GUATEMALA CITY -- (AP) -- Former leftist guerrillas lined up alongside Indian
farmers to vote Sunday in a referendum that could grant official recognition to
Guatemala's 24 Indian ethnic groups for the first time.

In the hours after polls opened, turnout among Guatemala's four million registered
voters appeared low, even though the debate leading up to the vote polarized
Guatemala and pitted its Indian majority against those who fear the reforms could
give Indians special privileges.

Under Spanish rule and after independence, the use of the Maya Indian language
Quiche was forbidden in Guatemalan schools. Peasants were forced to change
their Maya names, and even their traditional dress. Their religion was viewed as
witchcraft, and the use of medicinal plants and other Maya traditions were
forbidden by the conquerors.

Sunday's proposed changes seek to undo that systemic discrimination. Congress
would have to consult the Maya before passing legislation that may affect them;
the Maya would have rights to access sacred ground; and government education,
health care and judicial services would have to be available in indigenous
languages.

Also at stake in the referendum are proposals that would strengthen civilian
control over police forces long treated as an extension of the army, limit
presidential powers, make federal officials more accountable to Congress and
guarantee money for an ill-supported judiciary.

The referendum's proposals are part of peace agreements signed in 1996 between
leftist rebels and the conservative government that put an end to the country's
36-year civil war.
 

                     Copyright 1999 Miami Herald