Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Being Guatemalan
Despite these huge regional differences, there is such a thing as ser ChapĂ­n . With a few
unfortunate exceptions, you'll be amazed when you first reach Guatemala by just how
helpful, polite and unhurried Guatemalans are. Everyone has time to stop and chat and ex-
plain what you want to know. This is apparent even if you've just crossed the border from
Mexico, where things aren't exactly rushed either. Most Guatemalans like to get to know
other people without haste, feeling for common ground and things to agree on, rather than
making blunt assertions and engaging in adversarial dialectic.
What goes on behind this outward politeness is harder to encapsulate. Few Guatemalans
exhibit the stress, worry and hurry of the 'developed' nations, but this obviously isn't be-
cause they don't have to worry about money or employment. They're a long-suffering
people who don't expect wealth or good government but make the best of what comes their
way - friendship, their family, a good meal, a bit of good company.
The tales of violence - domestic violence, civil-war violence, criminal violence - that
one inevitably hears in Guatemala sit strangely with the mild-mannered approach you will
encounter from nearly everybody. Whatever the explanation, it helps to show why a little
caution is in order when strangers meet.
THE BIGGEST PARTY IN TOWN
It's Friday night in any small town in Guatemala. The music's pumping, there's singing and hands are clapping.
Have you just stumbled onto a local jam session? Sorry to disappoint, but what you're most likely listening to is an
Evangelical church service.
The Evangelicals are the fastest-growing religion in Latin America - one estimate puts the number of new
Latino converts at a staggering 8000 per day.
The Catholic Church is worried - this is their heartland, after all, and the reasons that they're losing their grip
aren't all that easy to identify.
Some say it's the Evangelicals' use of radio and TV that brings them wider audiences; for some it's their rejec-
tion of rituals and gestures and customs in favor of real human contact. Others say it's the way the newcomers go
to the roughest barrios and accept anybody - including 'the drunks and the hookers', as one priest put it.
For some, they're just more fun - they fall into trances and speak in tongues, heal and prophesize. And then
there's the singing - not stale old hymns, but often racy pop numbers with the lyrics changed to more spiritual
themes.
One thing's for sure - an Evangelical makes a better husband: drinking, smoking, gambling and domestic violen-
ce are all severely frowned upon. Maybe, once again in Guatemala, it's the wives who are really calling the shots.
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