It also talks about multicultural politics and demands throughout Central America. The article discusses the "cultural project" of the indigenous people that is helping their voices be heard.
This reading relates to the others because it discusses many issues the other readings take on, such as politics and the indigenous people. This one seems to carry another cynical theme in politics, like the one before. Essentially, it is critical of the Guatemalan government and their handling (or non-handling) of the indigenous people and their rights. They feel they are "conspicuously absent" in government policy, while the government takes on other types of reform, such as economic and other social reforms.
This article is especially troubling because it discusses something at the very heart of these cultures -- the brutality and genocidal tendencies of the people that rule Guatemala, and how their policies affect the country. There are so many brutal dictators in the history of Central America that it is difficult to see how these countries manage to survive and grow, and there is so much brutality there that it is sometimes frightening to think about.
It is disturbing to note that many of the indigenous people feel they only have violence to resort to in their fight rights and lands, and that puts them in a bad light with many Guatemalans. It is easy to see why they would be frustrated and resort to violence and other tactics, but it is hard to justify that when considering the brutality of the government and its leaders. It would seem there would be a better way to gain the things they want and that if they go too far, the government will certainly retaliate and they will never get what they hope for. It points out the many problems all the countries face every day.
"Between Earthquakes and Volcanoes." This reading talks about the growth of capitalism...
It also talks about the economics of the region and how they have grown after World War II, and how they are changing yet again.
This is the most comprehensive of the readings because it is the longest, and it does relate to the others, especially when they discuss the economics of the region. However, it is quite relevant to the agriculture economics of the area, and so it is more specialized that the other articles are, which makes it more helpful in terms of understanding the area and its difficulties. It is a bit easier to read than the other articles, too.
This article was interesting because I really had no idea agriculture was so big in these countries, and that they produced things like cattle and cotton. Bananas and coffee make sense, and so do the other things, I just did not know they produced as much as they do. The illustration that as they begin to produce those kinds of export crops, they grow less food for their own use, and have to import it, was very interesting, too. It was quite disturbing to read that the poorest people who were giving up their land to export crops were actually eating less as a result of that decision.
It was also disturbing to read that the countries are losing so many of their natural resources to agribusiness, and that business profits large companies and not the majority of residents. Grazing lands are replacing forests, fertilizers and pesticides are replacing natural growing techniques, and the loss of poor, peasant farms is all something that is frightening for the entire region. It was also disturbing to see how disenfranchised the poor, rural population has become, and how they have not been able to take advantage of a booming economy in the 1990s, and urban residents were able to do.
