GUATEMALA

GUATEMALA

Guatemala is located midway in the Central American peninsula. The coastal region of the Pacific rises sharply to the rugged “Highlands” of mountains and volcanoes that reach over 14,000 feet and gradually taper off to the east to a vast tropical plain that extends to the Caribbean.

The original meaning of Guatemala in the Mayan language was land of the many trees. In its ancient past there were a number of mostly Mayan city states whose cultural, architectural and scientific achievements were on a par with any of the great civilizations. The arrival of the Spanish “Conquistadores” caused complete upheaval of their society and way of life. The indigenous people were massacred, brutally tortured and enslaved.

Although Guatemala gained independence from Spain in 1821, the rule of the Spanish origin oligarchy still remains. Hope for a democratic system of government was crushed in 1954 when the United States government orchestrated a coup of the country’s first popularly elected and reformist President to protect the interests of United Fruit. This coup ended the country’s brief period of true democracy and set the stage for the ensuing “Civil War” that lasted from 1960 – 1996. Many considered this a war of genocide: 450 Mayan villages were razed, many were tortured and “disappeared” and over 200,000 people were killed, the vast majority indigenous civilians. Eventually, the world recognized the atrocities being committed and the United Nations stepped in to implement the Peace Accords which instituted reforms on human and indigenous rights and socioeconomic reform.

Since then, many NGOs are working to address a wide variety of issues including education, health, justice, violence, environment and economic development. These have had a significant positive impact, but Guatemala still faces substantial challenges: violence and organized crime are rampant and committed with impunity; corruption and patronage is the modus operandi of the political system; and poverty and malnutrition are some of the highest in the world. Also the trauma, fear and deep divisions created by the civil war make civil discourse and organized action difficult. Although Guatemala remains the Central American country with the highest per cent of indigenous people, their traditional way of life is still threatened by discrimination, repression, and the influences of some Evangelical churches and modern western culture.

Despite these intense challenges there is cause for hope – and that is the incredible strength, faith, resilience and heart of the Guatemalan people.