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The formal signature of the Peace is the most Important Act for Guatemala in the XX Century.
We Have Peace NOW. 

Many are the reasons of the poverty in Guatemala.....in the 50's a popular elected president named Jacobo Arbens promoted a important try of change the colonial structure with the goal of take the country economy closer to a capitalist system trough an imperfect land reform similar in spirit to the one done in Taiwan. Much later in history, but in the early 50´s the US Government claim communism in this action helped by the anti-imperialist speech of Arbenz and through the CIA financed and organized  the invasion of the country from Honduras of a pro-United Fruit Co. army, this armed force caused the destruction of our weak democracy and by the abandon of the popular elected government that promoted the first land reform program in America, this violent change give origin to a 36 years of cruel civil war, causing over 200,000 death and disappeared people, plus the country's economic and political ruin, this long civil war lastly finished in a Peace treaty sign in 1998 during Alvaro Arzu´s Government.  That was the first time in my remembered life that the guerrillas stop being a treaty in the country and the danger of being caught in a crossfire within the Army and the Guerrilla finally stops.

During those war years Guatemala becomes the bad boy in the US newspapers and many other countries join the anti Guatemala crusade, the way the  people  was being kill in the conflict by the Cuba trained guerrillas versus the US trained army in the other side,  give to Guatemalans a very bad reputation wich is keept up to the day, just like when a joung girl lost her reputation she will not get it back iven if she goes to a nun`s cloister, everybody and all NGO's was in the task of attack and expose how bad we where, and in return get  some funding from  humane rights international organizations, such reputation and political consign can still being observed in some official  documents  like the US consulate travel sheet that does not treat Guatemala as they treat other countries including themselves,  you will hardly see any good news about Guatemala in any media simply because good news don´t sell newspapers and our authorities do not take any intelligent actions to revert the country from such bad reputation... why? simply because our best thinking people and leaders wore all exterminated during the 36 years of civil warand the remain ones do not go into politics. Thanks GOD that ended and we finally have PEACE.

Maybe a good way  to get close to the true is simply to talk with former visitors that will write things like this one recently posted in our guest book ....and of course coming down here and see for your self...

"I had been the chance to stay and work for 3 months in Guatemala City in 2000. It was a great experience. Due to all the safety warnings I felt rather insecure in the first time but after a while I became more familiar with the situation that looks so much different from Germany. At weekends I traveled around by car (Chichi, Antigua, Pacific coast, San Salvador) and never had bad experiences. I really can reinforce all interested people to go there. It's worth while !"


Klaus D. Lehmann-Graeve <graeve@aol.com>
Hamburg, Germany -



Visit the link below for learn more about the Peace Treaties ...(In Spanish)

( LOS ACUERDOS DE PAZ )

( EL PORTAL DE LA PAZ GUATEMALA )