Guatemala: Heartbreak and Hope

June 1, 2005 by Scott North, Donna DeCesare

Location: In northern Central America; roughly 42,000 square miles bordered by Mexico, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador.

Geography: Climate and terrain range from tropical jungle in the lowlands on the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, to temperate forests in the mountain ranges that cover much of the country. There are several active volcanoes.

People: The population is estimated at more than 14 million, the largest of any Central American nation. More than half its residents are descendants of the Maya. Many of the rest are Ladinos, people of mixed European and Mayan descent. Spanish is the official language, but about 40 percent of the population is raised speaking one of 20 different indigenous languages. The life expectancy is 65, a dozen years less than in the United States. The rate of adult illiteracy in Guatemala is 10 times that of the
U.S.

Principal industries: Sugar, textiles, furniture, chemicals, petroleum, mining, rubber and tourism.

Chief exports: Coffee, sugar, petroleum, clothing, bananas and cardamom.

Economy: One of Latin America’s poorest nations. More than half the population lives in poverty. One in five subsists on less than $1 U.S. a day.

Fast facts: Growing crime has led to U.S. government warnings against certain types of tourist travel. Stunning scenery and inexpensive hotels draw many visitors from the U.S. and Europe. Many Guatemala cities stand where Mayan villages once thrived. It is common for the same place to be referred to by its name on modern maps and its Mayan name.

 

A TROUBLED HISTORY

Guatemala originally was home to the Maya, who cultivated corn and built stone temples and sprawling cities. Spanish conquistadors invaded in the 1520s, establishing a colony that lasted nearly three centuries.

Guatemalans booted out Spain in 1821. Their history has since been a series of dictatorships and coups with occasional flashes of democratic government.

Much of the struggle historically has focused on control of the land. Major crops of coffee, sugarcane and bananas are produced on plantations, or finca. Historically, the farms were worked by peasants whose lives were strictly controlled by their employers.

Efforts at land reform caused some in the U.S. to fear a communist takeover and led to a U.S.-backed coup in 1954.

Guatemala was split by civil war from 1960 to 1996. Military governments battled with guerrillas. The violence included paramilitary death squads and massacres of civilians, mostly Mayans.

A key figure from the era of genocide is Rios Montt, who took power in 1982 and presided over a military government that investigators now blame for the most concentrated period of killing and torture. Montt eventually was turned out of office, but he and his supporters continue to flex their muscle.

Peace accords signed in 1996 led to a return of civil government. Alfonso Portillo was elected president in 1999. He was supported by Montt’s political party.

Portillo’s government collapsed in corruption after a series of scandals involving widespread graft, political violence and drug trafficking. In 2003, the U.S. temporarily withdrew anti-drug assistance to Guatemala, citing Portillo’s poor performance in the fight.

That same year, voters elected Oscar Berger, the current president. Berger has impressed U.S. officials with his attempts at reform, including reduction of the military and stepped up efforts to snare narcotraffickers.

 

ON THE WEB

For more information on Guatemala and the challenges faced by its people:

Groups active in improving conditions in Guatemala:

  • Nuestros Derechos works to provide hope to Guatemalan street children. www.nuestrosderechos.org
  • Grupo Ceiba works in Guatemala’s poorer neighborhoods to provide educational opportunity as an antidote to the spread of drugs and gangs: www.gruce.org
  • Based in Woodstock, New York, Global Youth Connect conducts human rights study tours and organizes young people interested in working with people in parts of the world where there has been genocide. www.globalyouthconnect.org