Fischer and Hendrickson, Tecpán Guatemala

CHAPTER 2:
THE GUATEMALAN CONTEXT

Rigoberta Menchú Tum, 1992 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

Poverty and inequality remain Guatemala's most pressing problem.  It is not a poor country, despite being home to millions of families that live in absolute poverty.   In terms of gross national product and economic productivity Guatemala compares well with other Central American countries.  But this wealth is highly concentrated in the hands of a small class of non-Indian elites.

Poverty and Inequality in Guatemala

                      Land distribution in Guatemala (from USAID 1982, reproduced here):
            

SEE ALSO:
    Human Development Report 2000 by the United Nations Development Programme

    UNDP World Income Inequality Database: Gini Coefficients for Guatemala

    Stefan Schmitt's Forensic Anthropology and Human Rights Homepage

    The Rigoberta Mechu Foundation

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