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Discussion
of Case Study Themes
At
a Glance
The intermingling of Spanish and Indian traditions and
cultures characterizes the regions of Mexico and Guatemala.
The physical environments of Mexico and Guatemala both
feature inaccessible highland regions and tropical climates.
The hacienda system of agriculture is employed in both
countries. The plantation system supports a commodity-based
export economy. Great economic disparities exist within
Mexico and Guatemala, with land ownership mainly in
the hands of the minority. Economic development in Mexico
and Guatemala is dependent upon outside investment and
trade.
Case
Study 1 -- Mexico: Motive to Migrate
"Push"
Factors at Work in the Mesa del Norte
Most migrants in and from Mexico are from the Mesa
del Norte, a region of semi-arid and arid landscapes
in north-central Mexico enclosed by two parallel mountain
ranges, the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Sierra Madre
Occidental. The region has a limited agricultural
base due to its climate and elevation. The main industry
within the Mesa del Norte is silver mining, which
is depressed due to low international prices. The
lack of work within the Mesa del Norte has caused
many people to migrate to the United States or to
northern Mexico, where jobs can be found in maquiladoras.
Migration Route Leads to Monterrey's Maquiladoras
Monterrey, a city in northern Mexico, is the capital
of the state of Nuevo Leon. Rapid population growth
within Monterrey has made it the third largest city
in Mexico. One of the reasons for the growth of Monterrey
lies in Mexico's economy. The rise of numerous manufacturing
plants for foreign goods, called maquiladoras, has
created a demand in Monterrey for large amounts of
unskilled labor. People from the surrounding countryside
are attracted to the city where they can earn wages
more than double those offered in their home towns.
The
Future of the Mesa del Norte
With the passage of NAFTA, the Mesa del Norte region
has generally prospered. As wages in Monterrey rise,
manufacturing plants are starting to decentralize
to small towns on the Mesa del Norte. One town, Cedral,
has seen the recent construction of two plants that
manufacture women's' underwear. As new industry enters
the region, the economy will diversify, giving the
people of the region more employment opportunities
and stabilizing incomes. But NAFTA also ends price
supports for many of the Mesa's agricultural goods.
Many farmers are worried that they cannot compete
with agricultural products from the United States.
And
a new trend based on new U.S. border policies may
negate the positive gains that might keep Mexicans
from migrating. A new "get tough" approach
has made it so risky to cross the border into the
U.S. that many Mexicans who might only cross seasonally
are now crossing once and making the U.S. their permanent
residence.
Case
Study 2 -- Guatemala: Population and Conquest
Spanish
Conquest in Guatemala
The Spanish subjugation of the Mayan Indians of the
central highlands helped create the settlement pattern
seen in Antigua. Indian laborers were brought down
from the highlands to work plantations for their new
rulers, and this grid pattern helped concentrate the
population so that it could be more easily controlled.
The fall of Spanish colonialism in Middle America
allowed the Indians to return to their native lands
and agricultural methods, which relied on a well spread
network of subsistence farms.
Plantation System Imposed
After gaining independence in 1821, Guatemala became
a capitalist state dependent upon plantation agriculture.
Large estates dominated the rich land of the piedmont
region and grew coffee, cocoa, sugar, and bananas.
Often plantation land was obtained through illegal
methods that forced out the local Indians, leaving
them landless. The only way for Indians to earn a
living was to work for a plantation during the harvest
season. Rare photographs taken by Edward Muybridge
capture the changes that have taken place in the coffee
plantations and in beneficios where processing takes
place. Village laborers shown in the video program
work in much the same way as their ancestors who were
photographed by Muybridge in 1876.
Land
Alienation Leads to Violence
The land required for the plantations was confiscated
from the Indians beginning in the 1870s. In less than
one hundred years, two-thirds of the arable land has
been brought under the ownership of just three percent
of Guatemala's farmers. The shrinking control of the
land and the exploding population that the land must
support has led to bloody conflicts.
Military Occupation and Revolt Create Refugees
Guatemala has been gripped by civil unrest for the
past thirty years. As the military attempts to subdue
a revolt by landless peasants, armed troops have moved
into the central highlands and the government has
created a civil militia. Civil rights abuses by the
Guatemalan government and military are common. The
war has left more than 200,000 people dead and forced
over one million people to flee their homes to become
refugees within Guatemala and Mexico.
Today
Guatemala's Maya Indians struggle to eke out a subsistence
living on smaller and smaller plots of land. Some
are forced to take low-wage jobs in the cities in
order to earn enough money to feed their families.
As the Maya population continues to climb, there is
concern about how they can survive.
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