Thought Process and Influences

I am Puerto Rican.
That informs a lot of my writing and that influence is clear in the Guali. The Guali are largely based of the Taino people of pre-colombian Puerto Rico but there are hints of African and the wider Mesoamerican cultures and the later Creole culture of the island. And maybe D&D dwarves... weird I know but it kinda slipped in there somehow.
Mount Guatu is based on Taino mythology and the role of mountains in it, specifically El Yunque and it's role as protector against hurricanes and storms.
The Fire of Mount Guatu and the Fire Beetles are a little more metaphorical. The island of Puerto Rico has been invaded on a number of occasions in it's long history. The Fire Beetles represent the strange invaders that come to change the lives the people living on the island. The Fire itself is supposed to represent the indomitable will of the people of Puerto Rico in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds and, in some instances, terrible oppression and tyranny.
Caribbean culture, African culture and Native American culture is sorely underrepresented in fantasy and fiction in general. The melting pot of cultures that exist in the Caribbean should be an almost endless well of inspiration for writers who are willing to explore it. With the changing times I think people are not just ready but hungry for stories that don't adhere to traditional eurocentric fantasy. That's not to say that eurocentric fantasy is bad in any way but the two should coexist and influence each other to create new and unique works of art. The Guali are my own feeble attempt at showing a possible side of this but I'm sure that there have been and will be more successful attempts to present more diverse fiction. The more we see of this, the better, I say.