Human rights violations were too numerous to count, and poor villagers suspected of ever harboring a fugitive past or present had their huts burned, their fields razed and their throats cut by military counterinsurgents. And, oh yes, we norteamericanos are not held blameless. United Fruit, the country's largest landholder in 1954, resisted land reform with political clout in Washington and a lot of help from the CIA . The peace process overseen by the United Nations began with a cease-fire in 1994 and was finalized as the Peace Accord in December 1996. It appears to be working.
Life goes on.
Yet three generations of men have known nothing but violence, and unemployment is 47 percent. The trails up the sides of the volcanoes are about as safe as an alley in 18th century London. The shills of a self-designated shaman lure curious travelers into caves to see supposed magical rites then relieve them of their money as well as their disbelief. In Guatemala City as well as the plazas of such major tourist centers as Chichicastenango, Antigua, and Lake Atitlan going out at night is considered downright suicidal. But it does mean using more than a little caution before you hop on your bike or rent a car and head into the hinterlands.