World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Guatemala

Last updated: July 2008

Environment

The Republic of Guatemala in Central America is bounded on the north and west by Mexico, and on the east by Belize and the Caribbean Sea. To the south-west is the Pacific Ocean and on the south-east it shares borders with Honduras and El Salvador.

The highland region, where most of the population lives, cuts across the country from west to east.

History

Before the arrival of the Spanish, the physical 'boundaries' of the ancient Mayan empire spanned the countries of modern-day Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras and the five Mexican states of Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Campeche and Chiapas.

Recent Guatemala history has been dominated by the land distribution question. It is the most unequal in the whole of Latin America: 2.2 per cent of the existing farms cover 65 per cent of the land, making nearly 90 per cent of the other agricultural holdings of an inadequate size to provide subsistence for a family.

The large plantations cover most of the fertile coastal strips, where the large landowners grow coffee, sugar, bananas and cotton for export. Small farmers, mainly Mayan, try to grow subsistence crops (maize, beans, rice) on the stony leftover land in the mountains; many are forced to migrate annually to work on the large plantations for starvation wages.

Since 1954, when a US-supported coup overthrew a government committed to social reform and the redistribution of land, Guatemala's history has been characterized by military rule, the repression of legal opposition and internal armed conflict. Since the 1970s, when many Mayans joined the guerrilla movements, the Maya have made up most of the at least 200,000 victims of the armed conflict. A particularly brutal counter- insurgency campaign launched by General Ríos Montt in 1982 (defined as genocidal by the United Nations-sponsored truth commission), involved the complete destruction of 440 Mayan villages in areas where the guerrillas were strong.

Peoples

Main languages: Spanish (national language), 23 Mayan languages

Main religions: Christianity (Roman Catholic, Evangelical Protestants, Mayan religions (increasingly practiced as a result of the Mayan movement) Judaism

Main minority groups: K'iche 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam 7.9%, Q'eqchi 6.3%, other Mayan 8.6%, indigenous non-Mayan 0.2%, Garífuna and Xinca.0.1% (2001 census)

Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America. Most of the population is of indigenous or mixed Maya descent. The Maya are the only indigenous people in Central America to make up the majority of the population of a Central American republic. Mayans of different social classes can be found in all of Guatemala's cities, although the majority live in poverty or extreme poverty and are most likely to suffer social economic political and cultural exclusion. Most of the rest of the population are ladino, a term referring to Europeans (mostly Spanish and German), mestizo or mixed race Guatemalans and Maya who have adopted a Euro-Hispanic culture.

There are also persons of African ancestry in Guatemala who originate from three groups: Afro-mestizos, Garífuna and Afro-Caribbean Creole English-speakers.

Afro-mestizos are the largest, and most ethnically assimilated of the three groups. They are connected to Africans who were brought to Guatemala from the earliest days of the colony to provide forced labour in sugar, indigo and cochineal plantations, and the large cattle ranches of the Pacific lowlands (e.g. around the town of Amatitlan).

With the seventeenth-century decline in slave importation, much of this original black population gradually assimilated into the Guatemalan Afro-indigenous mestizo mix and formed the so-called 'zambo' population of colonial Guatemala.

Abolition of slavery

With the abolition of slavery in Guatemala in 1823, Africans from neighbouring Belize began to escape from forced labour in that country, by crossing into the 'highland jungles' of northern Guatemala. They remained and most eventually intermarried with the local indigenous population. The descendants of these original colonial groups now form part of the Guatemala mestizo population and no longer have any strong awareness of African ancestry.

The Garífuna are an Afro-indigenous group located on the Atlantic Coast. They are descended mainly from the African and Carib peoples of the island of St Vincent in the Lesser Antilles who were exiled to Roatán Island in Honduras by the British in 1796 and subsequently spread to other countries (LINK see Honduras). The Garífuna arrived shortly after Guatemalan independence in 1823 and were joined on the coast by other free blacks.

During the first half of the twentieth century a small English-speaking Afro-Caribbean community also developed in Guatemala, consisting of economic migrants from Jamaica and Belize who came in search of employment opportunities in the railroad and banana industries.

The Guatemalan government of the time placed immigration restrictions on black newcomers, limiting their stay in the country to two-year intervals, nevertheless, over the decades they continued to migrate making the Caribbean 'lowlands' the most Afro-Guatemalan region in the country.

The three most important Afro-Guatemalan settlements along the Caribbean coast are Livingston (a Garífuna settlement), Puerto Barrios and Santa Tomas. All three towns have important Garífuna and/or Afro-Caribbean communities and are notable eco-cultural tourist destinations.

Garífuna in Guatemala have largely escaped the violence that has affected the Maya and have even provided sanctuary in the Livingston area for some Maya groups escaping the conflict. Historically, Garífuna have existed on farming and fishing, as well as working in the logging, banana and shipping industries.

There are also small communities of Chinese- and Arabic-speakers, as well as a Jewish community, in Guatemala. A small Jewish population exists in Guatemala City and it is influential within the national business community. The Jewish community's significance was recognized in its participation as a religious group in 1990 talks between the Guatemala National Revolutionary Unit (URNG) and religious leaders.

Governance

Economic and political power has been in the hands of ladinos since the dispossession of the indigenous population by Spanish conquest in the sixteenth century. Ever since then, the Maya have suffered a history of discrimination, marginalization and periodic genocide.

In 1985, the army restored civilian rule but maintained political control over a series of weak civilian governments. Prompted by significant pressure from the international community, after 1993, agreements were made between the government and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG) guerrillas. These accords on human rights, demilitarization, justice issues, refugees and displaced persons, and indigenous rights, led to the signing of a formal peace agreement between the government and the URNG in December 1996.

The signing in March 1995 of the Identity and Rights of Indigenous Peoples (AIDPI) accord was an important step forward, but subsequent accords, particularly the socio-economic accord of early 1996, proved a disappointment to those hoping for a serious response to the land problem.

Nevertheless, Mayan rights have come to the fore of the national agenda for the first time since the Spanish conquest as a result of a series of internal as well as external factors. These contributed to removing the culture of fear that existed in the Mayan highlands, and allowed the Mayan movement to make its voice heard without fear of repression.

Among the key elements were the influence of the continental mobilization of indigenous peoples through the 500 Years of Resistance Campaign, which celebrated its second Continental Conference in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, in 1991; the winning of the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize by Rigoberta Menchú; the United Nations Year of Indigenous Peoples and Decade of Indigenous Peoples (1993-2003); the establishment in 1994 of the UN Human Rights Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA) and the linking of discussions around human rights to the broader debate concerning the nature of citizenship and multiculturalism. To those can be added the increasing visibility and political experience of indigenous actors growing out of the establishment of a series of local institutions aimed at coordinating indigenous responses and the return from exile of key indigenous activists, bringing with them important experience of indigenous issues.

In 1996, Guatemala ratified the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 169 concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries, which is a key international instrument for guaranteeing indigenous rights and important locally for stimulating the related emergence of an indigenous rights agenda.

In May 1999, a national referendum was held on proposed changes to the Constitution. One of these involved redefining Guatemala as a multi-ethnic, multicultural and multilingual nation; however, the proposal was defeated in a ballot characterized by low voter turn-out and the mobilization of ominous racist rhetoric during the run-up campaign.

Nonetheless the government has remained committed to supporting plurality, partly as a result of continuing pressure by indigenous actors upon the state. Legislation was passed in 2002 to protect indigenous languages and provide money for bilingual education; however most human rights and indigenous leaders are not optimistic, especially in light of budget constraints. By 2005 there were 7,832 schools located in departments with significant indigenous populations, but only 1,869 of them provide bilingual education.

Another key element of the peace accord was the creation of a climate of respect for human and indigenous rights. The government's efforts to acknowledge and prosecute human rights abuses, including its cooperation with a UN-sponsored 'truth commission', have been marred by charges of judicial corruption evidenced by the light sentencing in human rights cases. Few of the people responsible for the genocide of nearly 200,000 indigenous people during the civil war have been brought to justice.

While the government may be trying to find ways to honour its commitments to peace and indigenous rights, it is clear that the involvement of international organizations in resolving the emerging difficulties has been a key factor in achieving any of the progress.

Minorities

• Maya

Resources

Minority based and advocacy organisations

General

Arzobispado de Guatemala, Office of Human Rights
Tel: +502 2285 0456
Email: ddhh@odhag.org.gt
Website: www.odhag.org.gt

Maya

Academy of Mayan Languages (ALMG)
Tel: +502 2339 1199, 2339 3401
Email: informatica@almg.org.gt
Website: http://www.almg.org.gt/

Centro de Acción Legal-Ambiental y Social de Guatemala (CALAS)
Tel: +502 2474 4545, 2474 4549
Email: mailto:información@calas.org.gt
Website: http://www.calas.org.gt

Centro Pluricultural para la Democracia (CPD)
Tel: +502 7761 0067, 7765 1655
Email: cpd@cpdguatemala.org
Website: http://www.cpdguatemala.org/

Consejo de Organizaciones Mayas de Guatemala (COMG)
Email: comg@intelnet.net.gt

Consejo Nacional de Educación Maya
Tel: +502 360 5659
Email: cnem@guate.net
Website: www.guate.net/cnem

Coordinadora Nacional Indígena y Campesina (CONIC)
Tel: +502 251 0278
Email: conic1@c.net.gt
Website: www.cnoc.org.gt/conic

Defensoría Maya
Tel: +502 2 594 6575
Email: defemaya@guate.net
Website: www.laneta.apc.org/rci/defmay

Fundación Rigoberta Menchú Tum (Mexico)
Tel: +52 55 5639 3091, 5639 1492
Email: frmtmexico@rigobertamenchu.org
Website: http://www.rigobertamenchu.org

Jaguar Comunicación Diagonal
[Indigenous media]
Tel: +502 7767 5215, 5928 2085
Email: jaguarcomunicacion@yahoo.com.ar
Website: www.redindigena.net/organinteg/jaguar

Majawil Q'ij
[Indigenous Rights and Research]
Tel: +502 2439 4028
Email: majawil@itelgua.com

OXLAJU
[Indigenous Rights]
Tel: +502 5514 0246
Email: oxlaju98@gmail.com

Programa de Desarrollo Económico y Social de la Mujer Kichin Konojel
[Gender Rights]
Tel: +502 7839 7033
Email: konojel@amigo.net.gt
Website: www.redindigena.net/kichin

Garífuna

Organización Negra de Centro América (ONECA) (Honduras)
[Afro-descendant rights, culture and development]
Tel: +504 43 3651
Email: odeco@caribe.hn

Sources and further reading

General

Barry, T., Inside Guatemala, Albuquerque, NM, Resource Centre Press, 1992.

Colonial Guatemala: www.deguate.xoopiter.com/colonial

Manz, B., Refugees of a Hidden War: The Aftermath of Counterinsurgency in Guatemala, Albany, State University of New York Press, 1988.

Trudeau, R.H., Guatemalan Politics, Boulder, CO, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1993.

Maya

Adams, R., 'A report on the political status of the Guatemalan Maya', in D.L. Van Cott (ed.), Indigenous Peoples and Democracy in Latin America, New York, St Martin's Press, 1994.

Agence France Presse, 'Farmers block roads in Guatemala demanding agrarian reform, pay hikes', 12 October 2001.

Brett, R., Movimiento popular etnicidad, y democratización en Guatemala, 1985-1996, Guatemala, F+G Editorial, 2006.

EFE News Service, 'Guatemala - peace: Guatemalan Indians protest govt's failure to comply with accords', 2 April 2001.

EFE News Service, 'Guatemala - protests: Guatemalan peasants press for approval of Indian Nationality Law', 22 November 2002.

Falla, R., 'What lies ahead for the Xicaques, Kunas, Garífunas and Mayas?', November 2002, URL: www.envio.org.ni/articulo/1624

Hamilton Spectator (Ontario, Canada), 'Indigenous people in turmoil: travelling activist shines perspective on deaths, disease', 10 October 2002.

Helweg-Larson, S., 'Paramilitaries resurface in Guatemala', ZNet, 1 November 2003.

Inter Press Service, 'Rights - Guatemala: death threats follow Mayan genocide lawsuits', 15 April 2002.

Inter Press Service, 'Rights - Guatemala: Nobel Laureate Menchu warns of new threats', 26 June 2002.

Inter Press Service, 'Years of discrimination against Indians', 11 October 2002.

Inter Press Service, 'Rights - Guatemala: rising tide of violence spurs call for inquiry', 16 January 2003.

Los Angeles Times, 'Across the Americas, indigenous peoples make themselves heard', 19 October 2003.

Loucky, J. and Carlsen, R., 'Massacre in Santiago Atitlan', Cultural Survival Quarterly, summer 1991, pp. 65-70.

Martinez, E.J., 'Peace as a masquerade: militarization and post-war terror in Guatemala', Canadian Woman Studies, vol. 22, no. 2, 2003, pp. 40-46.

Menchú, R. (ed. E. Burgos Debray), 'I Rigoberta Menchú': An Indian Woman in Guatemala, London, Verso, 1984.

New Internationalist, 'Guatemala', July 2003.

Psacharopoulos, G. and Patrinos, H.A., Indigenous People and Poverty in Latin America, Washington, DC: World Bank, 1994.

Report to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Submitted by States Parties, Eleventh periodic report of States Parties: Addendum Guatemala, March 2005, CERD/C/469/Add.1 6 May 2005.

Resource Centre of the Americas: www.americas.org

Restall, M. (ed.), Beyond Black and Red: African-Native Relations in Colonial Latin America, Albuquerque, University of New Mexico Press, 2005.

Restall, M., The Maya World: Yucatec Culture and Society, 1550-1850, Stanford, CA, Stanford University Press, 1997.

The Economist, 'Return of a smiling dictator, Rabinal, Guatemala', 8 November 2003.

US Department of State, 'Country reports on human rights practices - 2001', 4 March 2002, URL: www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2001/wha/8344.htm

US Department of State, 'Country reports on human rights practices - 2002', 31 March 2003, URL: www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2002/18333.htm

Wearne, P., The Maya of Guatemala, London, MRG, 1994.

Wilson, R., Maya Resurgence in Guatemala: Q'eqchi' Experiences, Norman, University of Oklahoma Press, 1995.

World Bank, 'Implementation of Operational Directive 4.20 on indigenous peoples: an independent desk review - Background Paper 1', URL: www.worldbank.org/oed/indigenouspeople/docs/IP1.pdf