Protestant Ethic and Prosperity: Vegetable Production in Almolonga, Guatemala

Abstract

Purpose – Generally speaking this chapter examines if Max Weber's theory of the protestant ethic helps explain socioeconomic progress currently seen in some communities in Latin America where Protestantism has advanced rapidly.

Methodology/approach – This chapter is a case study. It reviews the literature on San Pedro de Almolonga, a small indigenous town in western Guatemala, and presents the results of our ethnographic fieldwork in the town and its surroundings during January 2011.

Findings – Almolonga has become a very prosperous town through the production and commercialization of vegetables. Prosperity has emerged due to the high fertility of the soil, the entrepreneurial skills of its inhabitants, and the high market demand for vegetables. Protestantism has been an almost perfect complement that has made possible the maximization of Almolonga's economic potential.

Citation

Marroquín Gramajo, A. and Noel Alfaro, L. (2012), "Protestant Ethic and Prosperity: Vegetable Production in Almolonga, Guatemala", Matejowsky, T. and Wood, D.C. (Ed.) Political Economy, Neoliberalism, and the Prehistoric Economies of Latin America (Research in Economic Anthropology, Vol. 32), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 85-107. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0190-1281(2012)0000032008