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According to the CIA World Fact Book, Mestizos, known as Ladinos in Central America, (mixed Amerindian-Spanish) and people of European descent (primarily of Spanish, German, English, Italian, and Scandinavian descent) comprise 60% of the population (mostly Mestizo) and Amerindians comprise approximately 40% (K'iche 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam 7.9%, Q'eqchi 6.3%, other Mayan 8.6%, indigenous non-Mayan 0.2%, other 0.1%). Though most of Guatemala's population is rural, urbanization is accelerating. Guatemala City (approx. 3 million residents) is expanding at a rapid rate, and Quetzaltenango, the second largest city (approx. 250 thousand residents), is growing as well. Rural-to-urban migration is fueled by a combination of government neglect of the countryside, low farm gate prices, oppressive labor conditions on rural plantations, the high concentration of arable land in the hands of a few wealthy families, and the (often unrealistic) perception of higher wages in the city. Generally impoverished farmers move to the outskirts of the city in precarious dwellings on the slopes of ravines. The predominant religion is Roman Catholicism, into which many indigenous Guatemalans have incorporated traditional forms of worship, a process known as syncretism. Protestantism and traditional Mayan religions are practiced by an estimated 33% and 1% of the population, respectively. It is common for traditional Mayan practices to be incorporated into Christian ceremonies and worship through syncretism. In 1900, Guatemala had a population of just 885,000. Over the course of the twentieth century the population of the country grew by a factor of fourteen. No other western hemisphere country saw such rapid growth. |
Guatemala Information: Inside
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