Choices

A lot of the time, when I read about modernization anywhere, but particularly in Guatemala, I tend to automatically think about how sad it is that the ‘culture’ is disappearing or becoming less apparent. We have been learning in class that culture is not something static or easily definable, but rather something complicated and always shifting, and I completely agree. However, it is still difficult not to be a little sad when I hear about languages, ceremonies and ways of life going out of regular use.

However, after reading chapter 7 of Tecpan, Guatemala, I thought a lot about Sen in relation to these changes in Guatemala. Today, Tecpan may be very different than it was before, however a large part of that difference is that people have more options today. Mayans in the region have the capability now to take economic risks and the choice of which crops to grow. They can also work in factories and other jobs while potentially continuing to do a small amount of milpa agriculture. While we may not consider these options to be good ones, they represent the largest array of choices that the Mayans have ever had. Also, there is more geographic mobility; although it might sometimes undermine the importance of small communities and family relations, it represents a much larger array of choices and opportunities for many Mayans. In a way, the rapid changes in lifestyle represent the direction that the Mayans themselves choose to take. Each person considers his individual good and the good of his/her family, and each individual decision adds to the whole.

Yet, at the same time, we need to consider why the Mayans are making these different choices regarding where they live and what their occupations are. The primary motive is certainly to improve their lives and the lives of their families. Yet beneath the obvious, we need to consider some of the historic topics that Foxen discusses as well. For example, she refers to the ways in which during the 80’s the military warped collective and community-centered mentalities in Mayan villages in order to instill fear and prevent backlash. The undermining of the family and community systems could certainly be a factor in recent trends in export-crop farming and migration. So in the end, nothing is simple.