About colomba
The Story of Colomba
The current population of Colomba is around 60,000 people - but that number is spread out over a large region (214 sq km, or 83 sq miles) that encompasses over 40 coffee farms, known as fincas. For an entire century (end of the 1800’s to end of the 1900’s) coffee was Guatemala’s main export (over 80%). Internationally, the price of coffee dropped in the late 1990’s and created a conflict for the rich land owners - they could no longer continue to provide jobs and sustain their workforce for the amount of money they were selling their coffee. That means that many of the fincas have since been abandoned, leaving the families who worked there for generations without a means to support themselves. Poverty has struck this region in the past 30 years as a result. After a 36 year long civil war that ended in 1996 and took out many of the able bodied men, many of those families were also left without fathers. The combination of these two major events left the town of Colomba incredibly vulnerable to the influence of El Salvadorean gangs that moved into the region.
Modern day Colomba finds itself under the control of two gangs: the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and 18th Street Gang (Barrio-18). There are distinct territories and boundaries which cannot be crossed by residents of either area. Colomba is known throughout Guatemala as a Red Zone for violence. In our nine years here, we have seen the violence go through waves of higher or lower frequency, but it remains constant. Since we arrived we have also seen the gang territories expand. Specifically, MS-13 entered our neighborhood about 5 years ago and now our neighbors feel unsafe to visit the city gym, which lies along the border of 18th Street territory. On the flip side, we have heard that some youth feel unsafe to visit our church (held in our home), as it lies in MS-13 territory.
Rooted in tradition, thriving in community
The History and Cultural Significance of Colomba
Aside from the struggles of living in gang territory, Colomba suffers frequent power outages and water shortages that make daily living difficult to navigate. The legal minimum wage in Guatemala for areas outside of the capital is around $400/month, and yet anecdotally we know friends who are paid as low as $80 per month. On the two remaining fincas that continue to operate, workers are paid around $150/month.
This poverty leads to extreme malnutrition, and generally unsafe living conditions. As a tropical climate, the rainfall is heavy and most people’s homes are not built to withstand the extreme weather.
jesuslovescolomba@hotmail.com
Jesus Loves Colomba
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.