ABSTRACT
The Lorena cookstove is in use throughout Central America, especially in Guatemala, by people in the highlands. The Lorena cookstove offers unique design characteristics that make it very desirable to the Guatemalans. The stoves are carved from a high monolithic block of clay and sand, resulting in great structural strength and heat retention. The Lorena stove keeps the heat inside the stove, providing the cook with an exterior work surface and eliminating the suffocatingly hot kitchens with open fires. The airflow in the Lorena stove is notably different from the Ghanaian and Indian stoves in which the air flows under successive pot holes in a direct path to the chimney. The stove is being promoted by various local, national, and international groups throughout Guatemala and Honduras. Training classes are the major vehicle for promotion, supplemented by training manuals and demonstration stoves.
