Guatemala

Guatemala

Official Languages
In Guatemala 60% of the people speak Spanish and the other 40% speak Amerindian languages.  Spanish is the official language of Guatemala and there are 23 other officially recognized Amerindian languages which include Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Garifuna and Xinca.  Spanish is not spoken widely amongst people in the indigenous population.  There are 21 Mayan languages spoken throughout Guatemala.  These indigenous languages are spoken mostly in rural Guatemala.  There are still 23 dialects in Guatemala that are not recognized National Languages. 

History
It was formerly ruled by the Mayans.  This continued throughout the Post-Classic period.  This went on until the arrival of the Spanish.  Many of these Mayan languages are still spoken and seen throughout the country today.  The Spanish came to Guatemala in 1521 and began to force the teaching of Spanish throughout the country.  Therefore, Spanish has been spoken in Guatemala since then but didn’t become the official language until 1760.  Guatemala finally became independent in 1821 from Spain.  Since the 1980’s, there has been a bilingual system in the schools for students.  In 1996, the Peace Accords was signed and passed making it so that documents would be translated from Spanish into many indigenous languages.  This act also said that there would be translators provided for when in legal cases and the people did not speak Spanish.  Until 1839, Guatemala was a part of Mexico. 

Interesting Facts

The literacy rate of Guatemala is 48%.  Their national anthem is Guatemala Feliz.  The culture was strongly influenced by Europeans, especially Germans coming in the second half of the 19^th century.  There has also been more immigration from China, Japan, Korea and the Middle East.  Many Indian families are beginning to leave their own language in order for the children to become fluent in Spanish because it is important in the modern world.