The Republic of Guatemala is a country in Central America, in the south of the continent of North America, bordering both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, Belize to the northeast, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast.
From the 3rd century BC to the 11th century AD, the lowlands area of the Petén and Izabal regions of Guatemala were the heart of the flourishing Maya civilization. The Maya independently invented the concept of zero, and developed a series of advanced mathematical and astronomical knowledge that continues to surprise scientists.
After the collapse of the lowland states, the Mayan empire disappeared. The reason is not yet known. When the Spanish conquistadors (under the command of Pedro de Alvarado) first arrived to the territory in 1523, they encountered several indigenous states on the central highlands. Alta Verapaz is known for the fact that, after failing to conquer it by the sword the Spanish entered by the Church, with missionaries who defended the Indians from the cruel treatments of the Spanish army. Many Pre-Columbian Mayan books were lost due to the policy of the Spaniards during the colonial period of burning them. However, several survive, including: The "Popol Vuh", "Anales de los Kakchiqueles", and "Chilam Balam", books that were discovered and preserved by Spanish missionary friars. The name "Goathemala" was given by the Spanish conquistadores to this land, which derives from indigenous words that mean "Land of many trees".
During the Spanish colonial period, Guatemala was a General Capitancy (Capitania General de Goathemala) of Spain. It extended from the Soconusco region - located in what is now the Southern part of Mexico (states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Quintana Roo, and Yucatan) - to Costa Rica. From a political point of view, this region was not as rich in mineral resources (gold and silver) as Mexico and Peru were. Therefore, it did not have the same importance as those two Viceroyalties had. Its main products were sugarcane, cocoa, and anil (dye obtained from indigo plant to dye textiles).
Tired of being forced to trade exclusively with Spain, the Guatemalan elite declared independence of Spain in September 15, 1821. At that time, the Guatemalan Republic included the Soconusco region, as well as what are now the countries of El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Such a big country had a mere 1.5 million habitants, mostly concentrated on the urban centers of the young Republic.
However, in 1822, the province of El Salvador convinced the other Guatemalan provinces to join the Mexican Empire, an idea created by Agustin Iturbide. This Empire was short-lived, however, and a year later Guatemala separated itself from Mexico after Iturbide was forced to abdicate and his empire collapsed. As a result of this annexation, Guatemala lost the Soconusco region, which is now part of Mexico. After this, the Guatemalan provinces form the United Provinces of Central America, also referred to as the Central American Federation (Federacion de Estados Centroamericanos). The Capital City remained Guatemala City, which to this day continues to be the biggest and most modern urban center in the entire Central American region.
A politically unstable period followed, aggravated by the collapse of the world market for añil (indigo), main export product from the region to Europe. This resulted in each province separating itself from the Federation, beginning with the province of Costa Rica. This confederation fell apart in 1838 to 1840, and Guatemala became an independent nation.
Guatemalan history has been marked by the scenario of the Cold War between the USA and the USSR. The Central Intelligence Agency, supported by a small group of Guatemalan citizens, orchestrated the overthrow of the democratic socialist Guatemalan government in 1954. This was known as Operation PBSUCCESS and led to over thirty years of unrest in the nation in which over 100,000 Guatemalans were killed, mostly indigenous Mayan Indians, more than 450 Mayan villages were destroyed, and over one million people became refugees. This is alleged to be one of the worst ethnic cleansings in modern times. Contributing reasons include the will of several Guatemalan military governments to not lose the war, the widespread racism within the country, and perhaps most notably, the activities and strategies utilized by the URNG insurgents.
Militarily, the Guatemalan army defeated the URNG. However, due to staunch political support from the governments of Spain, France, and Sweden, the URNG was able to continue with its activities. in 1992, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Rigoberta Menchu, an ex-URNG member.
Further involvement of the CIA in Guatemala included the training of 5,000 anti-Castro Cubans for what would become the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion.
1996 marked the end of a bloody 36-year war with the marxist-guerrilla Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG). The signing of the peace treaty was orchestrated by the government of democratically elected President Alvaro Arzu. Since then, the country has enjoyed successive democractic elections, the most recent in 2003. However, corruption is still rampant throughout all levels of government.
Guatemala has long claimed all or part of the territory of neighboring Belize, which used to be part of the Guatemalan Republic since Colonial times. However, Great Britain occupied this territory, and Belize remains English-speaking to this day. While Guatemala recognized Belize's independence in 1991, the territorial dispute between them has not yet been finalized. Belize has tried to sabotage this process by having soldiers illegally cross the border and murder Guatemalan citizens. Negotiations are currently underway under the auspices of the Organization of American States to conclude the dispute. For details, see: [, and the OAS page .
Guatemala's unicameral parliament, the Congreso de la República (Congress of the Republic) with 158 seats, is elected every four years, concurrently with the presidential elections. The President of Guatemala acts as the head of state and head of government. In his executive tasks, he is assisted by a cabinet of ministers, which he appoints.
See also: Guatemala election, 2003
right Guatemala is divided into 22 departments (departamentos):
Except for the south coastal area, and the vast lowlands of the Peten in the north, Guatemala is mountainous, with a hot tropical climate - more temperate in the highlands, and drier in the easternmost departments. All of the major cities are situated in the southern half of the country; the major cities are the capital Guatemala City, Quetzaltenango and Escuintla. The large lake Lago de Izabal is situated close to the Caribbean coast. Its situation on the Atlantic Ocean has left it a target for hurricanes, including Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and Hurricane Stan in 2005, in which upwards of 1,500 died.
The agricultural sector accounts for one-fourth of GDP, two-thirds of exports, and half of the labor force. Coffee, Sugar, and bananas are the main products. Manufacturing and construction account for one-fifth of GDP.
The signing of the peace accords in December 1996, which ended 36 years of civil war, removed a major obstacle to foreign investment. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch caused relatively little damage to Guatemala compared to its neighbors.
Remaining challenges include beefing up government revenues, negotiating further assistance from international donors, and increasing the efficiency and openness of both government and private financial operations
According to the CIA World Fact Book, Mestizos (mixed Amerindian-Spanish; locally called Ladino) and Europeans (primarily of Spanish, German, English, Italian, and Scandinavian descent) comprise 60% of the population and Amerindians comprise approximately 40% of the population (K'iche 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam 7.9%, Q'eqchi 6.3%, other Mayan 8.6%, indigenous non-Mayan 0.2%, other 0.1%).
CIA World Fact Book - /cia/publications/factbook/geos/gt.html
Though most of Guatemala's population is rural, urbanization is accelerating. Guatemala city (approx. 3 million) is expanding at an amazing rate, and Quetzaltenango (approx. 150 thousand) is growing rapidly as well. Generally impoverished farmers move to the outskirts of the city temporarily or permanently seeking higher wages. These barrios are virtually lawless. In addition, since 2001 the US has been deporting at a high rate. Many Guatemalans return from Southern California with advanced skills in organized crime. Crime is epidemic in Guatemala City and is a growing concern in Xela and other smaller cities.
Smaller towns which are blessed with steady tourism, such as the towns around Lago Atitlan, are faring better. There is a measure of increasing prosperity and decreasing interference from the army. A lot of building is going on. It remains to be seen how well these places can adapt to the changes conditions, particularly the influx of foreigners and their vices.
The predominant religion is Roman Catholicism, into which many indigenous Guatemalans have incorporated traditional forms of worship. Protestantism and traditional Maya religions are practiced by an estimated 33% and 1% of the population, respectively.
Although the official language is Spanish, it is not universally understood among the indigenous population; various Mayan languages are still spoken, especially in rural areas. This is less true among the younger generation because the parents are doing everything possible to teach their children Spanish. There are still many more remote rural areas where opportuninities to learn Spanish are limited.
The Peace Accords signed in December 1996 provide for the translation of some official documents and voting materials into several indigenous languages (see summary of main substantive accords).
Influences of the Maya and the Spanish colonists are strong throughout Guatemala. In the cities, European influence (especially German) is well evidenced. Much of the Clothing and Food is still made in the traditional Mayan way in small villages in the highlands, and many Mayan ruins can be found. Along the small Caribbean coast, there are influences of African culture in the religious ceremonial songs, dances and food.
See also: Music of Guatemala
| Countries in Central America |
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| Belize | Costa Rica | El Salvador | Guatemala | Honduras | Nicaragua | Panama |