Indigenous Rights Movements in Guatemala

From WolfWikis

After Three Decades of Fighting

Through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s a civil war between the national army and the guerrillas ravaged the Guatemalan countryside. In just the 1980s alone, twenty percent of the population were displaced from their homes. 80,000 people were killed during this time, and another 200,000 people fled the country. Most of the people who were killed or forced to flee were part of an indigenous population. By the end, head officials decided to attempt a more peaceful way of solving problems. But in order to have a completely peaceful agreement, government officials had to appeal to the indigenous people, who made up 63% of the population. They decided to make a ballot to give the indigenous population rights. The YES and NO ballot (or the Consulta Popular referendum) fell through, however, with 53 percent No and 47 percent Yes. Many of the ballots voted No were actually cast by the indigenous population that the referendum was supposed to help. Critics who analyze this time period often ask why the indigenous population would vote against its own ballot.

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Pan-Mayan Movement

Many indigenous people did not vote for the ballot because they felt a single voting process could characters their true desires. Several movements developed as a response to the YES and NO ballot, the most influential being the Pan-Mayan Movement. The Pan-Mayan Movement claimed they did not want to simply gain rights; they wanted to keep the lifestyle the Mayans had in the past. They did not want to be strictly under the rule and laws of the kaxlan, or non-Mayans. One leader by the name of Víctor Rancanoj wanted to create a "revisionist history of pre-colonial society" (1994). But this is not to say the Mayans wished to completely separate themselves from the Guatemalan government. They wanted to "hybridize" politics and culture. The following projects were proposed for revitalization:

• Integration of the Mayan language into education and politics.
• Acknowledgments of the Mayan culture and history.
• Revitalization of Mayan leadership (i.e. councils of elders and shaman-priests on local and regional levels of government.
• International legitimacy.

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In short, the Pan-Mayan Movement strived for a pluricultural nation. They wanted to celebrate Mayan culture, while at the same time practice the Guatemalan laws.

Indigenous Peace Accords

It was not until 1995 that the Indigenous Peace Accords started. This was an attempt to satisfy the demands of the indigenous people in Guatemala. It was a large step in the right direction, as the main peace negotiators were military personnel, government officials, and rebel leaders. Its main purpose was not to be a binding contract, but allow for future discussions to take place. Many programs were proposed in the Peace Accords, many of which were similar to the demands of the Pan-Mayan Movement. This included:

• Recognition of Guatemala's indigenous people as descendants of people who share a distinctive culture.
• Recognition of language legitimacy for use in schools, court, social services, etc.
• Protection of Mayan spirituality.
• Education reform, which included an integration of Mayan language and culture into schools.
• Fair representation in politics.
• Communal lands that were used strictly by the indigenous people.

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Annotated Bibliography

1. From Kay B. Warren's book Indigenous Movements, Self-Representation, and the State in Latin America I found the information on the YES and NO ballot and the Indigenous Peace Accords.
2. From Evelina Dagnino's book Cultures of Politics/Politics of Cultures: Re=Visioning Latin American Social Movements I found all of my information on the Pan-Mayan Movement.