Guatemala Part 1:
History:
Having now spent six weeks in Guatemala, it is really surprising to me how little is taught about Guatemala and Central America in general in American history classrooms with the extent the U.S has involved itself in the affairs of this region of the world. Here’s a quick rundown: Guatemala gained its independence from Spain in 1821 and was under control of dictators until 1944. These dictators allowed the U.S. based United Fruit Company to control and farm 80% of Guatemala’s land for banana crops and the company quickly gained control of major ports, railroads, and communication systems. In 1944, a social revolution headed by Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán led to a military coup and installed a democratic government. The newly formed government created reforms to provide healthcare, education, social security to its citizens, and to redistribute land from the 10 families and the United Fruit Company that controlled the majority of the land and give the land to peasant Mayan farmers (the majority of the population). This occurred at the height of McCarthyism and threatened the United Fruit Companies interests, which had significant ties and prominent shareholders in the U.S. congress and C.I.A. The Guatemalan government was labeled as “communist” and with an operation led by the C.I.A. and with U.S. funds, a coupe was held and a military dictator was installed as president. A guerilla movement soon formed in the Western Highlands, where the majority of the population is Mayan. A 31 year long civil war ensued. The height of the war occurred in the early 1980s under the rule of military dictator Rios Mont, who had the support and was given funds from the Reagan Administration. Mont implemented the “Scorch Earth” policy, which led to the massacre and destruction of 46 Mayan Villages. The civil war ended in 1996, in total 200,000 Guatemala’s died, 130,000 are still missing, and many more fled the country. There is still much instability within Guatemala, 5,600 murders were registered in 2009 and 98% of those went unsolved.
-By the way The United Fruit Company was renamed Chiquita to improve its image. So next time you go to save money to buy the cheapest bananas, remember the tremendous negative impact this company has had on the lives of millions.
Somos Hermanos:
I am currently spending 6 months in Guatemala participating in the Somos Hermanos Program, which aims to create more bilingual, culturally competent healthcare providers in the U.S. through cultural immersion. I live with a Guatemalan family and take one-on-one Spanish classes for 4 hours a day. We also have weekly conferences and discussions, in which we have talked with former guerilla military leaders about the war and local professors. On Fridays, we have the opportunity to go to a local HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis clinic to assist nurses and talk with the patients. We also take weekend trips to different places around Guatemala, which have been great. One weekend we visited a near-by organic, fair-trade coffee finca (farm) and toured the jungle. While coffee is Guatemala’s largest export, it is incredibly hard to find Guatemalan coffee in Guatemala because it is all exported! We have also visited Tilapita, a beach town that survives off of fishing and whose only modes of transportation are boats and 2 ATVs. Last weekend we went on a 5 hours bike ride through the Guatemalan highlands to a natural hot springs, where you could rent individual buildings for a private experience!
My experience:
The first thing I noticed about the culture and people in Guatemala is their outgoing personalities and how close families are here. Walking down a street, almost everyone says hello or good morning, which is far different than an American culture that is used to walking by strangers trying to avoid eye-contact. I enjoy the constant greetings and communication with strangers, I believe it creates a more open and friendly community. Families here are all close and spend every Sunday together. Most children live in their parents’ house until they have reached their mid-twenties and eat every meal together. Another thing I have noticed is that almost every person has a relative or friend that lives in the U.S. that helps support their family. Guatemala is an incredibly poor country, the majority of the population living on less than $2 U.S. dollars a day, and depends on income coming from relatives in the States. The majority of the population here is also very religious and frequent catholic and evangelical services, for example there are more churches than schools in the town I live in. I could go on forever about the vibrant Mayan culture that is here, but will save it for future posts.
Let me know if you have any questions! I hope all is well back in the States and you are enjoying your summer!
Special thanks to Matt Geniza for making me write this!
Ryan
