Guatemalans are not unfamiliar with the term “indigenous”. Around half of Guatemala’s population considers themselves indigenous, meaning they feel as though they belong to a “culturally distinct ethnic group [who] are native to a place that has been colonized” (“Indigenous Peoples at the United Nations.”, UN). According to the BBC in “Guatemala Profile - Timeline”, the indigenous groups of Guatemala, such as the Mayans, were colonized in 1523 by Spanish troops. As western influences seeped into Guatemala, the indigenous people were viewed as animals instead of humans. This view led to the inferiority that the indigenous people face today. The indigenous people in Guatemala are not considered citizens/people, even though they should be. The Guatemalan indigenous people need more contributions in politics. By analyzing the representation and participation of indigenous people in politics; hopefully, we can all aid the Guatemalan indigenous people in gaining the rights they deserve. The distribution between the amount of indigenous people in Guatemala and the amount of representation they have in politics is extremely poor. There are 5.9 million indigenous people in Guatemala and they make up almost half of the total population; however, according to Global Americans in the article, “Report on Indigenous Political Representation: Introduction and Summary”, indigenous people in Guatemala only hold 20/158 seats in congress (12.66%). Even though Guatemalan indigenous people make up such a significant amount of the total population, their representation in politics is very unfair. The few legislators that the indigenous do have, have presented a total of thirteen initiatives. Unfortunately, because the majority of the voters are non-indigenous, only one initiative has ever been approved. This lack of representation is caused by the national political parties in Guatemala. They restrict the election of their indigenous members and are excluding them from a larger and more powerful political arena. The indigenous people have absolutely no power at all. They need power; specifically, in the higher political branches. This disparity can only be reduced if the more powerful political classes include Guatemala’s excluded majority into politics. However, these powerful classes argue that the “reforms demanded by indigenous people would promote division within the country by differentiating between the various sectors of the population,” (“RIGHTS-GUATEMALA.”, Inter Press Service). While some part of this is true, the indigenous people are currently being represented by non-indigenous representatives that do not understand the values and beliefs of the indigenous people, and this needs to change. All said, how are the indigenous people of Guatemala going to get equality? Firstly, Guatemala should make it easier for the indigenous people to vote by providing buses and closer polling stations. Then, people from all over the world should promote the need for the indigenous people to vote. Once more indigenous people vote for indigenous legislative representatives, then more laws – such as accepting the indigenous judicial system as part of the Guatemalan constitution – shall be passed. Many opposing views state that two systems cannot co-exist, but they have a lot of implicit biases against indigenous people. They are not taking into consideration that the indigenous people should have a say in how their country is run; after all, the Guatemalan indigenous people are still people too.
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