Cultural identity of Guatemala
Introduction
Cultural identity is the sense of belonging that individuals of a society develop through their identification with particular customs, values and traditions usually linked to a territory, and the cultural features that define it can be material and immaterials, being beingThe latter who suffer the most.
Guatemala is a multilingual, multi -cultural and multicultural country, product of the cultural mix caused by the discovery, conquest and colonization of America in the fifteenth century. UNESCO, as a cultural reference of the United Nations member countries, has highlighted as a World Heritage to many of our most outstanding cultural elements, as is the case of Antigua Guatemala, Tikal, Quiriguá, which appear within the material heritage;Likewise, Garifuna Language, Dance and Music is recognized within the Intangible World Heritage.
The technological advances that have been developed in recent decades have influenced cultural evolution and the transformation of certain important features that can be seen or informed mainly with lifestyle, fashion and language.
Developing
Throughout history, culture and identity has varied depending on the form of social, economic and technological development. Depending on the historical moment, culture has been defined in terms similar to "civilization", which reduced culture to elements of technological development, administration skills and behaviors considered correct.
At present, UNESCO is the entity that has become an allusive if we refer to the current conception of culture, and that has relevance and much importance in member countries. Next, certain definitions of great importance will be taken for the understanding of these terms.
According to Molano (2007), cultural identity is defined as the sense of belonging to a community, and entails an element through which we can differentiate ourselves individually and collectively from other groups, through customs, beliefs, values and traditions that are linkedusually to a territory. They are movable and modifiable elements, and can go beyond borders.
UNESCO defines culture on its website, as "set of distinctive, spiritual and material, intellectual and affective features that characterize a society or a social group".
In this way, culture is separated from the term civilization, which was used in the 18th century and that was linked to political organization, courtesy, order and administrative systems considered modern. As we can see, it is in the twentieth century where the current concept was developed, and where material and immaterial elements that are indispensable to keep the cultural essence of societies.
Cultural identity in Guatemala
Culture generates the union of social groups through its traditions, customs, values, its tangible and intangible heritage. The two main features of culture through which a collective is identified are, according to Molano:
- Material Cultural Heritage. It refers to elements such as buildings, landscapes, historical centers, archaeological monuments. Guatemala has this type’s cultural heritage, considered of world interest, for example, Antigu.
- Oral and immaterial cultural heritage: It includes language, music, literature, dance, games, mythology, rites, customs, ancestral knowledge and artisanal techniques. Our country has a numerous and rich heritage, also recognized by UNESCO, such as: dance, music and Garifuna Language that is a fusion between the Arawak and the Kalinagu, the tradition of the Dance Theater Rabinal Achí, Paach ceremony. Apart from the heritage recognized by UNESCO, Guatemala has the Xinca language, which is spoken of approximately 300 people around the world, and considered by philologists as an isolated language since it does not belong to the Mayan family.
As mentioned above, culture is not static, constantly changes. Thus, the cultural features of the cultures of Mesoamerica (which includes the current Guatemala) suffered a drastic change during the processes of discovery, conquest and colonization. It is common for the winning or dominant culture to impose its traditions and culture, which generates a cultural syncretism, with elements of both, that is, this event brought with it a varied foreign culture that mixed with the local culture of the Mayaand new traditions and behaviors of the natives of Spain were introduced.
In Guatemala and its current territorial conformation, despite being a relatively small country, compared to the great nations, a different type of culture was formed and each region adapted to its own customs. It should be noted that very few places in the country are still preserved by this type of cultural elements of a ancestral community organization. The Mayan collapse caused the abandonment of ceremonial centers, migrations and resettlements, generating cultural mixtures, among the migrants who went and came.
As examples of the Spanish and local cultural mixture, we can find the dance of Moors and Holy Week processions, with different popular religious activities, which are worldwide known for the elaboration of colorful carpets, similar to those of the Mayan costumes, theirGreat dimensions and dedicated elaboration.
Background of Guatemalan culture.
We start talking about this issue with a question: where can we find the origin or background of all these cultural details? The Mayan Empire, which was located in the country of Guatemala, was invaded in the course of 1524 with the arrival of the Spaniards, who had been led by General Pedro de Alvarado. Pedro de Alvarado was a Spanish conqueror, who, after participating in the final occupation of Cuba, took part of the Hernán Cortés expedition to Mexico. After a violent campaign, Alvarado founded the city "Santiago de los Caballeros" in 1524 and "El Salvador", once the resistance of the Quiché people defeated.
In 1527 he returned to Spain and Carlos I appointed him governor, captain, general and advance of Guatemala. The Maya and the Spaniards have a great influence on the origin of our cultural identity and their development, which would later have the colonization where many of the traditions and customs of the Maya will have a variation or even the Spaniards wanted to eliminate all theseaspects, because we already enter culture changes because they impose, the Maya, their religion, their language and even their way of life.
The background we find in the Guatemalan culture by the Maya are the different colors in the Mayan clothing, since the colors that we can see, for example, in cuts, girdle, huipiles, striking pants have a specific meaning and are typical ofThe regions of our country. In the architecture we have the Mayan cities or complexAt national and international level.
Politically speaking, we were very scarce of this type of culture, because this culture was lost over time, we can specifically say that it was around the ninth century, in which it was called "Mayan collapse". This Mayan collapse meant a fairly large change in our culture, because political movements and part of cultural movements were culminated. In the Mayan collapse there was abandonment of ceremonial centers and also a migration was given to the southern region of the country and another mixture of cultures occurred, obtaining as main actors the aforementioned migrants who went and came.
Cultural Evolution
As already explained, culture constantly changes and at different rhythms according to the historical moment;various world events have marked cultural changes that have influenced most of the world. Among them we can mention the Renaissance in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, which began in Europe and brought changes in the way of thinking and seeing the world.
Another important change develops as a result of the Renaissance, and it is the industrial revolution. These processes are important because they have to do with great technological advances that allowed communications to be much easier and faster through the invention of the steam machine and the railroad.
At present, we are living a new revolution derived from the invention of the Internet and communications through social networks. The globalization process has accelerated greatly through this element, and the ease of means of transport allow to travel quickly and this leads to a mobilization and transfer of cultural elements.
The influence of other cultures has been influencing ours. Now it is easier to know the features of other cultures and even more common to see their influence on the inhabitants of our country through movies, music, fashion, videos that influence the way of thinking, dressing, speaking, speaking,etc. All these changes are currently produced at a much more accelerated pace than in the past, and this has advantages and disadvantages. Within the advantages is rapid access to information, education and resources that was previously difficult to access.
However, and as in every change, there are disadvantages, such as the use given to social networks, which constitute a distractor that absorbs a lot of people’s time, the abundant amount of inaccurate and confusing information that leads tothe loss of values and the lack of focus on real social problems that affect society.
conclusion
Cultural identity is an indispensable element in the development of societies, since it provides the feeling of belonging, and that is what differentiates us from the other peoples, countries and societies;It has to do with territorial delimitation, but it can transcend borders and remain for a long time in migrant and/or displaced groups. At present, due to technological advances, cultural identity undergoes changes at a faster rate than in the past, adopting foreign elements and influences from other cultures, with their respective positive or negative consequences.
Guatemala is a country with great cultural wealth. The Guatemalans have the responsibility of rescuing, protecting and making our heritage known. For this, it is necessary to act both individually and in society. At the individual level we have to interest ourselves in knowing our tangible and intangible heritage. At the social level, we must promote and support cultural activities, develop initiatives and projects for disseminating and protection of historical and cultural elements, since they will make the difference.
Bibliography
Neighborhoods, l., Nimatuj, m., Garcia, r., & Pablo and. (2016). Millenary Mayan clothing.
Galván, Mario (2012) Los Maya and his culture. Guatemala.
Rosas, Joel (July 2017) History-Biography.
Molano l., Olga Lucía (2007). Cultural identity a concept that evolves.
Galvan, Mario (2012) Los Maya and his culture. Guatemala. Mayan concept.
Gispert, Carlos. Joancomartí, Ricardo. Vilá Ramón. (Ocean Group). (2002) Dictionary of biographies. Barcelona, Spain
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