Guatemala Home of Mayan Civilization
By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter
The top envoy of Guatemala in Seoul said that he is fighting against Koreans' lack of knowledge about his country even though they know about the Mayan civilization, which flourished in Guatemalan territory.
``I have never faced any problems with Koreans' perception of Guatemala but witnessed total ignorance of Guatemala,'' Guatemalan Ambassador Rafael Salazar told The Korea Times. ``When I gave a lecture to university students, I found they do not even know where my country is located.''
The 66-year-old career diplomat doesn't blame Koreans for their lack of knowledge as he sees potential for Guatemala and Korea to know each other better. One of the great attractions of Guatemala is that it was home to the Mayan civilization at its peak, according to Salazar.
``The Mayan civilization gave rise to the Guatemalan city of Tikal, which was the capital of the Mayan Empire from 200 B.C. to A.D. 200,'' he said. Now part of Guatemala's Tikal National Park, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular tourist spot.
The ambassador said that Mayan people were very advanced in science and mathematics, and one example is the Mayan calendar, which is famous for its accuracy. While a leap year comes every four years under the solar calendar, it comes every 14 years under the Mayan calendar, he said.
But the ambassador emphasized that the best opportunity to promote Guatemala comes with the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) meeting in Guatemala on July 4 to select the host city of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. The presidents of South Korea, Austria and Russia are going to Guatemala as their cities PyeongChang, Salzburg and Sochi, respectively, are competing to host the games.
``About 45,000 people are coming to Guatemala in early July just for the IOC meeting, which is a perfect opportunity for us to let the world know about our country,'' he continued. ``We will be able to showcase our facilities in hosting such a huge international event as well as our tourist attractions such as the natural environment.''
Asked about Korea's chance to win the bid, Salazar said that PyeongChang is the most likely host city, according to his various sources in Guatemala. And President Roh Moo-hyun's visit to Guatemala will be also very helpful, he added.
He said he hopes to celebrate Korea's victory with Korean friends.
But he also took a very cautious stance in making a prediction because it is very sensitive issue. Also, the Guatemalan government cannot influence the IOC's selection since the IOC is completely autonomous according to the Guatemalan constitution.
Actually, the presidents of South Korea, Austria and Russia were supposed to pay an ``official visit'' to Guatemala but the Guatemalan government suggested changing the visit to a ``private visit'' in order to give them more opportunity to support their cities' bids.
However, Roh will still have a summit meeting with his Guatemalan counterpart Oscar Berger on July 2 to sign various agreements including a visa waiver program under which Koreans and Guatemalans can visit each other's country for three months for tourist or business purpose without a visa.
Political observers point out that the downgrading of the visit reflects the sensitivity of the IOC selection process as the three nations are all-out war-to-win the bid.
During the IOC meeting in Guatemala City, Salazar strongly urges Koreans to look at not only the Olympic competition but also at the potential for tourism and investment of Guatemala.
``We have 21 volcanoes of which half are active, and there are lots of natural hot spring near the volcanoes,'' he said. ``They are excellent tourist destinations for Koreans.''
The ambassador didn't fail to mention that his country has a free trade agreement with the United States, which offers good business opportunities for Korean companies seeking inroads into the U.S. market.
As part of cultural promotion, the ambassador plans to bring a troupe of Marimba players, which is Guatemala's national musical instrument that was used for ritual ceremonies during the Mayan civilization, to perform at the restored Cheonggyecheon stream in Seoul.