Emergent Guatemalan-Maya Discourses and Institutions of Modernization

Guatemala has been uneven to its anthopological condition of diversity for over 400 years. The civilizing project and the citizen¿s profile has been defined from the hegemonic culture, Spanish, and the economic, military and Catholic elites. In 1985, a new Political Constitution was approved and innovated on the recognition of the multi- cultural, multi-linguistic essence of the country. Social movements begin to raise and therefore a need of Mayan Indigenous actors was felt toward a more just and dignifying participation upon national peace and political matters. Rafael Landivar University, a private, jesuit institution, anticipated on the need of a superior education formation for this vulnerable and historically marginalized sector and created the Program for Integral Development of Mayan Population (PRODIPMA)in which Indigenous students could find access to university degrees, and, therefore, be prepared for nation-wide negotiations. This study consists of a deep analysis of the involved national components, puts them into dialogue with some of the alumni''s experience and draws out conclusions toward Mayan concepts and processes of "modernization".