In Reference to 'Development'

I was very struck by some of the differences between Totonicapan and the United States. The regard for community and 'costumbres' is very different than the capitalistic mentality that many people exhibit in the United States. I think that a lot of American business owners would put a lot less consideration into the way in which their hiring and selling practices impact their community, especially if there is potentially a large profit involved. The lack of divisive social classes in Totonicapan shows the emphasis on community over individualism. According to Smith, these practices also support long-term economic interests and unity over short-term individual betterment. In this way, focusing on maintaining the community also helps to secure the individual's future by decreasing division in the face of abuse from ladinos and the government.

I would be interested to know if these same circumstances accurately describe Mayan towns today. Over the past 40 years, Guatemala has certainly become more 'developed' and Americanized. To what extent is this impacting the community mentality and small-town economic systems? Clearly, more people are moving to major cities, and farmers are growing different crops than they have historically. With improved communication and transportation, communities are more linked together; does that decrease the emphasis and pride surrounding community?

Finally, eliminating this ideology of community could be one of the costs of 'development.' Encouraging people to change their individual lifestyles and careers could drastically impact their communities and create more defined social classes. In America, I think that most people believe that the individual should be working hard to improve his own circumstances and those of his family. However, these actions could take away from the community's 'costumbres' and way of life in general. In encouraging development, I think that foreign organizations need to be considerate of these factors.