Guatemala had one of the longest wars in Latin America, lasting almost four decades. Its origin dates back to the 1950s when the United States intervened to protect its commercial and political interests, with the excuse of eradicating communism. Starting in 1954, this story has repeated itself throughout Latin America.

The Guatemalan conflict is complex, marked by many coup d'état, military dictatorships, guerrillas of different origins, and an all-powerful elite articulated by the military, politicians, and businessmen. The war reached its most critical moment with the genocide committed against the Ixil Mayan population under the dictatorship of General José Efraín Ríos Montt in the 1980s. Guatemala’s official history still denies the atrocities committed.

Diego Luna

Credits

• ProductionMiguel Pulido, Diego Luna y Ricardo Giraldo
• Original idea and advice Miguel Pulido y Diego Luna
• Script and DirectionElvira Liceaga, Andrés Torres Checka y Ricardo Giraldo
• ResearchCreatura Promotora de Pensamiento Crítico
• Executive productionGael García Bernal y Paula Amor

• Production assistant Fernando Peña
• Songs Rebeca Lane
• Music Leonardo Heiblum
• Sound design Matías Barberis
• Editing and mockups Gabriel Villegas
• Speech recording, post-production and mixing Bias Post

• Archive footage Paola Morales
• Additional voice Elvira Liceaga
• With the participation of Dunia, María Alejandra, Flor, Lucía Ixchiu, Rodolfo González, Enrique Naveda, Iduvina Hernández, Jacobo Dayán y Claudia Paz and Paz
• THE SOUND MATERIAL FOR THIS PODCAST WAS PROVIDED BY: The Fonoteca de Radio Nacional TGW of Guatemala; Prensa Libre, courtesy of Guatevisión; and Skylight, from their documentary Granito: Cómo atrapar a un dictador by Pamela Yates