La Ciudad de Guatemala

Choi Shin and CIMA Textiles: Maquiladoras in Via Nueva

I haven´t been able to update very frequently because our days are so packed and internet cafes only stay open until 8 or 9. For now, I´ll just post some pictures I´ve taken.

This picture is a neighborhood in Via Nueva, maquiladora central on the outskirts of Guatemala City. We were pulled up next to one of the many maquilas. Just this past Monday, a factory´s owners closed up shop without paying their workers because there was word of a union being organized.


The gate to the maquila. Many factory owners are Korean subcontractors.

These women are just some of the leadership in the only union for maquila workers in Guatemala. They are split into two unions to represent two technically separate factories with the same owner. The second was built to take advantage of the 10-year tax holiday. Both factories produce, and only one exports.



A truck full of Liz Claiborne and Talbots clothing that left the maquila gates. We weren´t allowed to meet the workers inside.

San Miguel & Entre Volcanes: Starbucks Antigua Blend Suppliers

So we went to visit a supplier of Starbucks coffee that adheres to their CAFE practices. They have a clinic on the plantation to serve the workers, use environmentally-friendly practices, and pay wages much higher than average workers on plantations. They are a specialty coffee supplier, however, and only represent a small fraction of the coffee industry in Guatemala.

I´ll add more photos of our sociological tour of Guatemala City, and some more sites in Antigua.