It's September 15th of 2007, today Guatemala and all of her Central American fellow countries are celebrating exactly 186 years of independence from the Spanish imperial colony that started with the conquest leaded by the infamous Pedro De Alvarado back in 1523 AC. Back in that time of history, Spaniards literally took control of all the region known as "Mesoamerica" where the Mayans had dominated for about 2000 years (... but as a very enigmatic and mystical current historical fact, the Mayans had literally disappeared from the earth when the Spanish conquerors arrived because to these days there's is no fossil remains in the great cities that they once inhabited) before Christopher Columbus officially discovered "the new continent". Unfortunately the Guatemalan history is not very different from any other country in America. The Spanish conquerors brutally killed and exterminated thousands of flourishing post-Mayan cultures including: Quiche's, Iximche's, Tzutuhils, Poqomam, Mams and Keck'chi's just to name the most notorious ones that had bloodshed battles. Tecun Uman ,who is now considered a national hero, was a true warrior but was the first one to be defeated since the Spaniards had cavalry and heavier artillery. The legend of Tecun Uman tells that during his battle against the Spaniards, the "nahual" (a quetzal bird) accompanied him. When Tecun Uman was slain by De Alvarado, the "nahual" died of sadness and stained his breast with the hero's blood. Ever since, the quetzal bears a scarlet chest and now is the national bird represented in the coat of arms that's in our flag.
I am anti-nationalist. I personally think there shouldn't be any flags or frontiers because it is only a freedom mirage. Nationalism only creates the differences amongst communities and cultures. The present and modern society dominated by the bourgeois imposes this nationalist standards on everyone, a great example is how governments try to recruit their population to join their own national armies, to fight for what? For your country? Do you actually feel like you own your country good enough to get out there and die for it? I am the kind of person that believes in the world as a whole unified diverse community (...but that is only an ideal created in my mind, and it probably has zero value since it comes from me!). However, like the most radical philosophers have said: it is important to know your historical background and commemorate all the people that have fought for true humanitarian causes. So I want to make clear that I am writing this not with nationalist intentions but as means to identify myself with my cultural background. It is a basic human condition to feel nostalgic every once in a while for the land you were born in and nobody can deny this...
I am anti-nationalist. I personally think there shouldn't be any flags or frontiers because it is only a freedom mirage. Nationalism only creates the differences amongst communities and cultures. The present and modern society dominated by the bourgeois imposes this nationalist standards on everyone, a great example is how governments try to recruit their population to join their own national armies, to fight for what? For your country? Do you actually feel like you own your country good enough to get out there and die for it? I am the kind of person that believes in the world as a whole unified diverse community (...but that is only an ideal created in my mind, and it probably has zero value since it comes from me!). However, like the most radical philosophers have said: it is important to know your historical background and commemorate all the people that have fought for true humanitarian causes. So I want to make clear that I am writing this not with nationalist intentions but as means to identify myself with my cultural background. It is a basic human condition to feel nostalgic every once in a while for the land you were born in and nobody can deny this...
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