Introduction
Guatemala is mainly a mountainous country in Central America, just south of Mexico. It is less than half the size of the UK. Guatemala was once at the heart of the Mayan Indian civilization that flourished until the 10th century AD. When Spanish explorers conquered this region in the 16th century, the Mayans became slaves in their own ancient home. They are still the underprivileged majority of Guatemala’s 12.3m population.
At the end of the 19th century, Guatemala came under the rule of a dictator. He had put his country on the economic map by encouraging landowners to buy and run coffee plantations. A powerful army and police force were set up to protect the wealthy landowners and their flourishing businesses. The Indians, with the status of peasants and laborers, had no wealth under the series of dictators.
In 1944, the current dictator was overthrown and a new government was introduced. Reforms were made which put the interests of the native people first. Indians in both town and country were given consideration, social security, and education. Laborers could now set up workers’ unions. This gave them political strength as well.
However, when the Guatemalan government planned a program for the purchase of land so that it could come under State ownership, the USA was scared of communism coming to power. They trained a coups of Guatemala exiles, then launched an invasion to bring down the government. Thus leading to civil war for the next 35 years.
Despite the civil war, church leaders helped peasants to reclaim unwanted marshland, build co-operative villages, and sustain both their traditional culture and new left-wing politics. Work was done to teach and maintain literacy and good health practices.
Guerrilla organizations began adopting Marxist communist views to justify their use of violence towards the Mayan people. By 1981 three guerrilla groups had merged to create Guatemala’s United Front, Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (URNG). In that year, a small group of Mayan leaders marched to Guatemala City and occupied the Spanish Embassy. It was a nonviolent protest against government oppression of the native people. Though the Spanish ambassador urged the government to respond peacefully, his embassy was deliberately burned down, killing all the protesters together with all the Embassy staff (the ambassador survived). This lead to the genocide towards the Mayan race.
At the end of the 19th century, Guatemala came under the rule of a dictator. He had put his country on the economic map by encouraging landowners to buy and run coffee plantations. A powerful army and police force were set up to protect the wealthy landowners and their flourishing businesses. The Indians, with the status of peasants and laborers, had no wealth under the series of dictators.
In 1944, the current dictator was overthrown and a new government was introduced. Reforms were made which put the interests of the native people first. Indians in both town and country were given consideration, social security, and education. Laborers could now set up workers’ unions. This gave them political strength as well.
However, when the Guatemalan government planned a program for the purchase of land so that it could come under State ownership, the USA was scared of communism coming to power. They trained a coups of Guatemala exiles, then launched an invasion to bring down the government. Thus leading to civil war for the next 35 years.
Despite the civil war, church leaders helped peasants to reclaim unwanted marshland, build co-operative villages, and sustain both their traditional culture and new left-wing politics. Work was done to teach and maintain literacy and good health practices.
Guerrilla organizations began adopting Marxist communist views to justify their use of violence towards the Mayan people. By 1981 three guerrilla groups had merged to create Guatemala’s United Front, Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (URNG). In that year, a small group of Mayan leaders marched to Guatemala City and occupied the Spanish Embassy. It was a nonviolent protest against government oppression of the native people. Though the Spanish ambassador urged the government to respond peacefully, his embassy was deliberately burned down, killing all the protesters together with all the Embassy staff (the ambassador survived). This lead to the genocide towards the Mayan race.