Disenfranchised: Mapping red zones in Guatemala City

Abstract

International fast food franchises, such as McDonald’s and Domino’s Pizza, have become vital arbiters of security in postwar Guatemala City. They map red zones with a moral authority that even the National Police cannot match. Red zones, or zonas rojas, are neighborhoods in Guatemala City deeply affected by gang- and drug-related violence. While the National Police map these zones by documenting the location of committed crimes, international fast food franchises produce delivery maps that assess the quality of transit through the city. International fast food franchises worry less about the relative security of a given address than about their drivers’ ability to travel safely from their restaurant to the customer’s address. This article, in response, assesses this mobility as a constituent dimension of security in Guatemala City while also detailing its effects. One effect is the affective fallout of being denied a home delivery and becoming what this article calls “disenfranchised.”