From the Alps to Atitlan: Italian emigration to Guatemala, 1870-1945
Sensi-isolani, P.A.
Studi emigrazione international journal of migration studies 35(131): 407-425
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 0039-2936 PMID: 12294968 Document Number: 281240
"Based on interviews and archival research, this paper traces Italian immigration to Guatemala from 1870 to the immediate post-war period. The author notes that among European immigrants, Italians and Spaniards were favored by most Guatemalan governments because they were viewed as more likely to assimilate.... In a country where the majority indigenous population was considered an obstacle to progress, Italians were looked upon favorably, as skilled workers who would develop the country's agriculture, commerce, and industry." (EXCERPT)