Guatemala

Question 1

Rigoberta Menchú

Answer 1

Guatemala, Mayan Survivor, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, national symbol.
1959- present.
1. Wrote a memoir which detailed her life and the human atrocities that she witnessed.
2. Criticized by David Stoll for inaccuracies in her story.
3. Given public identity to the indigenous sector

Question 2

Jacobo Arbenz

Answer 2

Guatemala, Statesman and President
1913-1971 Age 58
1. Major agrarian land reforms in favour of rural communities and indigenous people
2. considered a communist by the church and the US
3. Eisenhower got him deposed and then later murdered,

Question 3

Rafael Carrera

Answer 3

Guatemala, Chief of State
1814-1865, Age 51
1. Most powerful Caudillo, establish military as dominant political rule.
2. Achieve economic growth and a semblance of stability.
3. Some historians argue that he protected rural indians from land exploitation, though others argue that as he became and elitist the goal declined.