This LA Times article, Guatemala’s New President Will Assume Great Burden (mirror: portside), makes it sound like there is a tremendous political shift afoot in Guatemala. With an electoral victory this past weekend, Alvaro Colom is the first presidential candidate to win an election after losing the vote within the capital city in the nation’s history! But such are the possibilities when you win 20 of the 21 provinces.

According to this LA Times article, Colom is one of few non-Maya to be trained in “the rites of the Mayan shaman.” So, fitting that a mestizo, city dweller would say the following about a largely-indigenous nation:

People see the existence of so many cultures in our country as a threat. But it’s a resource and source of strength.