abstractMy paper is going to dive deeper into the lives of Mayans and how they are discriminated against in Guatemalan culture. I was inspired to write about this specifically in Guatemala because of my Guatemalan roots. I am not of indigenous culture, but I feel that it's a big issue and I noticed that while traveling there. I was able to connect the way they are discriminated against to their poverty rates. The most common ways they are discriminated against are from high rates of unemployment and lack of good healthcare. The more research I did, I also found that many of them struggle to participate in politics. This is something that I found out during the conflict with the election seen on the news last year. Many Guatemalans both in and outside of the country, witnessed the protests that were taking place and that many indigenous people participated in. They felt it was unfair that Congress delayed Guatemala’s elected president’s inauguration. The current president strives to better protect the rights of indigenous citizens in Guatemala.
It is known that many countries in Central America suffer from high poverty rates. According to the World Bank, 55.2% of the population in Guatemala suffers from poverty as of 2023. Discrimination and social exclusion make the disparities between indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in Guatemala worse. According to the International Journal for Equity in Health, Guatemala has one of the highest proportions of indigenous groups in Latin America, and approximately 45% of the population belongs to one of the 23 ethnic groups. About 95% of the Indigenous people identify as Maya, the main victims of the internal civil conflict that engulfed the country in the second half of the 20th century (Alejandro Cerón). The Maya community has lived in Guatemala as early as 2000 B.C. and has experienced many hardships since the late 20th century, including geographical displacement and mass killings. They also have more than double higher rates of poverty compared to those who are not indigenous. According to Pionero Philanthropy, Guatemala’s indigenous population faces higher rates of poverty, racism, and exclusion than non-indigenous Guatemalans. Four out of five Indigenous people live in poverty, and 21.8% of the Indigenous community is affected by extreme poverty compared to 7.4% of the non-Indigenous population (Oct. 5, 2020). This is because many of them are discriminated against and perceived as inferior because of their culture, language, and social class. The discrimination of Maya communities in Guatemala affects issues of poverty, such as high rates of unemployment, healthcare issues, struggles in political participation, and exclusion from educational opportunities. Discrimination affects poverty by contributing to higher rates of unemployment in Maya communities. The unemployment rate in Guatemala was 2.5% in 2022. According to “Improving the Lives of Guatemalan Youth,” the unemployment rate in Guatemala is five times higher for youth aged 15-24 rather than those 25 years and older (EducationLinks, Nov.16, 2018). This demonstrates the significant unemployment rate issue among Guatemalan youth. On the other hand, adults face a lower unemployment rate because many work at home as campesinos, growing their plantations. It is reasonable to argue that Maya individuals face much higher rates of unemployment because of the discrimination against them. In addition, Sandra Cuffe’s article titled “There is no work’: Guatemala Political Crisis Spotlights Calls for Change” highlights the challenges Indigenous people face in Guatemala. Cuffe states, “The poverty rate is closer to 80 percent for Indigenous people while roughly 70 percent of workers in Guatemala labor in the informal economy. Maribela Ixcoy is among them. An Indigenous Maya K’iche single mother originally from Santa Cruz del Quiche earns between $5 and $10 a day selling candy, gum, and cigarettes from a shopping cart in the capital, Guatemala City. “There is no money. There is no work” (Sep. 4, 2023). This excerpt illustrates the difficulty Guatemalan citizens, especially Indigenous Maya individuals, face in finding jobs and maintaining suitable living conditions. It is more difficult for Mayan citizens to secure good-paying jobs because they are often perceived as less educated compared to non-indigenous people. This leaves them no other choice but to sell small snacks on the street to earn some money to be able to feed their families. Therefore, the discrimination of Mayan individuals in workplaces causes a higher unemployment rate, which, over time, will increase poverty in their community. The discrimination they face affects not only their economic living but also their health. Healthcare issues worsen for Maya individuals because they are discriminated against for speaking their native language rather than speaking Spanish. Guatemala also suffers from some of the world’s highest child malnutrition and stunting rates. Although Spanish is the official language in Guatemala, 22 different Mayan languages are spoken in the country as well. This causes a language barrier between people when they are trying to get the help they need. According to an article titled “Abuse and Discrimination Towards Indigenous People in Public Health Care Facilities: Experiences from Rural Guatemala” the author states, “These intersecting social determinants, together with isolation from political and economic life, as well as communication barriers, contribute to the stark levels of inequities in the health of Guatemalans, where indigenous women are more than twice as likely to die in childbirth than their non-indigenous counterparts (with maternal mortality ratios of 163 and 78, respectively) and overall, the life expectancy of indigenous people is 13 years less than that of non-indigenous Guatemalans” (Alejandro Cerón). This demonstrates that the language barrier between indigenous patients and healthcare workers who are not indigenous makes it harder for the patients to explain to the doctors what is wrong and vice versa. Many times, they do not receive the correct medication and are overlooked and not taken care of the right way. Indigenous patients have said that doctors will give them treatments without their consent because they do not want to bring anybody to translate. In addition, Ellie Ostvig’s article titled “Undernutrition Among Children In Guatemala” explains, “Chronic malnutrition affects 58% of the indigenous population compared to 38% of the non-indigenous population in Guatemala, with 40% of the Guatemalan population identifying as indigenous. More than half of the population lives in rural areas, where there can be limited access to aid, healthcare, and healthy food options. … In some areas that are highly populated by Indigenous groups, the number of children who experience stunting can reach up to 70%” (2023) this implies that many more Indigenous people suffer from chronic malnutrition. This leads to stunted growth in children because they are not eating enough to grow and develop properly. Thus, discrimination against the Maya and Indigenous communities causes people to lack the money to buy food and results in miscommunication in healthcare facilities. Discrimination against the Maya population causes struggles with political participation, which in turn contributes to poverty. Many Indigenous rights are not protected in Guatemala due to a lack of representation in the government. While Guatemala has had Mayan presidential candidates in the past, such as Rigoberta Menchu, who received only 3% of the vote, and Thelma Cabrera, who ran for president in 2019 and received 10% of the vote, neither of them came close to winning the election. Cabrera was even told that she could not be president because she did not receive higher education. According to the “Minority Rights Group International”, national political parties restrict the election of their Indigenous members to decision-making leadership posts in the internal party structure, thereby effectively excluding them from the wider political arena. The only existing Indigenous political party, Winaq, usually wins only around 3.5 % of the vote and has limited financial resources (Maya – Minority Rights Group). This demonstrates the significant challenges Indigenous candidates face in receiving votes due to prejudice held against them. “UN Women” goes further to explain, “In the political participation field, Indigenous women’s low active presence is also evident. In 2019, out of 160 deputies in the Congress of the Republic, only 31 female deputies were elected. Of these, only are Indigenous people. At the local level, out of 340 municipalities, only 11 are women mayors, and one is of Mayan Kaqchikel origin (“Indigenous Women in Guatemala Don’t Ask for Permission, and They Speak Up,” Aug. 8, 2022). This demonstrates how rare it is to find candidates or people in office who want to protect the rights of the Maya people. Furthermore, the limited representation of the Maya community in office results in less protection of their lands and rights. The prejudice and discrimination against Maya individuals exclude them from educational opportunities. The Western Highlands in Guatemala has one of the highest illiteracy rates, mostly populated by Mayan groups. Extreme poverty in Mayan households prevents children from receiving a high-level education, if they receive any education at all. Kodi Gentry and Brent Matz, authors of the article “Adjusting Photovoice for Marginalized Indigenous Women Eliciting Ch’orti’ Maya Women’s Perspectives on Health in Guatemala,” state, “On average, Indigenous children receive 3.2 years less education than non-indigenous children, with 36.3 percent of the Indigenous population completing primary education compared to 68.7 percent of the non-indigenous population” (2017). This demonstrates that Indigenous children have fewer opportunities to attend school because their parents cannot afford their education. Additionally, the “Minority Rights Group International” explains, “While there is legislation protecting Indigenous dress in public and private schools, individual school officials have the right to enforce their own specific non-Mayan dress codes. Furthermore, traditionally dressed Mayan women, regardless of income level, still face discrimination in all spheres of social life. There is also continuing opposition to obligatory education displayed by teachers in certain Indigenous areas. This means that even children living in densely Indigenous municipalities are still taught in Spanish” (Maya – Minority Rights Group). This further illustrates how Mayan people are discriminated against for their language and culture in schools, which prevents them from receiving a good education. In conclusion, discrimination and social exclusion exacerbate the disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in Guatemala, leading to more than double the poverty rates among the Indigenous population. The prejudice faced by Maya communities affects various aspects of poverty, including high unemployment rates, healthcare issues, limited political participation, and exclusion from educational opportunities. The prejudice and discrimination against Maya individuals exclude them from educational opportunities. This discrimination can push individuals to abandon their Indigenous identity and culture in pursuit of better opportunities, particularly among the younger generation and those who migrate to the United States. It is crucial to support the Maya population in achieving happy and stable living conditions where their human rights are respected.
Works Cited Cerón, Alejandro, et al. “Abuse and Discrimination towards Indigenous People in Public Health Care Facilities: Experiences from Rural Guatemala - International Journal for Equity in Health.” BioMed Central, BioMed Central, 13 May 2016, equityhealthj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12939-016-0367-z. Cuffe, Sandra. “‘There Is No Work’: Guatemala Political Crisis Spotlights Calls for Change.” Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 4 Sept. 2023, www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/4/there-is-no-work-guatemala-political-crisis-spotlights-calls-for-change. “Indigenous Women in Guatemala Don’t Ask for Permission, and They Speak Up.” UN Women – Americas and the Caribbean, lac.unwomen.org/en/stories/news/2022/08/las-mujeres-indigenas-de-guatemala-no-piden-la-palabra-la toman Gentry, Jodi, and Brent Metz. “Adjusting Photovoice for Marginalized Indigenous Women: Eliciting Ch’orti’ Maya Women’s Perspectives on Health in Guatemala.” JSTOR | Northridge, 2017, library.calstate.edu/northridge/databases/database/76. Guatemala Overview: Development New, Research, Data.” World Bank, www.worldbank.org/en/country/guatemala/overview#:~:text=Guatemala%20has%20experienced%20continued%20economic,continuing%20to%20be%20particularly%20disadvantaged. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023. “Guatemala Unemployment.” FocusEconomics, 10 Nov. 2023, www.focus-economics.com/country-indicator/guatemala/unemployment/#:~:text=Unemployment%20in%20Guatemala,infor mation%2C%20visit%20our%20dedicated%20page. “Maya.” Minority Rights Group, 29 Jan. 2021, minorityrights.org/minorities/maya-2/#:~:text=The%20return%20to%20civilian%20rule,and%20social%20systems%20of%20Guatemala. Ostvig, Ellie. “Undernutrition among Children in Guatemala.” Ballard Brief, Ballard Brief, 16 Aug. 2023, ballardbrief.byu.edu/issue-briefs/undernutrition-among-children-in-guatemala#:~:text=With%2042.8%25%20of%20children%20under,of%20illness%20and%20health%20problems. Rothwell, Harriette. “Guatemala’s Indigenous Community: A Struggle against Poverty, Racism and Exclusion - Pionero Philanthropy.” Pionero Philanthropy -, 2 May 2023, www.pionerophilanthropy.org/guatemalas-indigenous-community/#:~:text=Sadly%2C%20Guatemala%27s%20indigenous%20population%20faces,of%20the%20non%2Dindigenous%20population. Comments are closed.
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