La Patria del Criollo

Pelaez Severo Martinez Pelaez Martinez, Neve Susan M. Neve, Lovell W. George Lovell

Description

This translation of Severo Martinez Pelaez's La Patria del Criollo, first published in Guatemala in 1970, makes a classic, controversial work of Latin American history available to English-language readers. Martinez Pelaez was one of Guatemala's foremost historians and a political activist committed to revolutionary social change. La Patria del Criollo is his scathing assessment of Guatemala's colonial legacy. Martinez Pelaez argues that Guatemala remains a colonial society because the conditions that arose centuries ago when imperial Spain held sway have endured. He maintains that economic circumstances that assure prosperity for a few and deprivation for the majority were altered neither by independence in 1821 nor by liberal reform following 1871. The few in question are an elite group of criollos, people of Spanish descent born in Guatemala; the majority are predominantly Maya Indians, whose impoverishment is shared by many mixed-race Guatemalans.Martinez Pelaez asserts that "the coffee dictatorships were the full and radical realization of criollo notions of the patria." This patria, or homeland, was one that criollos had wrested from Spaniards in the name of independence and taken control of based on claims of liberal reform. He contends that since labor is needed to make land productive, the exploitation of labor, particularly Indian labor, was a necessary complement to criollo appropriation. His depiction of colonial reality is bleak, and his portrayal of Spanish and criollo behavior toward Indians unrelenting in its emphasis on cruelty and oppression. Martinez Pelaez felt that the grim past he documented surfaces each day in an equally grim present, and that confronting the past is a necessary step in any effort to improve Guatemala's woes. An extensive introduction situates La Patria del Criollo in historical context and relates it to contemporary issues and debates.

Sujets

• Histoire
• América del Sur
• South America
• History of the Americas
• Guatemala

Informations

• Publié par: Duke University Press
• Date de parution: 15 mai 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780822392064
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

L A P A T R I A D E L C R I O L L O

Severo Martínez Peláez

L A P A T R I A D E L C R I O L L O An Interpretation of Colonial Guatemala

                 .        .             Edited and Introduced by W. George Lovell

and Cristoper H. Lutz

Duke University Press Duram and London 

©  Duke University Press

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America on acidfree paper ∞

Designed by C. H. Westmoreland

Typeset in Warnock with Pabst display by Achorn International, Inc.

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data appear

on the last printed page of this book.

Frontispiece photograph of Severo Martínez Peláez, showing “El Maestro”

in the wheat fields above the valley of his beloved Quetzaltenango,

courtesy of José Asturias Rudeke ().

De una patria de pocos

acía una patria de todos.

From a country for a few

to a country for all.

Severo Martínez Peláez

1970

C O N T E N T S

Acknowledgmentsix Introductionxiii Cronology of Eventsxlvii Preamble 1.  Criollos 2 .  Two Spains ()  3 .  Two Spains ()  4 .  Land of Miracles  5 .  Indians 6 .  Race Mixture and te Middle Strata  7.  Class Dynamics and te Middle Strata 8 .  Life in Indian Towns 9.  he Colonial Legacy  Glossary Bibliograpy Index

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

he idea of translatingLa patria del criollointo Englis dates back some twenty years, during wic time te project as evolved to include te participation and counsel of many dedicated individuals. It as been a de- manding labor tat, most of all, we trust onors te memory of its creator, Severo Martínez Peláez. Wile Severo wrote tat e was most satisfied wit our commitment to te project, and indeed expressed is fait tat te translation was in capable ands, we regret tat e died before seeing ismagnum opusappear in a language tat will reac a readersip e was keen to engage.  Our first words of appreciation go to Severo’s family. His widow, Doña Beatriz, and teir two daugters, Brisila and Iricel, ave sown exemplary patience and understanding, as as Severo’s nepew, Joaquín Zúñiga. Now a retired professor of pilosopy, Joaquin made te first overture to us about te merits, and callenges, of translatingLa patria del criollo. He even put us in touc wit a translator wom e believed was up to te task, but tat proved not to be te case. After some reflection, and well aware of te daunting job at and, our friend and colleague Wendy Kramer took te prudent step of aving us work wit a seasoned, professional translator, Susan M. Neve. Wendy gifted Sue a used, dog-eared copy of Severo’s book, its covers torn and its pages eld togeter, wen not opened for consulta- tion, by an elastic band. Sue grappled wit Severo’s titanic text resolutely from beginning to end. he result of er industry was a gargantuan manu- script of over , pages.