{"id":79,"date":"2023-01-28T22:10:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-28T22:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/hringuate\/?page_id=79"},"modified":"2023-04-09T15:53:44","modified_gmt":"2023-04-09T15:53:44","slug":"background","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/hringuate\/background\/","title":{"rendered":"Background on Guatemala"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Guatemala is located at the southern border of Mexico, to the left of Belize and above the norther borders of Honduras and El Salvador.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Conquest of Guatemala<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Guatemala’s conquest was a lengthy and spanned multiple decades, led by many Spanish conquistadors. Despite fierce resistance from the indigenous peoples, the Spanish steadily gained control over the region. The first ruler of Guatemala was Pedro de Alvarado, who served as the Governor-General from 1527 until his death in 1541. The conquest brought about significant changes to the region, leading to the destruction of many indigenous cultures and the imposition of Spanish language, religion, and customs. Nevertheless, the Maya culture persisted and evolved, with indigenous peoples adapting to the new colonial order and maintaining their traditions. Today, Guatemala is a country with a diverse and multicultural history shaped by its indigenous and colonial past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Conquistador Pedro de Alvarado <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(1485-1541)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Demographics<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Languages<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

There are around 23 Mayan languages spoken in Guatemala. The largest Mayan groups are the Mam (West Guatemala), the K’iche’ (Nortwestern Guatemala), and the Kaqchikel (Central Guatemala).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many Maya are bilingual in Spanish, however, older and more rural populations learn Spanish as a second language and they have lower literacy rates in Spanish. Bilingual education efforts have been made for Mayan languages to be utilized in schools and government, however, the widespread adoption of mayan languages still faces many challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about Spanish and Maya bilingualism in Guatemala here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Guatemalan Language Geography. Image by Chabacano<\/a>. Copyright CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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