Guatemalan Americans
Total population | |
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1,878,599 (2022) Evangelical Christianity, Indigenous beliefs | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Hispanic Americans, Guatemalans, Spanish Americans, Mexican Americans, Honduran Americans, Salvadoran Americans |
Part of a series on |
Hispanic and Latino Americans |
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Guatemalan Americans (Spanish: guatemalteco-americanos, norteamericanos de origen guatemalteco or estadounidenses de origen guatemalteco) are
The states with the largest Guatemalan population are California (29%), Florida (8%) and Texas (7%).[3]
History of Guatemalans in the United States
.The largest influx of Guatemalans into the United States, however, started occurring in the 1970s and 1980s, peaking in the 1990s due to the
Immigration
During the 1950s, there were 45,000 documented immigrants from Central America. In the 1960s, this number more than doubled to 100,000. In the decade after, it increased to 134,000. 26,000 of these immigrants were Guatemalan.[6] Following the 1950s, Guatemala had been full of unrest with military dictatorships, civil wars, and a thirty-six year long guerrilla war. Those wars produced over 200,000 deaths, as well as the displacement of nearly one million refugees. In 1996, the Guatemalan government signed a peace accord. This ended the war; however, the war did not end for many Guatemalans who had to live alongside those who inflicted violence throughout their country.
During the
Migration from Central America had always been below 50,000. However, in 1970, the census had counted 113,913 Central American immigrants. 17,536 of those immigrants were of Guatemalan descent. This was a dramatic increase from the 5,381 count from the decade prior.
During the 1980s, many revolutionary/guerrilla groups merged together to become the
The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) was passed in the United States in 1986. Following IRCA, most documented Guatemalan Americans were able to receive legal admission through the petitioning of family members already in the United States. Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) disadvantaged incoming Guatemalan immigrants, because it allowed for documentation to those who entered prior to 1982; however, Guatemalan immigration largely took place after 1982.
In 1997, immigration was further limited for Guatemalans through the Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act. This act allowed Central American asylum-seekers to be documented in the United States but called for deportation for those undocumented. At the time, many of those people were Guatemalan Americans.[5] Deportation of undocumented immigrants have consequences of socioeconomic mobility within Guatemala. Households in Guatemala that receive money from Guatemalans in the United States are able to pull themselves into a better economic standing. By contrast, households which lose that money experience downward mobility.[8]
Literature in the U.S.
According to Rodriguez, the main themes of Central American literature in the United States are: war, violence, criminality, solidarity, migration, ethnicity, and the construction of identity.[9] Maya Chinchilla is a Guatemalan poet of mixed U.S., German and Guatemalan heritages. In her poem "Central Americanamerican" she "diffracts the construction of Central American identity beyond a geographic notion and along the multiple coordinates of migrations, generations, heritages, languages, ethnicities, races, sexualities, cultures, and discourses magnified in the Central American diasporas."[9] Novels like The Tattooed Soldier by Héctor Tobar display the cultural significance of Central American identity within U.S. multiculturalism.[10]
Culture
Guatemalan Mayas and Hispanics
Guatemalan Americans are a very culturally diverse group of people, including around 23 distinct ethnic groups, whose languages are different, although they maintain unique cultural traditions. The groups are, on the whole,
Immigrant Maya American communities have preserved their ethnic customs. The Guatemalans of European descent (mostly of Spanish ancestry) often mixed with other U.S. Hispanic groups. However, it is unknown the degree to which the transmission of cultural traditions between Guatemalans immigrants and their descendants occurs due to a lack of research.
Some traditions have remained in most neighborhoods of Guatemalan immigrants, especially in Los Angeles, Houston and southern Florida, where Guatemalan traditions are being both transformed and lost due to American acculturation. Some Guatemalan traditions are the celebration of Quinceañeras, the formation of soccer leagues, and the Organization de las Fiestas de la Patronal (Organization of Patronal Parties).[11]
There are over one million Maya Natives in the United States- largely from both Mexico and Guatemala. Despite this, the United States fails to recognize Maya Natives as refugees from Guatemala despite the political and social conditions that produce the need for immigration.[12] Mayas are at the bottom of the social stratum in Guatemala. This can be accounted by racism within Guatemalan society, along with the vulnerability that is produced during migration to the United States through Mexico.[8]
Organization | Location |
---|---|
Corn Maya Organization | Jupiter, Florida |
Guatemalan Maya Center | Lake Worth Beach, Florida |
Summer Language Program[permanent dead link] | Los Angeles, California |
Maya Vision | Los Angeles, California |
Religion
Due largely to influences such as Spanish colonization and U.S. business involvement in Central America, the Indigenous religions of Guatemala have mixed to create a hybrid spirituality and emergent "spiritual forms, practices, and communities as these intersect with other aspects of Hispanic/a identity, such as ethnicity, race, gender and sexuality."[13]
Socioeconomic mobility
Compared to the U.S.
Demographics
Half of the Guatemalan population is situated in two parts of the country, the Northeast and Southern California. A combined population of 267,335 resides in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties. There is also a Guatemalan community in Las Vegas.[16]
The Northeast megalopolis, extending from Northern Virginia to north of Boston, is home to a population of 257,729 Guatemalans. Cities such as Langley Park, Trenton, Stamford, Providence and Lynn have significant concentrations of Guatemalans along the corridor.
Distribution by state
State/Territory | Guatemalan Population 2020 census[17][18] |
Percent 2020 | 2010 census[19] | Percent 2010 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | 26,614 | 0.5% | 15,282 | 0.3% |
Alaska | 724 | 0.1% | 508 | 0.0% |
Arizona | 22,713 | 0.3% | 13,426 | 0.2% |
Arkansas | 9,428 | 0.3% | 4,533 | 0.2% |
California | 454,917 | 1.1% | 332,737 | 0.9% |
Colorado | 14,362 | 0.2% | 7,488 | 0.1% |
Connecticut | 26,660 | 0.7% | 16,715 | 0.5% |
Delaware | 10,449 | 1.0% | 5,202 | 0.6% |
District of Columbia | 3,743 | 0.5% | 2,635 | 0.4% |
Florida | 138,818 | 0.6% | 83,882 | 0.4% |
Georgia | 59,625 | 0.5% | 36,874 | 0.4% |
Hawaii | 1,191 | 0.0% | 565 | 0.0% |
Idaho | 2,529 | 0.2% | 1,168 | 0.1% |
Illinois | 48,681 | 0.4% | 35,321 | 0.3% |
Indiana | 14,937 | 0.2% | 5,933 | 0.1% |
Iowa | 10,708 | 0.3% | 4,917 | 0.2% |
Kansas | 11,496 | 0.3% | 5,538 | 0.2% |
Kentucky | 12,514 | 0.2% | 5,231 | 0.1% |
Louisiana | 12,270 | 0.2% | 6,660 | 0.1% |
Maine | 783 | 0.0% | 457 | 0.0% |
Maryland | 63,972 | 1.0% | 34,491 | 0.6% |
Massachusetts | 53,437 | 0.7% | 32,812 | 0.5% |
Michigan | 12,994 | 0.1% | 8,428 | 0.1% |
Minnesota | 13,058 | 0.2% | 6,754 | 0.1% |
Mississippi | 5,807 | 0.2% | 2,978 | 0.1% |
Missouri | 11,079 | 0.1% | 6,610 | 0.1% |
Montana | 401 | 0.0% | 200 | 0.0% |
Nebraska | 18,548 | 0.9% | 8,616 | 0.5% |
Nevada | 19,787 | 0.5% | 13,407 | 0.5% |
New Hampshire | 1,242 | 0.1% | 743 | 0.1% |
New Jersey | 79,638 | 0.8% | 48,869 | 0.6% |
New Mexico | 3,859 | 0.2% | 2,386 | 0.1% |
New York | 109,766 | 0.5% | 73,806 | 0.4% |
North Carolina | 35,349 | 0.3% | 20,206 | 0.2% |
North Dakota | 460 | 0.0% | 134 | 0.0% |
Ohio | 20,084 | 0.1% | 8,680 | 0.1% |
Oklahoma | 15,660 | 0.3% | 7,960 | 0.2% |
Oregon | 14,809 | 0.3% | 7,703 | 0.2% |
Pennsylvania | 23,280 | 0.2% | 11,462 | 0.1% |
Rhode Island | 28,062 | 2.5% | 18,852 | 1.8% |
South Carolina | 14,999 | 0.2% | 8,883 | 0.2% |
South Dakota | 3,737 | 0.3% | 1,620 | 0.2% |
Tennessee | 36,767 | 0.5% | 14,323 | 0.2% |
Texas | 108,548 | 0.3% | 66,244 | 0.3% |
Utah | 11,651 | 0.3% | 6,877 | 0.2% |
Vermont | 309 | 0.0% | 215 | 0.0% |
Virginia | 56,076 | 0.6% | 33,556 | 0.4% |
Washington | 20,340 | 0.2% | 9,520 | 0.1% |
West Virginia | 842 | 0.0% | 347 | 0.0% |
Wisconsin | 5,015 | 0.1% | 3,037 | 0.1% |
Wyoming | 683 | 0.1% | 418 | 0.1% |
Total U.S. Guatemalan Population | 1,669,557 | 0.4% | 1,044,209 | 0.3% |
Cities (metro areas) with the largest Guatemalan populations
The largest population of Guatemalans are situated in the following areas (Source: 2020 ACS 5-Year Estimate):[20]
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA MSA- 286,250
- New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA MSA - 125,231
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA - 81,530
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL MSA - 66,829
- Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX MSA - 56,993
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA MSA - 51,626
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA - 42,457
- Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI MSA - 38,872
- Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH MSA - 36,709
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA MSA- 35,917
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA - 27,950
- Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA MSA - 27,588
- Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA - 17,575
- Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ MSA - 16,892
- San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA MSA - 13,572
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA - 13,563
- Trenton-Princeton, NJ MSA - 15,457
- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT MSA - 15,417
- Baltimore-Towson, MD MSA - 10,401
- Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN MSA - 9,147
U.S. communities with largest population of people of Guatemalan ancestry
The top 25 U.S. communities with the highest populations of Guatemalans (Source: Census 2020) [21]
- Los Angeles, CA – 157,676
- New York City, NY – 42,499
- Houston, TX – 33,210
- Chicago, IL – 20,885
- Providence, RI – 15,332
- Oakland, CA – 13,492
- Trenton, NJ – 13,323
- Phoenix, AZ – 11,181
- Lynn, MA – 10,615
- Stamford, CT – 10,221
- San Rafael, CA – 8,876
- San Francisco, CA – 7,870
- Oklahoma City, OK – 7,842
- Langley Park, MD – 7,546
- Lake Worth Beach, FL – 7,317
- Plainfield, NJ – 6,958
- Dallas, TX – 6,641
- Long Beach, CA – 6,522
- West Palm Beach, FL – 5,542
- Palmdale, CA – 5,509
- Las Vegas, NV – 5,134
- Boston, MA – 4,871
- Hawthorne, CA – 4,681
- Miami, FL – 4,545
- Inglewood, CA – 4,172
U.S. communities with high percentages of people of Guatemalan ancestry
The top 25 U.S. communities with the highest percentages of Guatemalans as a percentage (Source: Census 2010):
- Marydel, Maryland - 42.55%
- Brewster, New York - 38.16%
- Indiantown, Florida – 37.15%
- Templeville, Maryland – 31.88%
- Georgetown, Delaware – 31.86%
- Chamblee, Georgia – 30.89%
- Henderson, Maryland – 29.45%
- Langley Park, Maryland – 26.81%
- Ellijay, Georgia – 19.39%
- Lake Worth Beach, Florida – 18.66%
- Collinsville, Alabama – 18.51%
- East Ellijay, Georgia – 18.31%
- Mount Kisco, New York – 16.38%
- Fairview, New Jersey– 15.84%
- Schuyler, Nebraska – 13.99%
- Saluda, South Carolina – 13.74%
- Central Falls, Rhode Island – 13.28%
- Greenport, New York – 13.06%
- Carthage, Missouri – 12.80%
- Tice, Florida – 12.70%
- Stuart, Florida – 12.62%
- Stacy Street, Florida – 12.59%
- Modest Town, Virginia – 11.41%
- Trion, Georgia – 10.84%
- Monterey, Tennessee – 10.77%
Notable people
See also
References
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov.
- U.S. Census Bureau. July 1, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- ^ Moslimani, Mohamad; Noe-Bustamante, Luis; Shah, Sono. "Facts on Hispanics of Guatemalan origin in the United States, 2021".
- ^ "Article: Central Americans and Asylum Policy in th.. | migrationpolicy.org".
- ^ PMID 22833862.
- ^ a b c Hamilton, Nora; Chinchilla, Nora (2001). Seeking Global Community in a Global City: Guatemalans and Salvadorans in Los Angeles. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.[page needed]
- ^ JSTOR 24781903.
- ^ a b c d e Jonas & Rodríguez 2015, p. [page needed].
- ^ S2CID 246937395.
- ^ Vázquez, Eric (2018). Interrogative Justice in Héctor Tobar's The Tattooed Soldier. The Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 129–152.
- ^ "Guatemalan Americans - History, Immigration to the united states, Settlement patterns". www.everyculture.com. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ JSTOR 24781909.
- ISBN 978-0415666060.
- ^ Gustavo, López (September 15, 2015). "Hispanics of Guatemalan Origin in the United States". Pew Research Center's Hispanic Trends Project.
- ^ Constructing the Los Angeles Area Latino Mosaic: A Demographic Portrait of Guatemalans and Salvadorans in Los Angeles. Claremont, CA: Tomas River Policy Institute and NALEO Educational Fund. 1997.
- ISBN 9780874178180.
- ^ "Detailed Races and Ethnicities in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2020 Census". Census.gov.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov.
- ^ "QT-P10 - Hispanic or Latino by Type: 2010". Retrieved May 5, 2014. [permanent dead link]
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov.
- ^ Patel, Samir S. (August 10, 2018). "From A Million Eggs, Putting Together Clues About Science's Past And Future". NPR.org. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ Jaggi, Maya (February 2, 2008). "A life in writing: Francisco Goldman". The Guardian. London.
- The Miami Herald, May 16, 2010, retrieved April 16, 2011
- ^ "Language of Lopez". providencephoenix.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012.
- ^ Daley, Dan. "Manny Marroquin". Sound on Sound. May 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2007
- ^ "About". January 3, 2023.
- ^ "For Rubio Rubin, It's All About the Red, White & Blue". Brian Sciaretta. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
- ^ "Getting to Know: U.S. U-17 MNT Forward Rubio Rubin". ussoccer.com. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
- ^ "AraabMUZIK". Schedule.sxsw.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
- ^ "Pam Rodriguez interview". Open Your Eyes Magazine. June 11, 2008. Archived from the original on December 24, 2009. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
- ^ "GADI SCHWARTZ". July 11, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ "Daphne Zuniga displays snob appeal in 'Spaceballs'". Chicago Sun-Times. June 28, 1987.
Sources
- Jonas, Susanne; Rodríguez, Nestor (2015). Guatemala-U.S. Migration. ISBN 978-0-292-76315-9.
Further reading
- Ashabranner, Brent (1986). Children of the Maya: A Guatemalan Indian Odyssey. Dodd, Mead. ISBN 978-0396087861.
- Burns, Allan F. (1993). Maya in Exile: Guatemalans in Florida. Temple University Press. JSTOR j.ctt14btbnb.
- Calvert, Peter (1985). Guatemala: A Nation in Turmoil. Westview Press. ISBN 9780865315723.
- Chinchilla, Norma S.; Hamilton, Nora, eds. (2001). Seeking Community in a Global City: Guatemalans and Salvadorans in Los Angeles. Temple University Press. ISBN 9781566398671.
- Hagan, Jacqueline Maria (1994). Deciding to Be Legal: A Maya Community in Houston. Temple University Press. ISBN 9781566392563.
- Hong, Maria (2014). "Guatemalan Americans". Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America. Vol. 2. pp. 275–291. Gale CX3273300083.
- Loucky, James; Moors, Marilyn, eds. (2000). Maya Diaspora: Guatemalan Roots, New American Lives. Temple University Press. ISBN 9781566397940.
- Taylor, Matthew J.; Moran-Taylor, Michelle J.; Rodman Ruiz, Debra (January 2006). "Land, ethnic, and gender change: Transnational migration and its effects on Guatemalan lives and landscapes". Geoforum. 37 (1): 41–61. .
- Wilson, Tamar Diana (September 2004). "Under Stress: Guatemalan and Salvadoran Migrations". Latin American Perspectives. 31 (5): 165–171. S2CID 144906643.