Guatemalan Genocide
For decades prior to 1980, the Guatemalan government had used terror and violence to combat guerrilla insurgents who threatened the stability of the regime. People would often disappear if they spoke out against the regime and thousands were killed or disappeared every year. In 1980, the focus of the death squads and Guatemalan military turned toward the Mayans. It was believed that the isolated villages of the Mayans were good places for the insurgent guerrilla troops to hide.
626 villages were targeted by the military and their private death squads over the next three years. Men were tortured and killed. Women were raped and killed. Children were brutally murdered in front of their parents. Killing large portions of a village was not enough for the squads as they also practiced a “scorched earth” policy. Buildings and crops were burned and destroyed, water sources were fouled, and livestock was killed. Sacred places, relics, and symbols were also destroyed.
Anyone who stood up against the atrocities, spoke about them or tried to increase awareness faced the same fate. Many Catholics were killed for speaking in support of the Mayans. Most Western governments turned a blind eye to the atrocities in Guatemala in order to keep Guatemala from becoming a communist country. The U.S. government directly supported Guatemala while the massacres were occurring. After 36 years of fighting, and 8 years of atrocities against the Mayans from 1978 to 1986, the conflict ended in 1996.
Human rights studies have since uncovered numerous mass graves and started reporting the stories. Estimates on the low side put the death toll from the genocide at 170,000. The Guatemalan people continue to seek justice for the genocide as very few members of the death squads, Guatemalan military, and the former government have faced any punishment for their crimes against humanity.