Guatemalans make up a very small portion of Philadelphia's population. The 2000 Census reported that there were only 518 Guatemalans in the city. It is hard to keep track of this small community, because they are often mistaken for Mexicans. Guatemalans typically live in established Latino communities in North and South Philadelphia.

Central Americans were a part of Philadelphia's "Spanish American" colony in 1910. During the 1960's a small wave of Guatemalan families came to Philadelphia. This was a result of the Immigration Act of 1965, which allowed more immigration from third world countries. The Guatemalan community remained relatively small until the 1970s and 1980s. During these years, there was a surge in migration to Philadelphia and other US cities because of political conflicts, civil war, oppressive governments and US interventions - all of which were unbearable to people in Guatemala. There has been another wave in Guatemalan migration to Philadelphia, since the 1990's. These people are typically looking for temporary and permanent employment opportunities, and want to reunite with family living in Philadelphia. An interesting note about Guatemalan migration is that many Guatemalans do not typically move from their country directly to the United States. Often times Guatemalans will first move to Mexico before coming to our country.

This community is relatively small. However, it is a part of the larger Latino community. The Latino people make some great contributions to the city of Philadelphia, and at times could use some support. One organization that supports this community is Congreso de Latinos Unidos. Congreso offers a broad range of services including the first Latina domestic violence program, as well as HIV prevention and case management services. Congreso is strengthening the Puerto Rican (and otherwise Latino) community in part because of partnerships with government agencies, health providers, labor organizations, businesses, and other community-based institutions. The Lighthouse is another organization that supports the Latino community in Philadelphia. This group has been serving the multicultural population of Philadelphia since the late 1800's. It provides services such as day care, before - and after - school care, and a food share program, educational, occupational, cultural, and recreational programs, an Adult Educational Program & ESL, an Economic Development Program, a Teen Parenting Education and Employment Program, and a Young Parenting Fathers Program.

For more information on Guatemalans in Philadelphia and the organizations that serve them, please visit:

Congreso
http://www.congreso.net/
Congreso's website includes information on the programs that it provides, relevant news, available jobs, information on the community it serves, and its funders.

Latino Philadelphia
http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=103
This is a profile of the Latino community of Philadelphia, created by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. It has a variety of information such as what it means to be Latino/Latina, Latino history in Philadelphia, what it is like to be an immigrant in Philadelphia, community resources, cultural expressions, and more.

The World Fact Book
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
This CIA website contains an extremely large amount of information about all of the countries in the world such as: history, geography, information about its citizens, government, economy, transnational issues, and more. To find out information about this country, pull it down from the menu.

Centro Nueva Creación
http://www.centronueva.org/
Centro Nueva Creación's website has information on its programs, has relevant news, the organization's history, and more.

"Latinos in the United States: Where Are We From?"
http://www.nahj.org/resourceguide/chapter_3.html
This website was created by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. This section of the website contains information on various Latin American countries, and why their citizens have moved to the US.

One film that shows life and migration from Guatemala is "El Norte."