Guatemala Is Not What The Media Would Have You Believe
What I witnessed in the last week demonstrates what good people Guatemalans are--and that we should be doing more to help them thrive.
My wife’s best friend and former college roommate, Kerry, got married last Saturday in Antigua, Guatemala. Antigua was the first capital of Guatemala under the Spanish colonial powers, until an earthquake three centuries ago leveled most of the city. While it was rebuilt, painstakingly, the Spanish would then found Guatemala City in the belief that it was safer (a belief that was proven wrong by a shallow, high-intensity 7.5 magnitude quake in 1976, killing 23,000 residents). Antigua, though, has retained much of its character, and is a UNESCO Heritage City. The remaining artifacts, such as the Santa Catalina Arch, the variety of cathedrals, and the ruins of a convent where the wedding reception was held, are beautiful. The city is cobblestones, speed limits kept very low, and the plazas hum with energy.
Something I couldn’t help but notice was the degree to which American fast food had infiltrated Guatemala—McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Starbucks and Dunkin were all found within this historic city; however, they did not dominate it. Plenty of local businesses were also found, and those were what we frequented (breakfast came with the AirBnB via the housekeeper, but we also made plenty of our own food too in the kitchen). I learned in Antigua that Guatemalans make excellent rum (Zacapa) and that they have some truly excellent businesses, like the speakeasy we held a group outing at. This speakeasy was disguised so well I missed it twice, and then I had to solve a puzzle to gain entrance. We had so much fun, the service was so good, and everything was such good quality, that I told the manager on our way out it was one of the best experiences I’d had, ever, and I meant it.
When we left Antigua for Lake Atitlán, it was an epic jaunt up and down mountains, past volcanoes and villages, without losing cell coverage (seriously, I cannot say enough how impressed I am with the 4G/5G coverage in Guatemala). In one of the small villages around the lake, a group of young girls gathered around Andrea (my wife), and asked questions while wanting to take photos with her; meanwhile, I was swimming at a gorgeous villa and got to witness an epic sunset. Panajachel, the village we were based in, there was a well-built wheelchair path that spanned the lakeshore, allowing Andrea to see the beauty of the lake, and even wheel out to a Vegas-styled heart frame to take photos with me in. While Antigua lacked accessibility due to its historic nature, I never stopped being awed by how other Guatemalans would come up in any circumstance where it was not navigable by wheelchair to help me lift Andrea, in her chair, to whereever we needed to get her. The kindness repeated itself time after time over the course of a week—Guatemalans are very polite and kind. Whenever I attempted to speak Spanish, they were pleased, and when my past learning kicked in and I did so correctly, I saw genuine joy in their reactions. It’s about respect, and they want it as much as anyone else does.
If you can’t speak Spanish, and they don’t speak English, they’ll pull out a phone and use Google Translate to communicate. You’re never made to feel stupid (looking at you, parts of Europe) for not speaking the language.
I won’t lie—I expected worse before leaving for there. I was pleasantly surprised at the modernity and the genuine effort being put in to make their country more than just a violence-ridden hellhole, as some would have you believe. Guatemala City has major issues, and those issues drive many to try to migrate to America. We should be doing so much more to help this country, because we broke it seventy years ago by fomenting a coup on behalf of a fucking banana company. The term banana republic exists because we brought it into being. The country went through a 36-year-long civil war because we undermined their autonomy, and then we have the arrogance to throw a fit that they want to migrate to our prosperous, relatively safe nation. They’re doing their best down there, plain as day, and America owes them not just an apology, but help. A thriving Guatemala creates a partner that can help everyone flourish.
I am proud of Kerry for moving there, proud that she met, fell in love with, and married a Guatemalan man determined to help do his part to make his country better. I am glad I went, glad I was exposed to their culture, glad I got to experience a wonderful week and meet so many wonderful people. We could do with more of that selflessness in America.