70 Years: Remembering the U.S. Coup Against Árbenz

Image from an old poster that reads: “Una Realidad. Ley de Reforma Agraria” (A Reality: Agrarian Reform Law). There is a black and white image of an individual standing with arms raised in front of a field of corn. // Imagen de un viejo cartel que dice: “Una Realidad. Ley de Reforma Agraria”. Hay una imagen en blanco y negro de un individuo de pie con los brazos levantados frente a un campo de maíz.

“Una Realidad. Ley de Reforma Agraria” (A Reality. Agrarian Reform Law) by Ismael Aroche (Museo de la Universidad de San Carlos).

On June 27, 1954, a coup d’état deposed the democratically elected Soldado del Pueblo (Soldier of the People): President Jacobo Árbenz Guzman. He was the face of Guatemala’s democratic revolution, which began in 1944. The agrarian reform of 1952, redistributing unused land to landless Indigenous peasants, impacted the United Fruit Company (UFCO), the largest land owner in Guatemala, and U.S. foreign policy, as Cold War tensions grew. Collaborating with Guatemalan fascists, they plunged Guatemala into decades of U.S. backed dictatorships. On its 70th anniversary, we invite you to reflect with us on this counter-revolutionary event and what it might mean for Guatemala and the world today.

Lee aquí el reporte en español

Read the full report here!