Colom stated that the situation is the combined result of a number of factors, including a severe drought and global warming, which have reduced the domestic food supply, and the Global financial crisis, which has reduced Guatemala's ability to import food.

However, faced with delays and other irregularities in the proceedings, and stonewalled by a National Reconciliation Law that granted amnesties to the suspected perpetrators, the survivors saw that Guatemala's domestic legal remedies were ineffective in this case and consequently decided to lodge a complaint with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights ( IACHR ), the supranational human rights arm of the Organisation of American States, in 1996.

Deportivo Teculután football club play in Guatemala's second division, but spent 3 seasons at the highest domestic football level between 2001-2004.

* Justo Rufino Barrios Monument ( Monument of one of Guatemala's much acclaimed past President, responsible for the introduction of the railroads among other services to the country.

Guatemala's 1985 Constitution provides for a separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.

The three areas of focus for USAID / Guatemala's program are modeled after the Millennium Challenge Account areas — ruling justly, economic freedom, and investing in people.

That was so despite such things as the overthrow of Guatemala's elected non-Communist Jacobo Arbenz, for instance, on behalf of the United Fruit Company with whom senior US officials had an important business relationship.

The Belize government felt that by gaining international support, it could strengthen its position, weaken Guatemala's claims, and make it harder for Britain to make any concessions.

In July 1871, Barrios, together with other generals and dissidents, issued the " Plan for the Fatherland " proposing to overthrow Guatemala's long entrenched Conservadora ( conservative ) administration ; soon after, they succeeded in doing so, and General García Granados was declared president and Barrios commander of the armed forces.

In July 2003, Guatemala's highest court, which had had several judges appointed from the FRG, overruled the lower courts and allowed Ríos Montt to run for president.

After the presidential term, Arzu has been mayor for Guatemala's Capital City for three four-year terms in a row.

It includes the Resplendent Quetzal, the national bird of Guatemala that symbolizes liberty ; a parchment scroll bearing the date of Central America's independence from Spain, 15 September 1821 ; crossed rifles, indicating Guatemala's willingness to defend itself by force if need be ; a bay laurel crown, the symbol for victory ; and crossed swords, representing honor.

*: Guatemala's police force or PNC ( Policia Nacional Civil ) operates the TAR-21 for routine tasks, and some special operations.

On May 18, 2006, Guatemala's Congress ratified CAFTA-DR and on July 1, 2006, the treaty went into effect for that country.

The review of Guatemala's eligibility for the enhanced CBI preferences involved extensive consideration of the worker rights situation in that country.

On June 14, 2008 Ruiz broke Juan Carlos Plata's all-time individual goalscoring record for Guatemala by scoring four goals against Saint Lucia in Guatemala's 2010 World Cup qualification opening match.

In 2004, the Inter-American Court issued two judgements, in which it established Guatemala's liability in the case and ordered an extensive package of monetary, non-monetary and symbolic forms of compensation for the survivors and the next-of-kin of the deceased.

Guatemala's president and vice-president are elected on one ballot for a four year term by the people.

He was rector for three years at Guatemala's Francisco Marroquín University from 1975.

Its aim is to strengthen the administration of justice and respect for human rights by investigating, documenting, and raising awareness about past instances of human rights violations, particularly unresolved murders, that occurred during Guatemala's 30-year-long Civil War.

On March 20th 1876 the Guatemalan Secretary of War, Jose Maria Samayoa, declared all official relations with El Salvador as terminated, asserted that on March 27th 1876 troops from El Salvador had invaded Guatemala, declared war and gave Barrio absolute power for defending Guatemala's dignity.

Guatemala's Pre-Columbian era can be divided into the Preclassic period ( from 2000 BC to 250 AD ), the Classic period ( 250 to 900 AD ) and the Postclassic period ( 900 to 1500 AD ).

In the 1990 and 1995 elections its presidential candidate was Álvaro Arzú who won in 1995, becoming Guatemala's 32nd president ( 1996 – 2000 ).

Guatemala's Rafael Carrera was instrumental in leading the revolt against the federal government and breaking apart the Union.

The National Security Archive released declassified US documents relating to Guatemala's 36-year civil war which show that Washington was aware of the Guatemalan military's excesses against civilians and continued to support it throughout the bloodiest days of the conflict, which killed up to 200, 000 people.

Situated in the department of El Petén, the site is part of Guatemala's Tikal National Park and in 1979 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

By 1950, a handful of U. S. corporations controlled Guatemala's primary electrical utilities, the nation's only railroad, and the banana industry, which was Guatemala's chief agricultural export industry.

The United Fruit Company was Guatemala's largest landowner, with 85 percent of its lands idle and uncultivated, thus vulnerable to the land-reform laws of Decree 900.

At the centre of Guatemala's oldest claim was the 1859 treaty between the United Kingdom and Guatemala.

Today's independent Belize government holds the viewpoint that treaties signed by the UK are not binding on them, that the International Court of Justice's precedent is that the 1859 treaty is binding on Guatemala unless Guatemala can firmly prove the 1859 treaty was forced upon them by the UK, that international law says any breaches in the 1859 treaty by the UK would not excuse Guatemala's breaches and the UK never made " material breaches ," that Guatemala never inherited Spain's claim because Guatemala never occupied that part of Spain's New World colonies, and the right of a people to self-determination.

It was Guatemala's main port on the Caribbean Sea before the construction of nearby Puerto Barrios.

The small town of Izabal is on the south shore of the lake ; before the construction of the ports of Livingston and Puerto Barrios in the 19th century this was Guatemala's main Caribbean Sea port and was the original seat of Izabal department ; nowadays, however, Izabal town is a remote village that gets little traffic.

On April 12, Guatemala's Chief of State, Mariano Aycinena, capitulated and the next day the Central Plaza was occupied by Morazán's troops.

He was a moderate of Guatemala's Liberal Party, who worked to solidify the less controversial of the reforms of late president Justo Rufino Barrios.

He was privately tutored and attended school in Guatemala's most prestigious institutions as well as receiving further education abroad in the United States and Europe.

The main achievement of his presidency was to sign an agreement with the guerrilla group the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity, that ended Guatemala's 36-year-long Civil War.

He was declared Guatemala's official national hero on March 22, 1960 and is commemorated on February 20, on the anniversary of his death.

Carrera was an exception as he genuinely took the interests of Guatemala's Indian majority to heart.

Guatemala's government was also asked to work with the country's legislature to pass proposed revisions to the labor code, and to provide a commitment, over the longer-term, to continual improvements in law enforcement and judicial administration related to the protection of worker rights.

The only civilian to occupy Guatemala's presidency during the long period of military rule between 1954 and 1986, Méndez was not allowed to act independently of the military and was widely considered to be a military puppet ; Mendez had assumed the presidency under a pact in July, 1966 that gave the armed forces carte blanche with respect to internal security matters and an effective veto over governmental policy.

Within days of Mendez taking office, US Colonel John Webber Jr. was dispatched to the country to assist in modernizing Guatemala's counterinsurgency apparatus.