I just returned from 4 days in Nicaragua, where I was visiting smallholder dairy farmers with dairy industry representatives from Guatemala, Panama, Honduras, Argentina, Sweden and the UK. We spent many hours traveling in el campo and discussed the gang, drug and cartel violence in Central America at length.

I traveled in rural Guatemala 7 times from 1994 to 2008 as a fundraiser for CARE, and there is no question that we are witnessing, once again, a pivotal moment in the country’s history. Without security and rule of law, the citizens of Guatemala will continue to struggle, the violence will escalate, and economic development will stall. As always, poor people will suffer the most. This is a country that has seen terror and horror those of us who live in the U.S.A. cannot fathom.

On a hopeful note, I heard a newfound sense of optimism about the future of Guatemala from my Central American travel-mates in our many hours of conversation over bumpy gravel roads in Nicaragua. While enormous concerns about the power of the state, corruption in law enforcement and the military, staggering inequality and rampant poverty remain, the reviews of President Molina’s strategy to identify, contain and eliminate the Guatemalan offshoots of the Zeta and Sinaloa cartels were mostly positive from the people I spoke with.

My Central American travel-mates describe this as a war, and I believe them. The cartels and the gangs that support them have more money, technology and weapons than the state. Their tactics are beyond brutal. Combatting an enemy with so much power, money and willingness to terrorize citizens with unspeakable violence is a daunting, brave endeavor for Guatemala’s leaders.

I work for Heifer International now, and I will visit to Cayala when I travel to Guatemala. Hooray for Maria Fernanda Sanchez, and for all the girls and women of Guatemala. They are the backbone and the future of the country.
Carol Moore, una amiga de Carlos Brewer

http://estudiourbano.com.gt/eng/index.html

and a biography page on Richard Economakis…

http://architecture.nd.edu/arch_facultyProfile.aspx?id=77

and a Wikipedia page on Leon Krier…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9on_Krier

Many others have participated in the design as well, and the presenters went out of their way to thank all of them when they made their talk last week.

Regards
Yulia Newport

My Pleasure.

Thanks for posting!!

JP