This series of photos were taken during the Americas Social Forum (a strategy gathering of progressive social movements throughout Latin America) in Guatemala city, 2008. Most of the photographs are from two mass marches through the city. 

Guatemala, the host country for this gathering, has a history of brave resistance to imperialism and state repression. Throughout much of the 20th century, the Guatemalan people (largely Indigenous, of Mayan decent) lived under a brutal dictatorship. The dictatorship was installed by the United States government in order to overthrow Arbenz, a democratically elected progressive president who posed a threat to US corporations (particularly the United Fruit Company) exploiting Guatemala’s labor and natural resources. 

Arbenz nationalized and redistributed un-used land owned by the United Fruit Company, which had a practical monopoly on fruit production. In response, the United Fruit lobbied the US government to remove Arbenz. This led to a CIA-orchestrated coup in 1954. Despite most Guatemalans’ support for Arbenz’s policies, some private sector leaders and the military began to believe that Arbenz represented a Communist threat and supported his overthrow. After the CIA coup, hundreds of Guatemalans were rounded up and killed.

With full US support, over the following four decades state repression in Guatemala grew worse and worse. All public forms of dissent became impossible as more and more union, student, and community leaders were killed. After decades of repression, four principle groups took up arms against the regime. A thirty-five year civil war ensued.  The government went on a rampage, hunting anyone suspected of being a subversive. With US arms, funding, and training, the Guatemalan military disappeared, tortured, and murdered more than 200,000 civilians — including entire indigenous communities, who were the support-base for the Leftist Guerrillas who had taken up arms against the dictatorship. More people were murdered in the tiny country then all of the dirty wars throughout Latin America combined. 

After 35-years of war, peace accords were signed in 1996. Since then, the progressive social movements who so bravely fought against dictatorship and US imperialism, have been rebuilding and finding their new path after the trauma and loss of the previous century. 

Most of the photographs here were taken during a march through Guatemala City celebrating the legacy of the martyrs. Many of the organizers and participants were children or family members of those disappeared during the civil war.