GUATEMALA

GUATEMALA BACKGROUND

• GDP per capita: $7500 (2014 est.)
• Poverty line: 54% (2011 est.)
• Exports: sugar, coffee, petroleum, apparel, bananas, fruits and veggies, cardamom, manufacturing prudocts, precious stones, and metal electricity
• Export partners- US 36.1%, El Salvador 11.8%, Honduras 8.3%, Nicaragua 4.8%, Mexico 4.1% (2014 est.)
• Exports: $10.6 billions (2014 est.)

CONTINUED ...

• Imports: fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, grain, fertilizer, electricity, mineral products, chemical products, plastic materials and products.
• Import partners- US 40.3%, Mexico 10.7%, China 9.8%, El Salvador 4.6% (2014 est.)
• Imports: $17.15 billion (2014 est.)

...

• It has more imports than exports
• The GDP per capita is very low not as much as Mexico but they both have very low GDP per capita

NAFTA EVALUATION

• Nafta is the North American free trade agreement. I think it would be good for Guatemala because it increases the wage. But it also can pollute the environment

COLD WAR

COLD WAR: GUATEMALA

• Jacobo Arbenz was overthrown by Castillo Armas (*Jacobo Arbenz- reform predecessor and passed minimum wage)
• Castillo Armas outlawed communism causing harsh dictatorship, setting an era of expression.
• More than 200,000 deaths since the 1954 because of the anti-communism

...COLD WAR: EL SALVADOR

• 1980- death of archbishop Romero made peaceful protest to violent actions. Four US women raped and killed making ?US to cut off aid to El Salvador
• FMNLF- an organization against the government of El Salvador, seen to be a representing political force by France and Mexico.
• US saw Guatemala as a barrier against communism, which made US to increase both military and economic aid for El Salvador
• At least 70,000 deaths because of the killings against the civilian
• 1992- Peace Accords signed after 12 years of civil war

CULTURE

THE CHUJ

• Population of 30,000-60,000
• Language: Chuj belonging to the Q'anjobalan branch of the Mayan language
• Live in the department of huehuetenango (specifically in San Mateo Ixtatan and Sebastian Coatan)
• Believed to stayed in the same area for 4000 years
• It's their communal land reducing to extreme prover try, resulting guerilla activity against the Guatemala's military junta in 1980's

I think it will be bad for the Chuj cause it would hurt their environment they have lived in for about 4,000 years this would cause more disagreements with the government and it could take a drastic turn

Final decision
I think it would be best to participate with NAFTA even if they may be some consequence. I think it's best to get out of poverty. I still think they should be aware of those consequences they would have with the indigenous tribes