The recent arrests of two Maya leaders is emblematic of increasing repression and criminalization of Indigenous peoples by the Guatemalan state. Giovanni Batz writes in NACLA of the recent arrests of the Indigenous Maya leaders, Luis Pacheco and Héctor Chaclán,… Read More ›
NACLA
Guatemalans Celebrate Return of “Democratic Spring” as Potential Violence Threatens Transition
Bernardo Arévalo won Guatemala’s runoff in a landslide but faces a troubled transition amid reported assassination plots and ongoing judicial maneuvers. Emily Taylor writes in NACLA on the ‘second Guatemalan spring’ and the challenges ahead. Guatemalans flocked to public squares… Read More ›
Lawfare Casts Shadow Over Paradigm-Shifting Guatemalan Election
Despite court intervention and legal persecution, a reformist candidate is favored to win the runoff over an establishment option. Judicial efforts to derail democracy still loom. Vaclav Masek writes in NACLA about the increased use of lawfare by the state… Read More ›
Anti-Mining Networks Support Land Defense Movements in Central America
In Guatemala and Honduras, regional anti-mining networks have become key players in struggles to combat extractivism and the criminalization of activists. Giada Ferrucci and Pedro Cabezas write in NACLA on extractivism and resistance in Central America, focussing on Guatemala and… Read More ›
The Lives of Those Who Died
Sergio Palencia Frener writes in NACLA about those who were killed during the Alaska (La Cumbre de Alaska) massacre in 2012. In the Mayan highlands of Guatemala there is a summit called Alaska. Known locally as Chuipatán, it is located… Read More ›
Fighting for Food Sovereignty in Guatemala
Chelsea Carrick writes in NACLA on Indigenous struggle and land rights in Guatemala, especially with reference to rising global food and consumer prices. On April 26 and 27, Guatemalans demonstrated throughout the country, blocking roads and demanding an end to… Read More ›
25 Years After the Peace Accords, Democracy Weak in Guatemala
In Guatemala, safeguards against corruption, impunity, and state violence are being dismantled by the politicians, elites, and military and some fear the return of an authoritarian state. Giovanni Batz writes in NACLA on the 25th anniversary of the signing of… Read More ›
In Guatemala, Ex-Paramilitaries Face Trial for Wartime Rape of Indigenous Women
Jo-Marie Burt and Paolo Estrada write in NACLA about the recently started trial of former members of the Civil Self-Defense Patrols (PAC), for the rape of Indigenous women during the internal armed conflict. The PAC were paramilitary groups created by… Read More ›
Guatemala Cracks Down on Q’eqchi’ Resistance in El Estor
In the latest episode of a lengthy saga of repression and resistance, Maya communities demanding to be consulted about a foreign-owned nickel mine in their territories now live under a state of siege. Vaclav Masek writes in NACLA on the… Read More ›
Guatemala’s National Strike Demands Structural Change
Giovanni Batz writes in NACLA about the latest protests in Guatemala which build on years of popular struggle and which deepen demands for a plurinational state. In the last decade, national protests throughout Guatemala have symbolized a growing anger and… Read More ›
Guatemala Solidarity Network 