About Guatemala - political history

Guatemala borders Mexico to the North and Hondouras, El Salvador and Belize to the East and South, with the pacific coast making up it's western margin. It has a population of 12m, 2.6m of whom live in the capital, Guatemala City.

Guatemala has been politically unstable for many years and a

series of repressive regimes meant that by 1960 the country was plunged into a civil war between military governments, right-wing vigilante groups, and leftist rebels that would last 36 years, the longest civil war in Latin American history. The indigenous Mayan Indians were singled out for special brutality by the right-wing death squads. By the end of the war, 200,000 citizens were dead. A peace agreement was finally signed in Dec. 1996 by President Álvaro Arzú Irigoyen.

Guatemala is still a developing country and there is a huge divide between the rich and the poor, with gangs and crime dominating the most deprived areas. However for tourists and visitors travel throughout Guatemala is now relatively safe. Although common sense needs to prevail, if you stick to the main tourist areas you should be OK.

Guatemala has some beautiful spots such as Lake Atitlan, Antigua and the Mayan Temples of Tikal - Visit the links page to find out more.