Maya Perspectives on the 1999 Referendum in Guatemala

Abstract

Guatemala is a multiethnic country whose population of about 11 million is made up of Ladinos,1 Maya, Garffuna, and Xinka peoples. Guatemala's 36-year civil war (1960-1996) ended when the government and the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity-URNG) insurgency forces signed the Peace Accords on December 29, 1996. Among the goals of the Accords were the official recognition of Guatemala as a pluriethnic, multicultural, and multilingual country and the strengthening of guarantees of human rights, particularly for Maya. Unfortunately, few of its provisions were implemented in the aftermath of the ceasefire, and on May 16, 1999, the Guatemalan populace rejected a referendum or consulta popular (hereafter CP) that proposed (among other aims) indigenous equality. As a result, Maya maintained their status as second-class citizens in the eyes of the state. According to many scholars and activistsMaya, Ladino, and foreign-this repudiation of the indigenous population was a serious setback for the peace process in Guatemala. Paradoxically, however, the Maya themselves did not necessarily view it as a permanent barrier to peaceful and egalitarian relations in Guatemala. In fact, many objected to both the logic and process, if not the goals, of the CP. This article uses oral