Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
not surprising given the country's penchant for violent social upheaval, class struggle, and
an unfortunate more recent phenomenon, rising crime statistics.
Guatemala has its fair share of social problems. Perhaps the greatest challenges are the
constant contradictions between wealth and poverty. It colors daily life in seemingly in-
nocuous ways, such as traveling on a Guatemala City highway overlooking slums while
drivingtoafancyZona10restaurant.Italsocolorsday-to-dayinteractionswithpeopleand
you'll see it in the myriad ways Guatemalans treat each other.
It's no secret that the country has a legacy of violence from which it is still trying to re-
cover.Its governments and leaders, with few exceptions, have mostly stayed in power long
enough to rape the country of its resources and contribute to the wealth of fellow cronies
while turning a blind eye to crime, social inequality, and widespread violence. The general
populace seems resigned to live in a country where things simply happen, where govern-
ments make promises and then fail to deliver, where the rich continue to live privileged
lives while the poor continue to somehow survive. Perhaps this is all the legacy of Spanish
colonial government and the clashing of two very distinct cultures from opposite ends of
theearth.Maybeit'sthelegacyof36yearsofcivilwar.WhatiscertainisthatGuatemala's
cultural and sociopolitical makeup is a subject ofmuch academic speculation, and youwill
certainly come to form your own opinions after some time traveling here.
IrealizeIhaven'tpaintedaveryprettypictureofmyfellowGuatemalans.It'ssometimes
difficult to spend time in such a beautiful country with so many sad contradictions. Part of
traveling inGuatemala involves finding awaytolive with these contradictions. It'sall part
of the experience.
Demographics
Guatemala's population is one of the fastest-growing in Latin America, with 2004 census
figures placing the population at just over 14 million. The annual growth rate is 2.61 per-
centand43percentofthepopulationisundertheageof15.Thecountry'spopulationdens-
ity is 116 people per square kilometer, with an urban-to-rural ratio of 38.7 percent to 61.3
percent. Population density is much less in the northern Petén department, comprising a
third of Guatemala's total land area but harboring only about 5 percent of the population.
Urbanization is greatest in the western highlands region centered around Guatemala City
and Quetzaltenango.
Ethnic Diversity
Guatemala has an incredible wealth of ethnic diversity, as attested to by the as-of-yet-un-
fulfilledpushtoamendthenationalconstitutiontoofficiallydescribethecountryas“pluri-
