The people of Guatemala

As I was saying previously about Guatemalans: Amazing. Amazing people. Beautiful people here - I am talking about he Mayans in general. They are a warm and friendly people. They can be lively, but still seem laid back. There is something about them that is difficult to describe. Something positive and good.

Guatemala is truly a magical place. It is hard to believe that this country was torn by civil war for over 36 years. It is difficult to conceive that this country is the 2nd poorest nation in the western hemisphere. I am saddened that according to a agriculture PCV I interviewed that over half the children under 5 are malnourished. The gulf between rich and poor is immense here and the majority of the poor are the indigenous people - The Mayans.

The Mayans before the 15th century had a vast empire in Central America. A vast and advanced empire that built huge stone monuments. By the time the Spaniards came the Mayans were already on a decline. Some think the decline of their civilization was due to over population.

That seems like a plausible theory considering that the mountainous volcanic terrain beset by earthquakes and other natural disasters probably could only sustain a certain amount of population. And that is still true today.

The overpopulation caused a slow decline, and that was speeded up by disease introduced by the Europeans. In their quest for riches and gold they managed to annihilate so many people. Those that survived where subjugated either through slavery or the Catholic church.

Today the Mayans overall are still a subjugated people. They make a majority of the poor in Guatemala. They bore the brunt of the 36 years of civil war and strife.

The Quiche District where I visited was one of the most hard hit areas of fighting. It is a legacy that will haunt Guatemala for a long time.

The very first night I was in Uspantan I was invited to dinner at the home of a local couple. They were Mayans. The father was from the Quiche District and the mother from another region. She spoke an entirely different dialect of the Mayan language. I was told that there are over 20 dialects in the Mayan language.

{Here, I am struggling to learn Spanish and on top of that they are throwing in Mayan words!}

Besides our gracious hosts, their two children ( a 13 year old girl and a boy - I forget how old - younger than the girl?), I was joined by another Peace Corps volunteer, Kelly, and two Guatemalan students from the capital - Carolina and Monica.

Monica and Carolina are students of Social Psychology. I was very interested in learning about their work especially since I dated a Jamaican who completed her masters at University of West Indies in Sociology.

Carolina spoke English, so I talked to her about her work. She told me that she and Monica were traveling to the rural communities in Quiche District and interviewing people about the Civil War. She told me that the years of strife was still being overcome. She also told me that the Quiche District and the Mayans suffered the worse.

About her work she said that many people she interviews find it healing to be able to talk about what happened. For many this is the first opportunity they had to talk about the years of war, and to talk about it without worrying about repercussions.

Carolina also pointed out that the younger people did not know much about the war because they were too young to remember and they older people did not talk about it.

Later that week I was visiting Monica and Carolina at the apartment where they are staying. They showed me pictures taken while they have been out doing their interviews. The pictures were of Mayan families standing sternly and proudly. Many looked as if they had never posed for a formal portrait. They kind of posed like the people you see in 19th century photos taken with huge view cameras.

Besides the pleasure of meeting and spending time shadowing Peace Corps volunteer Aron Rosenthal, the most pleasurable part of my time in Guatemala was meeting Mayan people.

The Mayans are warm and friendly. They are quick to help you and they do not seem to be put out by your presence in their land.

Riding on the buses today packed full of Guatemalans, mostly indigenous - I had lots of time (over six hours) to think about these people.

Many things strike me about the people here. First of all how could such a seemingly passive, nice and friendly people be involved in a war for 36 years? Furthermore, why is Guatemala still struggling with violence and crime? It is hard for me to understand. Guatemalan men of 20 to 30 all look to be the size of 12 year olds to me. They also seem to be kind and helpful and not prone to violence.

So, after thinking for awhile about these things I came to the conclusion that my thoughts are correct about the people here. They are kind, friendly and people who tend to being peaceful. They still have a very close bond to the earth and nature. They have to since most of them are subsistence farmers. Also it is difficult to ignore nature entirely when you live in a place that constantly reminds you that the natural world still, and always will, rule over the world of mankind. Here the natural world shows it domination in the forms of volcanoes, high mountains, rough terrain, and earth quakes.

So, going back to my question I have posed to myself ever since I planned to travel to Guatemala - why does such a beautiful country with such amazing people have a huge crime and violence problem?

To me the primary reason (and I know that there are other circumstances as well) is the huge inequity of wealth. Having lived and worked in another country (Jamaica) with a similar issue - rampant crime and violence - and one that also has a history of inequality, I trust my thesis. It is not only inequity of wealth that causes crime, violence and conflict, but also desperation and hopelessness.

I think that studies will show you that most of the people who commit violent crimes are males under the age of thirty. Why is that? Well, if you are a young man who is trying to make his way in the world and you see no hope, and you have nothing to your name - you become desperate to find a way out. I truly believe that this lack of hope and sense of desperation along with having no meaningful purpose in one's life are ingredients that lead young men to crime and violence.

To me poverty in of itself is not the cause of crime and violence. It is poverty coupled with hopelessness and inequality that leads to desperation.

So, those are my theories.

Before I stop writing for the night I need to write down one more thing. It is a thought that Aron left me with. He said that Peace Corps is "Diplomacy through community development." Maybe that could be the subtitle to my documentary project?

It is exactly that and more. Aron gave an example of how the social connections between people of different countries can be so meaningful. He told me of his father and of his father's brother-in-law, a German. They were traveling in Europe together when one of them pointed out to the other that if they were both a generation older, instead of enjoying each other's company, they would be pointing guns at each other, and it wouldn't be a matter of choice for either one.

People will always have their differences and disagreements. There will always be conflict. The question is - how do we handle these inevitable differences? We can sit down together and discuss them and come to an understanding or we can have conflict and war. It is a choice. Sitting in a packed bus full of Guatemalans and being smiled at by a Mayan man and his daughter even though we are all uncomfortable and can't wait to get to our destination, gives me hope that humans can realize our potential as enlightened beings and live in harmony.