Table Of ContentLadinos with Ladinos,
Indians with Indians
Ladinos with Ladinos,
Indians with Indians
Land, Labor, and Regional Ethnic Conflict
in the Making of Guatemala
rene´ reeves
Stanford University Press
Stanford, California
2006
StanfordUniversityPress
Stanford,California
(cid:2)C 2006bytheBoardofTrustees
oftheLelandStanfordJuniorUniversity
Allrightsreserved
Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,
electronicormechanical,includingphotocopyingandrecording,orinanyinformation
storageorretrievalsystemwithoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofStanfordUniversity
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PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
onacid-free,archival-qualitypaper
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Reeves,Rene´.
LadinoswithLadinos,IndianswithIndians:land,labor,andregionalethnic
conflictinthemakingofGuatemala/Rene´Reeves.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN 0-8047-5213-3(cloth:alk.paper)
1.Mayas—Guatemala—Ethnicidentity. 2.Mayas—Landtenure—Guatemala.
3.Mayas—Guatemala—Politicsandgovernment. 4.Ladino(LatinAmerican
people)—Guatemala—Ethnicidentity. 5.Ladino(LatinAmericanpeople)—Land
tenure—Guatemala. 6.Ladino(LatinAmericanpeople)—Guatemala—Politics
andgovernment. 7.Landreform—Guatemala—History. 8.Ethnic
conflict—Guatemala—History. 9.Socialproblems—Guatemala—History.
10.Guatemala—Ethnicrelations. 11.Guatemala—Socialconditions.
12.Guatemala—Politicsandgovernment. I.Title.
F1435.3.E72R44 2006
323.1197(cid:3)4207281—dc22
2005033241
OriginalPrinting2006
Lastfigurebelowindicatesyearofthisprinting:
15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06
TypesetbyTechBooks,NewDelhi,in10.5/12Bembo.
Contents
ListofTables vi
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction:RewritingGuatemala’sNineteenthCentury 1
1. TheTransformationofMamQuezaltenangofromCulaha´
toIndependence 17
2. DisputingProperty:NationalPoliticsandLocalEthnicConflict
intheFormationofaGuatemalanCoffeeZone 39
3. Debt,LaborCoercion,andtheExpansionofCommercial
Agriculture 72
4. IntoxicatingPolitics:Gender,Ethnicity,andAlcoholintheTransition
toLiberalRule 103
5. FromLadinoStatetoLadinoNation:TheMalformation
ofGuatemalanNationalIdentity 136
6. PopularInsurrection,LiberalReform,andNation–StateFormation:
FinalReflectionsonGuatemala’sNineteenthCentury 170
NotesandAbbreviations 195
Index 245
List of Tables
1. CoffeeExports,1853–1885 5
2. CoffeeProductioninGuatemalabyDepartment,1880 and1887 40
3. OccupationsofIndigenousMenbyFamilyPositionandMarital
Status,ca.1830 86
4. ClandestineAguardienteArrests,1862–1886 120
5. ExportEarningsandGrossGovernmentRevenues 164
Acknowledgments
books, like most of life’s projects, reflect the input, assistance, and
cooperation of many, many people. I wish to thank some of them here,
with the foreknowledge that the failings of my own memory will prevent
me from giving appropriate recognition to all who deserve it. In San Juan
Ostuncalco,whereIcarriedoutthebulkoftheresearchonwhichthisstudy
is based, I received a warm reception and much patient indulgence from a
large number of the town’s municipal officials and employees. I would like
tosingleoutConcejalRamo´nD´ıaz,AlcaldeMiguelPe´rez,andLuisaPe´rez
in the Treasurer’s Office. Many other municipal employees offered crucial
assistance and camaraderie during the months of research in Ostuncalco.
I especially would like to thank Alejandro Elias, Carlos Monterroso, Ibeth
Ralda,AmilcardeLeo´n,MarcoAntonioTirado,andEddyCastillo.
In Quezaltenango Francisco Cajas was most helpful and accommodat-
ing, maintaining the Archivo Histo´rico de Quezaltenango against difficult
odds. Likewise, Ana de Rosario Tobar performed a similar function in the
singularlyimportantArchivodeGobernacio´ndeQuezaltenangowithnoap-
preciable budget and in addition to all of her other duties. Rainer Hostnig,
formerly regional coordinator for Guatemala and El Salvador of the Insti-
tuto para la Cooperacio´n Internacional de Viena, Austria, and now based
inPeru,pointedmetomanykeysourcesonOstuncalcohousedwithinthe
ArchivoGeneraldeCentroAme´rica(AGCA),andlaterhesingle-handedly
publishedvirtuallytheentiredocumentaryrecordofMamQuezaltenango.
In Guatemala City a number of archivists, employees, and students of
history associated with the AGCA were indispensable to my research.
I would like to acknowledge Liseth J´ımenez, Ana Carla Ericastillo, and
MargaritaGarc´ıaLo´pez.ThanksalsotoHe´ctorAurelioConcoha´Chetofthe
Archivo Histo´rico Arquidiocesano, and to Arely Mendoza, directora of the
viii Acknowledgments
BibliotecaCesarBran˜as.InAntiguathestaffoftheCentrodeInvestigaciones
Regionales de Mesoame´rica aided my research efforts immeasurably, and I
alwayslookedforwardtovisitingthemonthejourneyfromQuezaltenango
toGuatemalaCityandviceversa.
ManyNorthAmerican-basedcolleaguesandfriendsaidedthisproject.I
owe an intellectual debt to Florencia Mallon, Francisco Scarano, and Steve
SternattheUniversityof Wisconsin,Madison,whichIwillneveradequately
repay. Florencia was beyond generous in helping to see this manuscript
throughtopublication.InonewayoranotherAnaPatriciaAlvarenga,Nancy
Appelbaum,BlendaFeminias,EileenFindlay,GregGrandin,AnnJefferson,
Anne MacPherson, Patrick McNamara, and Karin Rosemblatt, influenced
the present shape of this work. Hopefully, from their vantage point, for the
better. Jorge Gonza´lez, Todd Little-Siebold, and Chris Lutz all shared their
knowledgeofGuatemalawithme,andprovidedcrucialadviceandencour-
agementwhenitwasneeded.BothGregGrandinandPeterGuardinoread
drafts of this manuscript and responded with helpful, constructive ways to
improveit.Ihopetheresultsarenotdisappointing.Finally,mycolleaguesat
Fitchburg State College have provided the most welcoming and supportive
environment that one could hope for when navigating the complexities of
anewteachingcareerandcontinuedscholarship.
OvertheyearsIhavereceivedresearchfundingfromtheLatinAmerican
and Iberian Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and
theFulbright-HaysProgramattheU.S.DepartmentofEducation.ARuth
ButlerGrantfromFitchburgStateCollegeprovidedfundingforthemaps.
Finally,Iwishtothankmyfamilyandfriendsforneverforgettingtoask
aboutthatnebulousresearchprojectthatwould,someday,reachpublication.
My parents will be proud, I know, even if it does not make the best-seller
list. I dedicate this book to Deb and Rowan, the two people whose lives
have been most touched by this project, and without whose spark and care
Iwouldhavebeenhard-pressedtofinishit.
El Petén
Alta
Verapaz lzabal
El Quiché
Huehuetenango
MSaracnos Totonicapán Baja Verapaz Zacapa
El Progreso
QuezaltenangoSololáChimaltenango Chiquimula
Guatemala Jalapa
RetalhuleuSuchitenéquez Sacatepéquez
Jutiapa
Escuintla Santa Rosa
San Cristóbal Cabricán
Huitán
San Vicente Buenabaj
Sibilia San Carlos Sija
Palestina de los Altos Cajolá San Francisco La Unión
San Miguel Sigüilá Olintepeque
Salcajá
San Juan Ostuncalco
Concepción Chiquirichapa San Quezaltenango
San Martín Sacatepéquez Mateo Cantel
Almolonga
La Esperanza Zunil
Colomba Santa María de Jesús
Coatepeque
El Palmar
Flores Costa Cuca
Génova
map1. DepartmentofQuezaltenango,Twentieth-CenturyMunicipalities
