspapers, with web sites updated daily, in Spanish.

• http://www.guatemalareservations.com/: Rainbow Travel in Antigua, Guatemala is a general travel agency run by an adoptive parent and adoption facilitator. They have specific experience with and programs for adoptive families. They do not handle flights to Guatemala, only in-country arrangements.

• http://www.larutamayaonline.com/: Web site for the La Ruta Maya guidebook to Guatemala and Belize. Includes dozens of links to information about everything from indigenous peoples of Guatemala and their languages to maps to real estate. Spanish and English.

• http://www.sylviacastellanos.net/NuestroPueblo/index.htm: A gorgeous portrait collection of the people of Guatemala, with great accompanying text and very detailed black and white drawings.

• http://www.folkart.com/~latitude/folktale/folktale.htm: On-line Mayan folktales.

• http://www.artemaya.com/: Paintings, textiles, photographs and history from Tz'utuhil Mayan artists - some are for sale.

• http://www.flags.net/GUAT.htm: Detailed information about the flags of Guatemala

• http://www.atitlan.com/: A site all about Lake Atitlan. Lots of information about local community and textiles and art, as well as just gorgeous photos of Guatemala.

• http://www.mayatraditions.com/: A small fair-trade wholesaler of Guatemalan crafts and textiles. Web site includes a list of retail outlets which carry their goods. (Not related to the mayantraditions.com site listed below.)

• http://www.globalfabric.com/: A wholesaler of Guatemalan textiles which also sells via Ebay auctions and occasional online specials.

• http://www.nimpot.com/: The Antigua textile shop Nim P'ot, which holds the world's largest retail collection of Maya textiles. This site has excellent information about Maya textiles and the textiles produced in various locations around Guatemala.

• http://www.terraexperience.com/: Sells authentic handwoven traje (clothing) for American Girl dolls (the Josefina doll being the hispanic doll), including huipils (traditional Mayan blouse), corte (skirts), fajas (sash) and accessories.

• http://www.mayantraditions.com/: A fair-trade retailer of Guatemalan crafts and textiles. (Not related to the mayatraditions.com site listed above.)

• http://www.adoptionagencychecklist.com/page651.html: Comprehensive adoption agency checklist compiled by an adoptive parent.

• http://www.pactadopt.org/: Web site for PACT, an adoption service organization in California with dozens of excellent publications, particularly on transracial and transcultural adoption.

• http://www.holtintl.org/advocacy.shtml: Legislative updates from a large west coast adoption agency, Holt International. Has a good set of links to laws and regulations related to citizenship, tax credits, etc.

• http://www.iccadopt.org/: International Concerns for Children is a non-profit organization (not an adoption agency) which publishes an annual Report on Intercountry Adoption with monthly updates. The web site does not provide detailed information, but it does tell you how to order the report and monthly newsletters, which give useful summaries of agency and country programs.

• http://www.adopting.com/: General adoption information site with a range of resources and links. Includes photolistings, see note below*.

• http://www.rainbowkids.com/: An adoption web site with useful information, interesting stories, and some advertising. Lots of parents find "first person" stories (like the kind RainbowKids prints) valuable during their research and waiting phases. Includes photolistings, see note below*.

• http://www.adopt.org/: General adoption information site with lots of articles, resources, and links. Includes photolistings, see note below*. Most of the photolisted children on this site appear to be older and/or special needs placements.

  *NOTE: Some of these sites include photolistings of waiting children in Guatemala and elsewhere. In most cases we do not endorse the use of photolistings for the placement of children, except for older and special needs children who might not otherwise find a family. Adoptive families should use great caution in reviewing photolistings as it is very easy to "fall in love" with a child's photo and then be unwilling or unable to notice significant problems in the agency's record. If you do choose to review photolistings of waiting children we strongly recommend that you check the agency's credentials and record thoroughly first, before you review their listings, as you should if the agency were sending you referrals privately.

• http://www.adoptivefamiliesmagazine.com/: This site for Adoptive Families magazine includes articles, subscription information, links, and an online version of the magazine's annual Adoption Guide.

• http://www.adoptinfo.net/AdoptionTODAY/adoptinfo.html: Site for the magazine Adoption Today, with subscription information and back issues.

'Are Those Kids Yours?': American Families With Children Adopted from Other Countries by Cherie Register. Free Press, 1990; ISBN 0029257506.

Inside Transracial Adoption by Gail Steinberg and Beth Hall. Perspectives Press, 2000; ISBN 0944934242.

Adoption Lifebook: A Bridge to Your Child's Beginnings, A Workbook for International Adoptive Families, by Cindy Probst. Boston Adoption Press, 2002; ISBN 0971749604.