Mayan Justice
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Here is how Justice is handled in the highlands of Guatemala Guatemala is known as the land of eternal spring because the temperature stays around 7585 degrees year round. It’s a beautiful country. It is the country that was formerly the land of the Mayans. In fact there is still a large Mayan population in the country, around 2.2 million. However, Guatemala has an ugly side. The capital city is one of the most dangerous cities in the world. On average there are 20 homicides per day in the country. Extortion runs rampant. It is estimates that Extortion is a 19 billion dollar a year business. Police are corrupt and work with organized crime routinely. The prison system in Guatemala does not work. In fact it is a training ground for the warring gangs. There are two major organized gangs in Guatemala, Mara Salvatrucha better known as MS13 in the United States and their rival the18th street gang. These two gangs rule with near absolute power in Central America. Yet through all of the corruption and gangs there are still those that are willing to stand up and protect what they believe in. In the small town of Totonicapan, in the highlands of Guatemala, crime is not tolerated. There are not a lot of criminals in this small town and that is by design. Recently two cars thieves showed up and started robbing cars. This did not last long. The people of this small town organized. They staked out different parts of the city to find out who the perpetrators were. It took a couple of days but they finally found them. Once the thieves were caught, they were beaten, dragged through the street and finally released naked. Residents of highland towns do not want their town overrun by thugs, gangs, or thieves. Besides the corruption of the police and their compromised state this one major reason the residence of these towns take matters into their own hands. The residence of these towns are mostly made up of indigenous Mayans. From 1960 to to 1996 Guatemala was entrenched in a bloody civil war that was between the largely poor Mayan and the Guatemalan government. During this civil war the Guatemalan government engaged in a genocidal campaign against the indigenous Mayan population. To this day the trust between the Mayans and government has been damaged. This is the reason why the Mayan take justice into their own hands and it seems be effective.
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Mayan Justice
Transcript of Mayan Justice
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HereishowJusticeishandledinthehighlandsofGuatemala
Guatemalaisknownasthelandofeternalspringbecausethetemperaturestays
around7585degreesyearround.Itsabeautifulcountry.ItisthecountrythatwasformerlythelandoftheMayans.InfactthereisstillalargeMayanpopulationinthecountry,around2.2million.
However,Guatemalahasanuglyside.Thecapitalcityisoneofthemostdangerouscitiesintheworld.Onaveragethereare20homicidesperdayinthecountry.Extortionrunsrampant.ItisestimatesthatExtortionisa19billiondollarayearbusiness.Policearecorruptandworkwithorganizedcrimeroutinely.TheprisonsysteminGuatemaladoesnotwork.Infactitisatraininggroundforthewarringgangs.TherearetwomajororganizedgangsinGuatemala,MaraSalvatruchabetterknownasMS13intheUnitedStatesandtheirrivalthe18thstreetgang.ThesetwogangsrulewithnearabsolutepowerinCentralAmerica.
Yetthroughallofthecorruptionandgangstherearestillthosethatarewillingtostandupandprotectwhattheybelievein.InthesmalltownofTotonicapan,inthehighlandsofGuatemala,crimeisnottolerated.Therearenotalotofcriminalsinthissmalltownandthatisbydesign.Recentlytwocarsthievesshowedupandstartedrobbingcars.Thisdidnotlastlong.Thepeopleofthissmalltownorganized.Theystakedoutdifferentpartsofthecitytofindoutwhotheperpetratorswere.Ittookacoupleofdaysbuttheyfinallyfoundthem.Oncethethieveswerecaught,theywerebeaten,draggedthroughthestreetandfinallyreleasednaked.
Residentsofhighlandtownsdonotwanttheirtownoverrunbythugs,gangs,orthieves.Besidesthecorruptionofthepoliceandtheircompromisedstatethisonemajorreasontheresidenceofthesetownstakemattersintotheirownhands.TheresidenceofthesetownsaremostlymadeupofindigenousMayans.
From1960toto1996GuatemalawasentrenchedinabloodycivilwarthatwasbetweenthelargelypoorMayanandtheGuatemalangovernment.DuringthiscivilwartheGuatemalangovernmentengagedinagenocidalcampaignagainsttheindigenousMayanpopulation.TothisdaythetrustbetweentheMayansandgovernmenthasbeendamaged.ThisisthereasonwhytheMayantakejusticeintotheirownhandsanditseemsbeeffective.
