14 ETHNIC GROUPS OF GUATEMALA AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

Among the ethnic groups or ethnic groups of Guatemala there are mainly four categories formally recognized by the state: the Mayans, the Garifuna, the Xincas and the Ladinos or Mestizos. In addition, there is also a percentage of white individuals, mostly from Europe, specifically from Spain.

Guatemala has a population of about 15 million inhabitants, where 42% are occupied by mestizos or ladinos. 18% comprise the white ethnic group and the remaining percentage of the country's inhabitants corresponds to the Mayan Amerindian and non-Amerindian ethnic groups, such as the Xincas and the Garifunas.

Although numerous ethnic groups descended from the Mayans can be found in Guatemala, they have suffered enormous damage over time. Many of them have been victims of discrimination and forced displacement due to urban and industrial growth in different sectors of the country.

Guatemala is in general a country with a high poverty rate, which negatively affects the quality of life of the ethnic groups that inhabit its territory, making access to education, health systems and technology limited.

Among the most important Amerindian Mayan ethnic groups in Guatemala, there are currently the K'iche ', the Kaqchikel, the Mam, and the Q'eqchi'. Each of these ethnic groups communicate in their own Mayan language and have basic knowledge of the Spanish language.

However, the percentage occupied by these ethnic groups corresponds to the minority of inhabitants of the country, being the mestizos or ladinos the most numerous ethnic group. It is known as mestizo or ladino to individuals born from the cross between Amerindians and Europeans, mainly Spanish.

This process of miscegenation continues to this day and it is estimated that the majority of the Guatemalan population is mestizo. This population lives mainly in the most developed cities or urban centers of the country.

It is estimated that individuals belonging to the ethnic groups derived from the Mayans comprise only 35% or 40% of the total population of Guatemala. There are ethnic groups whose percentage of inhabitants does not reach 1% of the total population of the country.

Next, I leave you a list with the main ethnic groups of Guatemala and their main characteristics:

Mayas

Today the Guatemalan government recognizes four ethnic groups that span multiple subgroups and cultures. The first group is that of the Mayans. All ethnic groups that share ethnic-linguistic roots and heritage with this culture are called Maya.

Historically, each Mayan city had its own language or dialect and a particular cultural identity. Despite the fact that all the groups shared common characteristics, each one was formed independently. This means that, between the different ethnic groups, communication is not possible, since their dialects are essentially dissimilar.

Currently, there are approximately 21 different Mayan languages ​​in common use throughout the country.

It can be said that each ethnic group has its own Mayan dialect. The K'iche 'ethnic group is the largest Mayan group in the country, occupying 9% of the population of Guatemala.

Guatemala has one of the largest Amerindian populations in the Western Hemisphere, in proportion to the total number of its population.

1- K'iche '

The K'iche 'are an indigenous ethnic group that belongs to a branch of the Mayan culture. Most of the K'iche 'population use their native language to communicate and have basic knowledge of the Spanish language.

Most members of the K'iche 'ethnic group live in the Guatemalan highlands, with a total population comprising 9% of the country's total population.

2 - Kaqchikel

The Kaqchikel are an indigenous ethnic group derived from the Mayan culture. Approximately 400,000 individuals of this ethnic group communicate in the Kaqchikel language, one of the original languages ​​of the Mayans.

The Kaqchikel ethnic group practices agriculture, influenced by Spanish and Mayan techniques. The total population of individuals belonging to the Kaqchikel ethnic group comprises 8% of the general population of Guatemala.

3 - Mom

The Mam are an aboriginal ethnic group that lives in the highlands located in the west of the country. This population communicates using the Mam language.

Some individuals of the Mam ethnic group can also be found in the mountainous region in the north of Guatemala in small settlements where they have recovered their customs and traditions.

Some members of this ethnic group are bilingual, and speak both Spanish and Mam language. This ethnic group occupies approximately 8% of the general population of Guatemala.

4 - Q'eqchi '

The Q'eqchi 'are an ethnic group originally from Guatemala. This is derived from a branch of the Mayan culture and is communicated using their native Q'eqchi 'language.

This community is scattered around the territory of Guatemala due to the forced displacement, land grabbing and persecution that they have suffered over the years. Currently, this ethnic group occupies 6% of the population of Guatemala.

5 - Poqomam

The Poqmam are members of the Poqom group, which includes the Poqomchi 'Amerindians in northern Guatemala. The Poqmam language is derived from the Poqom language, which is part of the Quichean Mayan group.

The Poqomam live in the Guatemalan departments of Jalapa, Guatemala, Escuintla, and Chiquimula. A small number of this ethnic group have moved to El Salvador. For the year 1980, it was estimated that the number of Poqmam that inhabited the Guatemalan territory was between 45 and 50 thousand individuals.

6 - Tz'utujil

The Tz'utujil are an ethnic group characterized by speaking one of the nine most important languages ​​derived from the Mayans in Guatemala.

Approximately 70% of the members of this ethnic group are animists, this means that they worship the spirits of nature and the ancestors. The remaining 30% of the population is Christian, but is governed by the traditions of their ethnic group.

The rituals, line of thought and traditions that take place within this ethnic group are from the Mayan tradition. Recently these practices have been studied by foreigners in order to reveal the secrets of the Mayan culture and its practices.

7 - Popti´

The Popti 'are an ethnic group of Mayan origin who have emigrated from the mountains of Guatemala and who maintain their pre-Columbian traditions, language and culture. Their dialect is known as popti '.

This ethnic group has religious practices derived from the Mayan culture and worships the ancestors and nature spirits designated by the Mayans as sacred. The religion of the Maya in the popti 'is expressed through rituals and traditions.

8 - Akateko

The Akateko ethnic group is characterized by speaking one of the nine most important languages ​​derived from the Mayans in Guatemala. A small number of Akatekos are natives of Mexico, however, the majority of members of this ethnic group inhabit Guatemalan territory.

Recently, the number of inhabitants of this ethnic group has been reduced. Even in the reserve areas assigned to this ethnic group, it can be seen how their number of inhabitants has been significantly diminished.

This ethnic group inhabits the mountainous region of Guatemala, near volcanic areas. The majority of individuals in the population are engaged in work related to agriculture, harvesting enough food from the fertile soil of Guatemala. Some families even get their livelihood from the sale of products such as coffee, sugar, cardamom or banana.

The clothes used by this ethnic group are produced from the use of wool sheared from the sheep they graze.

Although this ethnic group is mainly animist and of Mayan tradition, some members have converted to Christianity, adopting ideas related to the Christian god, who has the power to affect their lives and daily events. In this way, some Akateks believe in the scriptures of the Old Testament.

9 - Achi

The Achi ethnic group comprises approximately 148,000 individuals within the territory of Guatemala.

This ethnic group has its own language from which its name is derived (Achi). Although its dialect is derived from the Mayans, this does not mean that it can easily communicate with other tribes of Mayan origin.

Unlike other animist ethnic groups, the religion practiced mainly by the Achi is Romanesque Catholic. The members of this ethnic group are located only in Guatemala.

10 - Other Mayan ethnic groups

There are other ethnic groups derived from the Mayans in Guatemala, which include Afro-mestizo individuals.

Most of these groups live on the southeastern side of Guatemala in rural and underdeveloped areas, and together comprise 9% of the country's population. These groups are poqomchi´, awakateko, sakapulteko, ixil, achi, chuj, Ccho´rti´, q´anjob´al, uspanteko, mopan, itza´, sipakapense and tektiteko.

Xincas

The Xincas are the second ethnic group recognized by the Guatemalan government. It is a group alien to the Mayans that lives mainly in the south of Guatemala, close to Salvador.

This ethnic group has had to face problems very similar to those faced by the Mayans, however, their culture has not spread, in fact, the Xinca language is rarely spoken in Guatemala today. In total, the Xinca population only occupies 1% of the country's total inhabitants.

Garifuna

The Garífuna ethnic group is the third group formally recognized by the Guatemalan government.

The Garífuna come from the mixture of Africans, Arawaks and Amerindians of the Caribbean. Like the Xincas, the Garífuna only reach a smaller percentage of the total population of Guatemala, however, it is common to find them along the Atlantic Coast of Guatemala.

The Gariganu (plural of Garífuna) are located mainly on the Atlantic coast, specifically in Livingston and Puerto Barrios. Most of the members of this ethnic group speak Spanish and the Garifuna language (a mixture of Arawak, Caribbean dialects, French and English).

Ladinos or mestizos

The most representative ethnic group in Guatemala after the Mayans are the Ladinos or Mestizos.

A member of this ethnic group is those people with Native American ancestry mixed with Europeans, that is, any individual whose cultural heritage is derived from the mixture of Spanish and Mayans or other Amerindians.

Guatemala is a country that has been invaded multiple times by foreigners, for this reason its official language is Spanish and the mixture between cultures is a common event. Ladino is the term given in Guatemala to those born of the mixture between Europeans and Amerindians.

The ladino population in Guatemala is mainly found in urban areas, such as the capital city (Guatemala) and other major cities. At the time that Guatemala became independent, the Ladino population consisted of approximately 600,000 individuals. Currently, the Ladino population comprises 42% of the total population of the country.

Ladinos are recognized as an independent ethnic group, of mixed heritage due to the importance that is given in Latin America to the phenomenon of the Spanish colony and its consequences in the process of miscegenation.

Some Ladinos fear the force given to indigenous movements in recent years. It is believed that the country's hegemony could end and Ladinos and other non-Amerindian ethnic groups could suffer violence at the hands of Amerindian ethnic groups.

There is no evidence that indicates that these fears are unfounded since Guatemala is a nation composed of a cultural mix between European and indigenous traditions.

This means that, in the future, it is probable that the consolidation of ethnic groups and social interactions in the country will be given by a filter in social classes, rather than by the ethnic or historical past of individuals.

Other ethnic groups

There are small groups of Arabs who also reside in Guatemala City and a considerable number of Jews who emigrated from Germany and Eastern Europe during the 19th century.

You can also find colonies from Asia, mainly Chinese and Korean, whose ancestors came to Guatemala to work in the railroad industry and farms during the 20th century.

Whites

Guatemala's white population came from Europe during the 17th century. Most of the white individuals in Guatemala have Spanish ancestors who came to America during colonial times.

Those Spaniards born in Guatemalan territory are known as criollos. During the period of the Spanish colony, the Spanish colonizers had offspring with the indigenous people, giving way to the mestizo ethnic group, which continues to dominate most of the population of Guatemala.

Currently, the white population in Guatemala comprises 18% of the country's total population.

References

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4. Muscato, C. (2017). com. Obtained from Guatemala Ethnic Groups: study.com
5. Network, GR (2017). Info. Obtained from Popti of United States: peoplegroups.info.
6. Project, J. (2014). People and Language Detail Profile. Obtained from The Akateko of Guatemala and Mexico: joshuaproject.net.
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