Forecasting Extinction at the Guatemalan Border Forests: El mundo como flor y como invento by Mario Payeras

Abstract

In this article, I examine two short stories written by Guatemalan author Mario Payeras, both included in the collection El mundo como flor y como invento. Through the portrayal of the connections between the environmental vibrancy of the Guatemalan northern highlands and the ongoing presence of colonizing frameworks, the author identifies the key elements that, in the context of a porous border delimitation, participate in the endangerment of the human and the nonhuman alike. As I contend, Payeras’ short stories underscore how the ghostly, yet certain presence of border demarcations helps sustain the centuries-long exploitation of the people who inhabit the Guatemalan rainforests. At the same time, these geopolitical demarcations facilitate the global illegal trade of wildlife. By foregrounding these elements, Payeras’ narratives anticipate the role of borders in facilitating the opening of different paths that lead to and accelerate species extinction.