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WTF?! I said!
I asked for a suggestion to a friend about which should be the next national stereotype and he exclaimed! GUATEMALAN STEREOTYPE! Dude! Are you kidding me (I said!).

So  here I go again. Let me stereotype the Guatemalan people!

In a short research we can find that the most commons stereotypes are :

  • Guatemalans are short mexicans
  • They are ex-mayas, so they are indians
  • They wear colorful clothes

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Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast.

Tikal Mayan ruins Guatemala
Tikal Mayan ruins Guatemala

There used to be a joke in Guatemala, when the country was ruled by the military dictatorship. Instead of greeting his subjects with “Good Afternoon” or any other such common pleasantries, the President would say “I see you have all survived…”

Not the funniest to many, but it was a typical Guatemalan joke. The military “disappeared” many noncompliant souls.

Not sure if dick guatemalan or doesn't understand joke
Not sure if dick guatemalan or doesn’t understand joke

Stereotypes and misconceptions

Guatemalan Americans face the stereotypes that have historically plagued almost all immigrant groups in the United States. Like the Irish, Eastern European, Asian, and other groups that have preceded them, Guatemalan Americans have been scapegoated as new immigrants by nativists who depict them as docile, ignorant workers who do not mind being exploited, overwhelm American economic and social resources, and are of little value except as workers in undesirable jobs. During economic recessions, politicians have exploited this anti-immigrant bias to curry favor with constituents who want to blame their financial woes on vulnerable targets rather than coming to terms with the real sources of the problem.

Guatemalan Americans are also generally lumped together with other Central American and Latino groups as indistinguishable from one another. Although there is great diversity within and among the different Central American and Latino groups, the American populace tends to perceive them as one entity, and subjects Guatemalan, Nicaraguan, Salvadoran, Honduran, Mexican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican Americans to the same stereotypes.

The American populace tends to perceive them as one entity, and subjects Guatemalan, Nicaraguan, Salvadoran, Honduran, Mexican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican Americans to the same stereotypes.
The American populace tends to perceive them as one entity, and subjects Guatemalan, Nicaraguan, Salvadoran, Honduran, Mexican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican Americans to the same stereotypes.

Canadians often tend to instantly imagine that Guatemala is a tropical country. Guatemala is not necessarily a tropical country since there are at least seven different climates. It is also a very colourful country, but it should not be assumed that the beautiful material worn by the Mayas are signs that the country is flourishing. The Mayas have an amazing culture, but their economic, social, and political growth was partially destroyed and hindered by the arrival of the Spanish conquerors.

The Mayas are not a monolithic entity that without exception lives in the margins of society. Some, albeit a minority, have become successful and are active in many different areas of Guatemalan society.

Most typical Mayan fabrics are hand-woven and sold in the local markets or in the streets.
Most typical Mayan fabrics are hand-woven and sold in the local markets or in the streets.

In the guatemalan stereotypes people assume Guatemala like a dirt-cheap country. Seen as economically threatening migrants who overwhelm government social services and undermine American labor by taking low-paying jobs.

Rivalry among Guatemalan and Mexican groups for jobs.

Docile, ignorant workers who do not mind being exploited, overwhelm American economic and social resources, and are of little value except as workers in undesirable jobs.

They use to get undesirable jobs.
They use to get undesirable jobs.

What the People of Guatemala really are

Guatemala has approximately 13 million inhabitants. The western and northwestern highlands have the highest population density, while the lowlands of the Peten department are only sparsely populated.

Just over 60 percent of Guatemala’s population are of mixed Amerindian-Spanish descent. The remaining 40 percent belong to one of 23 Mayan ethnic groups, making Guatemala one of the countries with the largest indigenous populations in Latin America.

Traditional Mayan dress is still worn in many parts of the country, particularly in rural areas.
Traditional Mayan dress is still worn in many parts of the country, particularly in rural areas.

The patterns and colors of typical Mayan blouses and skirts vary from region to region and often from town to town. Traditional Mayan dress is not as prevalent among men as among women, and it is often combined with western-style hats or shirts. On holidays and special occasions dress is particularly colorful and often includes distinctive headdress.

Old lady
Old lady

On the day of the Virgin of Guadelupe, celebrated on December 12, children all over the country dress like their ancestors. In parts of the highlands, kids still dress like this every day — minus the moustache.

In parts of the highlands, kids still dress like this every day — minus the moustache.
In parts of the highlands, kids still dress like this every day — minus the moustache.

 

Meanwhile in Guatemala – Jokes

Meanwhile in Guatemala
Meanwhile in Guatemala
Meanwhile in Guatemala
Meanwhile in Guatemala

Meanwhile in Guatemala (2)

Meanwhile in Guatemala
Meanwhile in Guatemala
Meanwhile in Guatemala
Meanwhile in Guatemala

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Previous articleTaboos and Issues – National Stereotypes
Next articleVenezuelan Stereotypes
Have you ever asked yourself what the world think about you just because you were born in a certain nation? Of course that there are a variety of common national stereotypes about the inhabitants of various nations, held by inhabitants of other nations. Such stereotypes are usually prejudicial and often ill-informed, and often overlap with ethnic or racial stereotypes. However, some stereotypes may be positive. Well, this blog stereotypes the nations, stereotypes the WORLD is the WORD!

3 COMMENTS

  1. Cabeza de pájaro ignorante tu madre porque si ubiera sabido cómo ibas a pensar jamás té ubiera parido pendejo/a. Me Cago en tu Muerto.

  2. Mira guatemaltecos somos (yo soy) somos y parecemos como los de estados unidos. No necesariamente somos indigenas en un pueblo de piedra. Algunos somos muy blancos . no cafes. Y yo appreciaria si no nos pucieran en estereotipos como estos.

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