Global Maya: Work and Ideology in Rural Guatemala

1. Global Highlands: In Context, in Theory, and in Practice

Global Highlands In 1950, the World Bank sent a commission to Guatemala to assess the potential of the country for economic development. The report, published in 1951 in the Canadian Journal of Economic and Political Science, was entitled “The Economic Development of Guatemala.” It also was presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Applied Anthropology in Montreal in June of 1951 (Britnell 1958). In the study, it was noted that a major problem for Indian populations was insufficient agricultural production because of the “cultural isolation of the indigenous population” concentrated in poor mountain lands inappropriate for the cultivation of grains. This isolation contributed to the continual use of “antiqued agricultural methods” that resulted in substantial erosion and deforestation of the hills. The report also attributed the minimal industrial development to the limited markets and poor conditions surrounding the labor force.1 The commission suggested solutions focused on integrating the population into a single economy, which would, in theory, improve education, health, and nutrition, and lead to the development of new occupations for the indigenous populations of the highlands. They also recommended the resettlement of portions of the population into regions that are “better adapted to progressive agriculture” (1958:57). The commission argued that overpopulated areas should depend less on corn production and more on cattle, milk products, and horticulture, as well as native crafts that could potentially be exported to the United States (59). In a subsequent phase, when an abundant labor force and inexpensive electric energy were present, it would be possible to solve the problem of unemployment by establishing small manufacturing plants in combination with a type of agriculture or horticulture that would require only part of the available labor time of the people (60). In conjunction with the above, it was recCHAP T ER 1 Global Highlands In Context, in Theory, and in Practice 12 chapter 1 ommended that attempts be made to resettle the population into small villages, rather than scattered hamlets, which would facilitate sanitary control and social and cultural stability. These recommendations bear a striking resemblance to recent developments in Guatemala resulting from modernization efforts during the 1950s and the neoliberal policies of the 1970s and 1980s that are still in place. Some of the developments include new migration patterns, voluntary resettlement because of the establishment of maquiladora industries, growth of petty capitalist workshops and small local factories, reallocation of land in the more fertile areas for purposes of exporting vegetables, and the planned and forced resettlements of the “development poles” instituted by military governments in the early 1980s. The limited industrial development observed in the 1950s has yielded to today’s international capital, resulting in regions specializing in agricultural and industrial export production . The structural adjustment policies of the 1980s in conjunction with the repressive measures of the state have, in essence, resulted in the implementation of many of the recommendations of the World Bank. Globalization Processes: Guatemala in the World Economy Globalization and the dynamics of the global economy also have had an impact on Guatemala. The general philosophy underlying recent expansions of the global economy is to capitalize on each country’s comparative advantage, the result being positive change for even the poorest countries. This is achieved by re-energizing a country’s economy through effective and efficient use of its natural and human resources. The theory is that there is no need for all countries to produce all products. If each country produces what it is best at and then trades what it produces, all will profit. The assumption of liberal economics is that “producers and consumers operate at arm’s length, negotiating until a price and quantity are determined that clear the market and benefit both parties to the transaction” (Abell 1999:40). Whether the benefits are in fact mutual is controversial. Abell argues that rather than participating in close negotiations , small producers “receive take-it-or-leave-it prices from agribusiness concerns that control the world’s market.” Whatever the case, it is clear that globalization has redefined the limited global highlands 13 options available to rural peoples. While Mayas always have characterized themselves as engaging in a wide range of economic activities throughout history, the intensification of production in the second part of the twentieth century has qualitatively different characteristics. During these years the mostly Maya communities of the central and western highlands of Guatemala have engaged in substantively new economic practices, including...