Presenters at a Guatemala-themed event Wednesday evening showed there is more to the country than the often-heard stories of poverty.
“Guatemala is moving forward; Guatemala is starting to do a lot of manufacturing and a lot of exporting,” said Maritza Gibbs, a Guatemala native who now lives in Luverne.
She talked of the country’s major production areas, including coffee and produce.
“We can grow up to 200 types of fruits. You know a banana? We have about 15 different types of bananas,” she said, also speaking of Guatemala’s cultural richness, including the 23 indigenous languages that are spoken in addition to Spanish.
“I fell in love with Guatemala many years ago,” said Nicole Paladie of Catholic Charities in introducing a fashion show. “The Guatemalan people are very close to my heart.”
Several young girls modeled the country’s fashions, from handmade sandals to embroidered aprons and intricately-woven skirts. Many of the traditional pieces are more expensive than the standard issue “Made in Guatemala” clothing often sold in the United States, Gibbs said.
Chuck Moore, a member of Worthington Presbyterian Church, recalled his and his wife’s mission trip to install water purification systems in conjunction with Occidente Water Works in Xela, Guatemala. In all, parishioners from the Minnesota Valley Presbytery and Occidente Presbytery would install five systems throughout the north central part of Guatemala.
Two Guatemalan natives shared their stories of coming to the United States.
“I came to the U.S. by accident,” said Selvin Puac, a student at Minnesota West Community and Technical College.
He and some friends had been vacationing in Mexico after completing school and met a group of Mexicans headed north. Puac decided to go along for the journey.
Puac said his mind is still in Guatemala, but his heart is in the Untied States.
“The United States produces many privileges that I really appreciate. We will work to support the United States,” he explained, referring to Fabio Lopez, another speaker who has similar goals.
Puac also presented a brief history of the country: iI’s original inhabitants — the indigenous Mayan people, the national flower, La Monja Blanca (the white nun) and national bird, the Quetzal.
“Its name means liberty, because this bird cannot live in captivity,” he said.
Lopez moved from war-torn Guatemala to Mexico in the 1980s and later moved to the United States in 1993.
He worked in Florida produce fields before moving to Minnesota, where he was able to attend Minnesota West and later earn a degree in Spanish education from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall.
“If you can learn about our culture, you will understand why we came this way, so there won’t be misunderstanding between us and the people of Worthington,” Lopez told the large crowd gathered on the Worthington campus of Minnesota West.
Now working on his master’s degree in business administration, Lopez hopes to work for the government.
“Tons of people came, and I’m just thrilled to death,” said Le Lucht, multicultural affairs coordinator at Minnesota West, about the Guatelmala program. “We hope that our community can continue coming together and learning from each other. … I hope everyone comes away with a new perspective of what Guatemala is. It’s not just poverty, it’s hope.”
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