Over the weekend, at the heels of Independence celebrations
of several Central American countries, parishioners of Iglesia de la Presentación
de Esquipulas gathered in a procession along Parsons Boulevard in New
York to mark the Guatemalan Independence Day.
The crowd sung solemnly as incense burners “purified” the air,
lending a hazy quality to the quiet afternoon. Atop a small float carried
over the shoulders by two rows of women, stood a replica of the crucifix of
the Black Christ of Esquipulas, El Cristo Negro de Esquipulas. As
the group paraded through the neighborhood, onlookers joined the procession
that culminated at church doorsteps--in time for evening mass.
The original Cristo Negro, a 410-year-old statue, is housed in the
Basilica of Esquipulas, in a town of the same name in Guatemala. There, Catholics
from the interior and neighboring countries pay homage to the venerated icon
each January. Imbued with religious significance, Esquipulas also carries
the weight of a landmark political accord in Guatemalan history.
During the 1980s, initial discussions to end conflict and instability in Central
America were held in the western Guatemalan town. Negotiations led to the
1987 Esquipulas Peace Agreement, which set the stage for further dialogue.
Today, Esquipulas is synonymous with the spirit of reconciliation; many indigenous
Indians believe the site of the basilica was sacred long before the arrival
of the Spanish.
A decade after the signing of the 1996 Peace Accord that put an end to the
country’s 36-year-old Civil War, the number of Guatemalans in the U.S.
continues to grow. Since 2002, reports from the media have documented an increase
in organized crime, abductions, torture, and killings that have gone unabated.
To escape instability and an economy devastated by war, Guatemalans are migrating
to cities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
New York City is home to the second largest population of Guatemalans (10.6%)
after Los Angeles (36.3%), followed by Miami and Washington, D.C. According
to the Pew Hispanic Center, Guatemalans are the fourth largest immigrant group
from Central America in the New York metropolitan area, behind Mexicans, Salvadorians,
and Hondurans.
This week in New York, Guatemala will be pitted against its southern neighbor,
Venezuela, as both countries vie for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security
Council. Guatemala, accused of being a U.S. puppet, is backed by a list that
includes Colombia, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, the Dominican
Republic, and Puerto Rico. Venezuela counts Bolivia, Cuba, the Caribbean trade
bloc CARICOM, the League of Arab Nations, Zimbabwe, and China, among its supporters.
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Guatemala's Black Christ New York, NY September 18, 2006 1:49 Guatemalans gather in Jamaica, Queens to join the procession of the Black Christ of Esquipulas. |