Page "History of Guatemala" Paragraph 19

Guatemala's " Liberal Revolution " came in 1871 under the leadership of Justo Rufino Barrios, who worked to modernize the country, improve trade, and introduce new crops and manufacturing.

During this era coffee became an important crop for Guatemala.

Barrios had ambitions of reuniting Central America and took the country to war in an unsuccessful attempt to attain this, losing his life on the battlefield in 1885 against forces in El Salvador.