Strikers feared armed security forces watching the building would attack them as they did the campesinos in the Plaza Mayor. Customs employees demanding higher wages stopped work June 23 in protest over illegal firings and corrupt hiring practices. She charged the government with hiring two foreigners, one an Argentinian, to intimidate employees. The customs workers action halted trucking at the El Salvador border, causing losses of thousands of quetzals worth of perishable cargo. Great Temple at Tikal Damaged During restoration work June 25 on the major Jaguar Temple at the Guatemalan Mayan ruin of Tikal, a twelve foot rock piece broke loose causing the back side of the temple to collapse.
Archaeologists say most of the damage is irreparable.
The Great Jaguar temple is one of five great pyramid temples in Tikal, a major religious and administrative center of ancient times. State of Emergency Possible President Serrano went to Tikal as part of a visit to Huehuetenango and the Peten. There he announced the possibility he would call a state of emergency in response to actions taken by state employees. He threatened legal action against the striking workers. A report over Radio El Independiente noted contradictions in official response to the strike actions.