Indigenous population statistics
The population of Guatemala is very diverse and includes various nationalities. Speaking of the indigenous people, they are in the minority. To be more precise, 53.3% of the population of Guatemala are Hispanic Guatemalans, including 39.3% Ladino mestizos and 14.0% white Creoles (Hernández et al., 2019). This is due to the colonization of America by the Spaniards and other nationalities. The indigenous people are mainly Mayan 41.5%: K’iche’ 14.2%, Q’eqchi 10%, Kaqchikel 5.8%, Mame 3.9%, Pokom 1.4%, Kanhobali 1.2%, Hakaltek 1, 1%, Tsutuhili 0.9%, Ishili 0.7%, Chuhi 0.5%, Chorti 0.4% (Hernández et al., 2019). It is worth noting that a particular group of the mestizo population is made up of the Garifuna, 0.2%. Of the non-native population in Guatemala, Americans are 2.8%, West Indian blacks are 2.1%, Chinese 0.2%, and immigrants from the UK 0.1% (Hernández et al., 2019). According to statistics, non-indigenous peoples predominate in Guatemala, making up 60.2% of the population.
Different groups and characteristics
As mentioned above, the indigenous population belongs to the Maya and is divided into various groups. The largest groups are K’iche’ and Q’eqchi, sometimes combined into one group due to their similarity (Jonas & Rodríguez, 2021). These two groups comprise the bulk of the indigenous population and are similar in culture and beliefs. Also, it is worth answering that, according to statistics, most representatives of all groups are bilingual and speak their native language and Spanish (Jonas & Rodríguez, 2021). The next largest group is the Kaqchikel, occupying 10% percent of the total population in the country. The last of the largest groups are the Mam, which makes up 5.8% of the entire country’s population. There are few representatives of the remaining groups due to the brutal colonization in the past and other historical reasons.
Territorial distribution
The territorial distribution of these groups goes to different departments. Most of the population of the Quiché people live in the department of El Quiché, located in the highlands of Guatemala (Jonas & Rodríguez, 2021). The Kekchi people mainly live in the territory of the Alta Verapaz department since they historically lived in these territories (Jonas & Rodríguez, 2021). The Kaqchikel people mainly live in the Chimaltenango department but are distributed throughout the country (Jonas & Rodríguez, 2021). The Mam people’s central part belongs to the San Marco department (Jonas & Rodríguez, 2021). Summing up these data, the territorial distribution of the indigenous peoples of Guatemala directly coincides with the territories that these peoples inhabited before colonization.
Traditions and beliefs
Most Guatemalans speak Spanish, and all indigenous people prefer using their native language. The languages of the indigenous Indian population of Guatemala belong mainly to the Maya-Quiche family; 23 languages of this family have survived to date, and most of the Indians are bilingual (Althoff, 2017). Unlike other Central American countries, the inhabitants of Guatemala have preserved the customs and traditions of their Indian ancestors to a relatively large extent. Millions of people still walk in traditional costumes and generally lead a lifestyle that has not changed much since the time of the Conquista (Althoff, 2017). Regarding religions and beliefs, an ambiguous picture emerges. Mayan descendants still revere, along with Christian saints, various totemic animals (Althoff, 2017). Thus, from the religious side, Guatemala can be considered a diverse country. Therefore, Catholicism sometimes takes quite bizarre forms – traditional Indian beliefs are mixed here with Christian dogmas, ceremonies are somewhat unusual, and the pantheon of saints is generously diluted with local characters.
Issues
As mentioned above, indigenous beliefs and Christian religions coexist in the country, leading to problems. Recent decades have seen a dramatic rise of a new religious pluralism, namely the spread of Pentecostalized Christianity—Catholic and Protestant alike—and the growth of indigenous revitalization movements (Althoff, 2017). This is particularly evident in Guatemala, a country with a large indigenous population, the vital Maya movement, and the Pentecostal religious community. Compared to other Latin American countries, Guatemala now has the highest share of Catholic and Protestant Pentecostals among the populace (Althoff, 2017). Religious pluralism is a controversial issue, but it is impossible to deny its negative impact on national religions in favor of world ones since it negatively affects the culture of the people. Another problem in Guatemala relates to the socio-cultural sphere of life of the indigenous population. Indigenous peoples face structural racial discrimination and inequality, and their territories are threatened by exploiting natural resources (Althoff, 2017). Discrimination comes from the country’s white population and is associated with social inequality in Guatemala. Such a problem is related to the financial superiority of the latter type of population.
References
Althoff, A. (2017). Divided by Faith and Ethnicity: Religious Pluralism and the Problem of Race in Guatemala. International Journal of Latin American Religions, 1(2), 331–352. Web.
Hernández, A., Ruano, A. L., Hurtig, A.-K., Goicolea, I., San Sebastián, M., & Flores, W. (2019). Pathways to accountability in rural Guatemala: A qualitative comparative analysis of citizen-led initiatives for the right to health of indigenous populations. World Development, 113, 392–401. Web.
Jonas, S., & Rodríguez, N. (2021). Guatemala-US migration. University of Texas Press.