Guatemala is
located in Central America. Guatemala
is the site of the ancient Mayan civilization. The indigenous Maya people still inhabit it to this day. In 1829, Guatemala gained its independence. About 10 million people
inhabit Guatemala today and it is one of the most populated countries in
Central America (“A ‘killing field’ in the Americas”).
In recent years Guatemala suffered one of the most deadly civil wars to take place in Latin America.
From 1960-1996 Guatemala was in the midst
of a civil war. Hundreds of thousands of people died. Today, although the war ended over ten years ago, the people of Guatemala are still suffering from the aftermath of the 36
year civil war that took place. The following page will discuss in detail the causes that led up to this brutal civil war.
