There has been a great deal of preparation to get the class ready for our trip to Guatemala. I have learned an abundant amount of information from this class about the different aspects of the culture in Guatemala, the education received there, trauma experienced by the natives, etc. The list could go on and on, but there are a few primary themes, which connect the main topics of the class together. These themes are, understanding how our history can impact no only ourselves, but others around the world and showing empathy towards others. These themes can be connected to almost all of the topics we covered in class. History makes us who we are. We can either learn from it or let it repeat its self. Empathy indicates that we care about others …show more content…
Government officials enforced military rulers and insured that the power was not in the hands of a communist politian. One of the biggest landowners within Guatemala is the banana fruit company, which owns about sixty percent of the farmable land. It was hard to believe went we learned about it in class that our government would do something like this to the people of Guatemala. After giving it a long thought it actually was not so hard to believe. We forced Native Americans to live on plantations in order to use their lands to grow crops. The U.S. government also has their hands in many different developing countries that it makes me wonder if we are possible doing something similar to what we did in Guatemala in other countries. It came as a real shock to me that I did not know what my own government had done in Guatemala, which also connects to the Mayan culture. Mayan people were discriminated against and are still discriminated against to this day within the boarders of Guatemala. In the book Silence on the Mountains, people gave up their Mayan heritage in order to stay alive. After a generation, many Mayan traditions were lost to those who had not choice in the matter. This issue of discrimination can still be seen today in Guatemala. Mayans are still living in communities and fighting with the weight of discrimination. Our history is a part of who we are as an individual and as a group. …show more content…
With that in mind, I need to be careful in the way I ask my questions. I do not want to over step any boundaries or bring up traumatizing memories for the individuals we are talking to. I will also need to keep in minds some of the social injustices that have occurred and are still occurring in Guatemala. One of my questions was basically asking how mining has affected the land and if the workers believe what they are doing is right. Although this was just the bear bones behind this question we have seen in class the land within Guatemala has been abused and overworked. I also want to come up with more questions while I am in Guatemala that pertains to more specific aspects that are brought up in the presentation. The big take away from this is that I need to be sensitive in the way I form my questions and be specific about who I ask the questions to. Simple words cannot describe how excited I am for this trip. I am looking forward to meeting new people, having entertaining experiences with them, and taking in the cultural aspects of Guatemala. This class has been difficult as some times, but overall rewarding with the end prize of going to Guatemala and spending time with the people who live there. I cannot wait to experience all of the food, the markets, the children, and environment within
Rigoberta Menchu, a Quiche Indian woman native to Guatemala, is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for politically reaching out to her country and her people. In her personal testimony tittled “I, Rigoberta Menchu” we can see how she blossomed into the Nobel Prize winner she is today. Following a great deal in her father’s footsteps, Rigoberta’s mobilization work, both within and outside of Guatemala, led to negotiations between the guerillas and the government and reduced the army power within Guatemala. Her work has helped bring light to the strength of individuals and citizen organization in advocacy and policy dialogue on the world scale. In a brief summary of the book I will explore why Rigoberta Menchu is important to Guatemalan development, what she did, and how she helped her people overcome the obstacles thrown their way.
From the articles I found on the Internet it has been proven that you went to a private institution, and that your family wasn't as poor as to the point of starvation.You make these linkages explicit: "My personal experience is the reality of a whole people". It is a call to people of good will all over the world to help the noble but powerless indigenous peoples of Guatemala and other Third World countries to gain their rightful inheritance.
The 1954 coup that deposed the democratically elected government of Guatemala has long been acknowledged to have been the result of CIA covert action. Recently declassified documents have shown a new, and more sinister light, on the CIA's involvement in an action that gave birth to some of the most brutally dictatorial regimes in modern history. No one at this point will dispute the original involvement, but there are still those who maintain that this is all water over the dam of history and that the US has not had direct responsibility for the actions of a Guatemalan government since the 1954 coup. (Evans-Pritchard)
Guatemala held democratic elections in 1944 and 1951, they resulted in leftist government groups holding power and rule of the country. Intervention from the United States and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) backed a more conservative military minded regime. A military coup took place in 1954 to over throw the elected government and install the rule of Carlos Castillo Armas. Carlos Armas was a military general before the coup and with the CIA orchestrated operation he was made President from July 8th 1954 until his assassination in 1957. Upon his assassination, similar militant minded presidents rose to power and continued to run the country. Due to the nature of military dictatorship, in 1960, social discontent began to give way to left wing militants made up of the Mayan indigenous people and rural peasantry. This is the match that lit Guatemala’s Civil War, street battles between the two groups tore the country and pressured the autocratic ruler General Miguel Ydigoras Fuentes to fight harder against the civilian insurrection. Similar to the government Abductions th...
Guatemala’s culture is a unique product of Native American ways and a strong Spanish colonial heritage. About half of Guatemala’s population is mestizo (known in Guatemala as ladino), people of mixed European and indigenous ancestry. Ladino culture is dominant in urban areas, and is heavily influenced by European and North American trends. Unlike many Latin American countries, Guatemala still has a large indigenous population, the Maya, which has retained a distinct identity. Deeply rooted in the rural highlands of Guatemala, many indigenous people speak a Mayan language, follow traditional religious and village customs, and continue a rich tradition in textiles and other crafts. The two cultures have made Guatemala a complex society that is deeply divided between rich and poor. This division has produced much of the tension and violence that have marked Guatemala’s history (Guatemalan Culture and History).
The Mayan Genocide was a result of a civil war concerning communism and democracy between corrupt leaders and the people of Guatemala. The Guatemalan army carried out the genocide under the self-proclaimed name “killing machines”. According to the article Genocide in Guatemala “the army destroyed 626 villages, killed or “disappeared” more than 200,000 people and displaced an additional 1.5 million, while more than 150,000 were driven to seek refuge in Mexico”. The army murdered and tortured without regard to age or gender, men, women, and children all alike. In an attempt to end the conflict Peace Accords were signed, in spite of the fact that there was little change. Directly following the Mayan genocides, Guatemala faced physical and emotional
... stand. You give a sideways glance to the balding man in front of you. Jose Efrain Rios Montt. Oh, how you hate that man! After all, the things he has done to you, your brothers, and your sisters are unspeakable! You take a deep breath and begin to speak. You answer all the questions with a complete feeling of appreciation. Appreciation fueled by the fact that people want to hear your story. You tell them about the day the soldiers marched in to your village, murdered your people, and walked away as if nothing had happened. You tell them about the days of fear. People stare at you in amazement. You see their eyes gleaming with tears and—suddenly—you break down too. It’s all too much. The man that caused you pain is going to get punished! In the back of your mind, you are thinking that the Guatemalan genocide was a terrible tragedy that cost many people their lives.
Guatemala is considered a lower middle income developing economy by the World Bank. Improvements in political and macroeconomic stability have done little to improve levels of poverty and inequality.
Guatemala is located in Central America and is south of Mexico. It is home to volcanos and Mayan ruins. Guatemala has strong Mayan and Spanish influence. The Spanish left their mark with their own beliefs and traditions. The Mayan people are a big part of Guatemala and therefore also reflect Guatemalan culture. More than half of the Guatemalan population have indigenous roots. There are many traditions and remedies that are practiced by the people of Guatemala. This paper will discuss Guatemalan customs and beliefs on health and medicine.
Josephine parents are from Central America and therefore is her culture. In her culture the head of the family decides solely on the meals menu. The head of the family, the father, has to be heeded and since they try as much to conserve their culture, they will prefer having their traditional foods to others. The traditional food of the Latin Americans is mostly fried and therefore, most of Josephine’s food will have a lot of fats. Guatemala’s cuisine is depended on their religion and the Maya cuisine is responsible for the largest share of their traditional foods. The key ingredients involved are corn, chilis and beans. On her mother’s side (from Honduras), their most popular dish is baleada which represents their gastronomy. The meal has flour tortilla folded and filled with refried beans and Parmesan cheese or sour cream. Sometimes they may decide to add roast meat or scrambled eggs. The mothers are responsible for cooking the family’s meal which is mostly their traditional food. Both the Guatemala and Hondurans enjoy freedom of worship with Christianity their main religion. They are very friendly people and open in
I always live as a Guatemalan for the last 15 years, it was hard when I had to move from my country to another that was very different than mine and find out that in this new country is a different languages and different cultures. Maybe for the first time that I was walking to the school, I feel like I was in Guatemala people with the same skin color as me, but when I heard them talked I heard a new word, different accents and I realized that everything was chance.
Cultural conflicts often revolve around certain topics such as: quality of life issues, the recognition or strengthening of identities, third generation rights, and the concept of cultural citizenship (“Understanding Social Conflict” 40). The five main addressed issues within these topics are political struggles, public safety issues, environmental issues, human rights conflicts, and issues of values, beliefs, and identity. A well known and unfortunate event caused from cultural conflict is the Guatemalan Civil War. The Guatemalan Civil War, which lasted from 1960 until 1996 began as the indigenous Guatemalans fought out against poverty, oppression, and the lost of land from foreign companies.
Anita Isaacs points out, “Mr. Morales has promised to go after corruption, but he can’t clean up Guatemalan politics without the cooperation of Congress.” Morales’ readiness to change the country’s corruption exemplifies his quality as a leader, even though he may not be totally effective due to overarching congressional power. His drive shows a pursuit of the common good and responsibility for the wants and needs of his country’s people, which an accountable democratic leader and the government should seek. The Guatemalan government lacks the level of concern pertaining to listening to the citizens and acting upon it that Morales emphasized in his campaign, “I have received a mandate, and the mandate of the people of Guatemala is to fight against the corruption that has consumed us” [Malkin, Jimmy Morales is Elected]. This may not directly and immediately shift Guatemalan democracy, but Morales’ passion towards being accountable puts Guatemala in a safer and stabler
Empathy is used to create change in the world by reaching out to the emotions of people and attending to them. It is used to help others learn and decide on matters that would not be reasonable without feelings attached to them. Empathy helps bring together communities that would have long ago drifted apart, but instead welcomed all who were different. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. This attribute of human-beings really allows us to not only attend to situations as if they were our own, but it allows us to feel most of what others feel because humans are very much alike in some ways. In many of the articles and novels that we have read this quarter, characters from different pieces of context have portrayed empathy whether it was toward
However, this does not necessarily mean colonizing Latin America, but rather having it allied and influenced by the United States' mentality and agenda. The book describes the tactics used by the United States to align these countries' policies and politics with its own. The book effectively portrays the role of the United States in the political affairs of Latin American countries. Higgins examines the Eisenhower administration's invasion of Guatemala, which resulted in a revolt to remove the leftist President Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán. The Arbenz administration posed a threat to the dominance of American companies in Guatemala, particularly the United Fruit Company.