Civil war existed in Guatemala since the early 1960s due to differences existing in the economic and political life. In the 1970s, the Maya began participating in protests against the government, demanding greater equality and inclusion of the Mayan language and culture. In 1980, the Guatemalan army started “Operation Sophia,” which aimed at stopping guerrilla warfare by destroying the civilian base in which they hid. This program specifically targeted the Mayan population, who were believed to be supporting the guerilla movement. Over the next three years, the army destroyed 626 villages, killed or “disappeared” more than 200,000 people and displaced an additional 1.5 million, while more than 150,000 were driven to Mexico. Forced disappearance policies meant secretly arresting or abducting people, who were often killed and buried in unmarked graves. The main way of killing was to burn down peoples houses with them in it, or slaughter the people in the villages in front of their family. The government applied a scorched earth policy, destroying and burning buildings and crops, slaughtering livestock, wrecking water supplies and violating sacred places and cultural symbols. Many of these actions were done by the army, specifically through special units known as the Kaibiles, along with private death squads. The U.S. government often supported the regimes as a part of its anti-Communist policies during the Cold War. The violence faced by the Mayan people peaked between 1978 and 1986. Catholic priests and nuns also often faced violence as they supported the rights of the Mayan people.
Gdp:$78.42 billion
Gdp per capita:$5,200
life expectancy: m)68 f)73
HIV rate: less than 1 percent
Industry: sugar, coffee and bananas
gov.: President is head of state and army
Gdp:$78.42 billion
Gdp per capita:$5,200
life expectancy: m)68 f)73
HIV rate: less than 1 percent
Industry: sugar, coffee and bananas
gov.: President is head of state and army