Guatemalan Genocide

The Guatemalan Genocide was part of the thirty-six year long Guatemalan civil war, which lasted from 1960 to 1996. Throughout those thirty-six years of civil unrest, the genocide was committed from 1981-1983. A genocide is defined as “the deliberate killing of people who belong to a particular racial, political, or cultural group” by the Merriam Webster Dictionary. The Mayan Indians were the targeted group in the Guatemalan Genocide. It is estimated by the Peace Pledge Union that about, “200,000 people were killed or “disappeared”” in the Guatemalan Genocide, which was about 3% of Guatemala’s population at the time. The United States was also involved in the genocide because it helped the Guatemalan government to find and kill their targets, the Mayan Indians. The reason for sympathizing with the Guatemalan government was that the United States was keen on protecting an American company’s investment in Guatemala. The Guatemalan Genocide is a relatively recent event, and the trial to convict the perpetrators of genocide is still in progress. (Thesis)

The Ixil Mayans, an indigenous people of Guatemala, were the main group targeted in the Guatemalan genocide, and their story must first be understood to see how brutal and unnecessary their murders were. The Mayans had created one of the most successful ancient civilizations in the world before the Spanish came to the Americas. Pedro de Alvarado, a Spanish conquistador, claimed Guatemala for Spain, enslaved the entire population, and forced the Ixil to work for Spain. Guatemala eventually won independence from Spain on September 15, 1821. Mayan Indians, particularly the Ixil tribe, were not given the same rights as Spanish-descended Guatemalan citizens even after receiving independence...

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...y Intelligence, was also accused of genocide and crimes against humanity. He also allegedly designed, supervised and executed counter-insurgency military plans, code named Victoria 82, Sofia, Firmeza 83, and Ixil, against the Mayan population. He was arrested in October 2011, and is detained in a military hospital.

The horrible events that occurred in the Guatemalan Genocide should serve as an example to the rest of the world. The Genocide is partly the result of greediness, which is shown by the actions of the United States in protecting the United Fruit Company. The oppression of the Mayan people was completely unecessary and lead to their mass murder. With characteristics such as greed and prejudice, the world will never be able to advance. It will be stuck in a state of barbaric actions. Events such as the Guatemalan Genocide cannot be permitted to happen again.