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Rural scene near the ghostly "roadblock" town.
Guatemala is a predominantly agricultural country. According to a 1982 USAID study,
it then had the most inequitable distribution of land in Latin America. Dirt-poor Maya peasants
toiled the land for a handful of aristocratic ladino or white families that reaped
most of the benefits.
Undoubtedly, the economic instability was the principal cause of the
civil war that had shaken the country in recent years.
The Cerezo administration (the first democratically elected one in decades)
was largely ineffectual in curbing the violence. The Guatemalan army was still
in command and, by force of arms, had veto power over any elected government.
Paramilitary death squads terrorized the cities and countryside with impunity, summarily executing
even women and children in the name of anti-communism.
Some Who's Who in Guatemalan history
Guatemala, probably from the Aztec Quahtemallan which means "land of trees".
Pedro de Alvarado (16th century). Ruthless conquistador who was Cortes's hatchetman
in the conquest of Mexico. He led the expedition that thrust Spanish culture and genes upon Guatemala
and many parts of Central America.
Tecún Umán. The Quiché Maya leader who marshalled the final battle
against the Spanish. According to popular account, he died fighting Alvarado himself.
Rafael Carrera. Led a backcountry revolt that brought the collapse of the United Provinces
of Central America and the restoration of Conservative and Church power in Guatemala. He became virtual ruler of the
country in 1838. As US ambassador to Central America, John Lloyd Stephens saw Carrera as both an ignorant fanatic and
an honest patriot.
Justo Rufino Barrios. Overthrew Carrera's Conservative successor in office, and imposed liberal policies by dictatorial means.
Although credited for building roads, opening the country to foreign capital, and introducing coffee as a
cash crop, Barrios ignored the poor and native Guatemalans in his reforms. Indeed, he introduced a system of
Indian forced labor to man the coffee plantations. Guatemala's economic, and ultimately, political
dependence on the US, finds its origin in his regime.
Manuel Estrada Cabrera. Encouraged economic development in the Barrios tradition (for example,
he made concessions to the US-owned United Fruit Company), and ruled Guatemala
for many years until the assembly declared him insane in 1920. The archetypal Central American dictator,
Cabrera began the much-imitated practice of ignoring human rights and summarily disposing of his critics.
Jorge Ubico. He wished to be known as "Tata" (father) to the Indians,
but he had no qualms in herding them for forced labor. His paternalistic
regime was another "liberal" dictatorship that trampled on individual rights
while benefiting economically only the rich and powerful. A general
strike in June, 1944 forced Ubico to resign, clearing the way for two remarkable
presidents.
Juan José Arevalo and Jacobo Arbenz.
Arevalo inaugurated a favorable labor code and a social security system.
He transferred power from the military to a popular group
led by organized labor. Succeeding Arevalo, Arbenz made land reform
the main project of his administration. This radical achievement brought
him the enmity of the United Fruit Company (the biggest absentee
landowner in Guatemala), then the CIA, which concluded that he was a
communist. In the name of democracy, the CIA engineered a coup, ensuring
that the dictator who replaced Arbenz would bow to US commercial interests.
Castillo Armas. Castillo Armas saw to it that the CIA got its money's
worth when it financed his bid for power. He undid most of Arbenz's
reforms and unleashed a reign of terror that wiped out the labor and peasant
unions. Eventually, the violence he started caught up on him; he was assassinated in
July 1957.
Arana Osorio. Made liberal use of
death squads to rid the country of "habitual criminals" and leftist guerillas.
His regime started the tradition of massive electoral fraud to ensure
victory for the government's candidates such as
Lauregud Garcia and General Romeo Lucas Garcia (1970s and
early 1980s). These dictators continued with the repression begun by Armas and Osorio.
Lucas Garcia was especially bloodthirsty. "Genocide" best describes
the numerous massacres of Indian peasants
perpetrated under his regime. The Spanish embassy was bombed (probably
by the military) when it opened its doors to some prominent indigena
activists.
Efraín Rios Montt. Cheated by the government in his first
presidential bid, Rios Montt was swept to power by a coup in 1982. As
Guatemala's first evangélico president, he loved to deliver
Sunday-night sermons against immorality and godlessness on national television.
The reality was that the violence and terror worsened during his rule,
and his economic policies were largely ineffective.
Vinicio Cerezo. Guatemala's president when I visited. The first
civilian head of state in a long time. In the background, the military
watches his every move.
Rigoberta Menchú. Indian-rights activist who won the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1992. Her parents and younger brother each suffered some
combination of kidnapping, torture, mutilation, burning and rape before
being murdered by government counter-insurgency forces. Her best-known
work is her autobiography I, Rigoberta Menchú, which is
both the story of her life and a proud affirmation of the indigena
world view.
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