Lesson Notes 11
Module 3.2
1. What was life like for the Mayan peoples before entering the Civil War era of Guatemala?
What concerns do you think they may have had that affected whether they became
involved in the Civil War?
Lisa: Life for the Mayan peoples before entering the Civil War era in Guatemala was
characterized by their subjugation to legal, social, political and economic discrimination by the
ladino leaders. The Mayan peoples could not speak Spanish, so the ladino landowners would
forcefully evict them from their parcels of land. Rigoberta Menchu described how the local
plantation owners did this exact thing to her village community. The ladinos forced them to leave
their land after they tricked her father, the village leader, (who was also illiterate and spoke only
Quiche) into signing a document written in Spanish which required the natives to leave the land
after two years of occupation. Menchu also described the blatant racism which was practiced
against her and her family in Guatemala and on the fincas.
The Mayan people could not easily be assimilated into the ladino culture because of their deep
commitment to the preservation of their own traditions. I think a main concern that would have
affected the Mayan peoples’ decision as to whether or not they would become involved in the
Civil War was the impact their involvement in the Civil War would have on their traditions and
unique Mayan customs and if it would destroy those sacred rituals and beliefs.
Justin: Overall it seems that the Maya had very poor economic conditions before the Civil War
era. It seems that it was extremely difficult for them to produce enough capital to create a
sufficient income. This in time forced them to work for the higher class, some examples would be
as maids in urban homes or the fincas described by Rigoberta Menchu. During these jobs the
upper class would mistreat the Maya particularly because they knew that the Maya had a
dependence on them. Land ownership was also huge for the Maya because they were dependent
on agriculture. When rich landowners could obtain land from the Maya through the government it
put the Maya at a huge disadvantage. I believe that all of these factors affected whether or not
the Maya became involved in the Civil War. At the time Guatemala was going through an era in
which the government really did not recognize them. They were mostly thought of a second class
citizens by the elites of the counrty. According to Rigoberta Menchu the Maya had great
community organizing skills but were still often not recognized and most times they went broke
trying to be recognized. The system in which they lived obviously had a great impact on the
decision to revolt.
Quinn: Rigoberta Menchu gives a detailed account of the life of the Mayan peoples before
entering the Civil War era of Guatemala. She describes how her people were treated as secondclass citizens (if even that) and how their lives resembled slaves more than citizens. This was
most evident in the description of las fincas. At a young age, Rigoberta was aware of their pain
and the fact that “we weren’t alone in our sorrow and suffering but a lot of people, in many
different regions, shared it with us.” The saddest part of Rigoberta’s realization is that she and
the Mayans in general appear to be trapped in their situation. Even though they are treated with
no respect, they are unable to escape from their reality. The finca system has made it impossible
to make any profit—any money they do make goes towards food or something from the Cantina.
They deduct for everything and therefore you can never stop working for them.
By examining the situation surrounding Rigoberta’s father, we can better understand the
circumstances that may have affected involvement in the Civil War. Rigoberta’s father publically
fought for the right to the land of the Mayans. His brave struggle resulted in his imprisonment.
He was eventually released, but once he was out, he returned to his fight for indigenous rights.
Rigoberta describes how he was tortured within an inch of his life and the impact it had on her
life, as well as her mother’s life. The threats continued even with her father’s extended stay in the
hospital. Concern increased when threats were made against his children.
2. Why was the U.S. concerned about the political affairs of Central American
national during the second half of the 2oth century?
Quinn: The US was concerned about the political affairs of Central American during the second
half of the 20th century because in simplest form, their economic interests were at risk. The
concern, followed by chaos occurred in 1973 when Egypt and Israel went to war. Arab petroleum
producers retaliated by quadrupling the oil prices in a matter of months, causing the US to sink
into an economic recession. This gave the US reason to help guard the “free world.” The US
was suddenly vulnerable. In addition, the recession was felt in Central America. The domestic
crises threatened to uproot the Central American system. The Central Americans attempted to
change their reality by trying to restructure the system in terms of US dominated trade areas.
Bananas, for example, is the largest fruit business in the world and is controlled by the US. This
meant that the economic interests of the fruit companies and the US came before the political
well being of the Central American countries.
Lisa: Economics was and remains the clear, primary component of U.S. foreign policy toward
Central America. As we have regularly discussed during class discussions and have absorbed
from our various readings, the security and continued existence of the U.S. as a democratic
nation would be seriously threatened without a strong and growing (U.S.) economy. Central
America is of great economic importance to the U.S. because of their market for exports and its
position as home to billions of dollars in private and U.S. government loans. Additionally, the
region is a major source for raw materials and an important region for U.S. businesses. And as
economic growth and prosperity is the foundation of U.S. national security, political stability in
foreign countries is of utmost importance to U.S. leaders.
As has been revealed during class discussions and from our readings, human rights and
democratization have not topped the U.S. priority list of reasons they’re concerned about the
political affairs of Central America. So the main reason the U.S. was concerned about the
political affairs of Central American nations was because the political stability of these countries
was directly related to the promotion of U.S. economic interests. This attitude toward Central
American nations required the U.S. to respond forcefully in opposition to violent groups seeking
change. Ultimately, U.S. concern for the political affairs of Central America in order to
secure their own economic stability ended up keeping corrupt, undemocratic, and usually
brutal leaders in power and actively opposing forces which supported political, economic
and social reforms.
3. What were the "revolutions" about that emerged throughout Latin America at
this time?
Quinn: Revolutions began to emerge throughout Latin America during the seventies. The market
collapsed and it triggered a political chain reaction. The Roman Catholic Church reemerged on
the scene as a leader of the poor masses. At the same time, the US government decided that
stability—militarily imposed—should have top priority. LeFebre states that the Church and the
US government “began moving on a collision course.” Unfortunately, Washington’s only
consistent objective (to arm and support military forces) resulted in the oppression and slaughter
of the people of three countries. As the revolutions increased intensity, large parts of Central
America flashed into class conflict.
Lisa: The Nicaraguan Revolution, which emerged during this time, was in opposition to the
Somoza dictatorship during the 1960s and 1970s. The revolution sought to reform Nicaragua
both socially and economically along socialist lines and was significant not only to Nicaragua, but
to all of Central America. Somoza had maintained power in Nicaragua by his ruthless
suppression of his people and his compliance with the United States. Around 90% of Nicaragua’s
exports went to the United States which made Nicaragua essentially an extension of the U.S.
Somoza protected U.S. business interests and submitted to the will of the U.S. government at the
expense of his obligation to the people of his country. Subsequently, the revolution in Nicaragua
wanted to oust Somoza and his brutal practices toward the Nicaraguans.
The Guatemalan Civil War was fought between 1960 and 1996 and was fought about several
different things. For instance, social and economic injustice and racism against the indigenous
Mayan peoples, weak civilian control of the military, the 1954 U.S. sponsored coup d’état which
reversed several reforms which had been implemented, Marxist ideology which advocated violent
revolution in lieu of democratic participation and reform, the U.S. support of the corrupt
Guatemalan government and Cuban support of the insurgents were some of the main reasons
the revolution in Guatemala began.