First Name:
Elanor
Last Name:
Shingledecker
Major Department:
History and Spanish
Thesis Director:
Rene Harder Horst
Date of Thesis:
May 2013
The aim of the thesis "Nineteenth Century Guatemalan Public Health and the Indigenous Population" is to answer whether or not public health existed in nineteenth century Guatemala and if so, to what extent. As the vast majority of the Guatemalan population was (and is) indigenous, the thesis concentrates on the indigenous experience related to public health. The historical analysis focuses on two distinct liberal regimes that ruled at the beginning and end of the nineteenth century. First, the paper discusses the liberal regime led by Mariano Gálvez during the 1830s and the public health efforts made by the government's enlightenment-influenced liberals. Second, the paper examines the dearth in public health provisions under José Rufino Barrios who headed a Guatemalan liberal dictatorship in the 1870s to the turn of the century. Although both liberal governments in Guatemala desired to eliminate indigenous culture, the public health responses toward the indigenous population varied. During the 1830s, the government encouraged and propagated public health measures as a means to eliminate indigenous culture, while in the 1890s, the government hardly touched the topic of public health in an effort to exploit indigenous communities. The history of nineteenth century Guatemala highlights the importance of public health for historical research. Through the historical investigation of Guatemalan public health and the indigenous population, it is evident that spreading and/or withholding public healthcare can subjugate one demographic while empowering another. The analysis contributes to knowledge of public health and, more importantly, to indigenous history in nineteenth century Guatemala.