The American Dream Costs Your Life

Spanish and colonialism in Guatemala

I went to Guatemala to study Spanish. Guatemala City is home to no fewer than three statues of Christopher Columbus. All three show him standing atop the globe.

Riding buses and reading newspapers, I saw pictures of presidents, vice presidents, and ambassadors who looked like the man atop the globe.

Most Guatemalans are of Mayan descent.

Portraits of non-M…