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Guatemala

Polyethylene bags are used to protect bananas from pests and blight on a plantation in Costa Rica.

The shadow of the United Fruit Company still reaches across the globe today

Business, Economics and Jobs

About a hundred years ago, the Boston-based banana company, United Fruit, reigned supreme in Central America. It didn’t just own banana plantations, but also railroads and telephone lines. The company even dictated national policies and overthrew governments. For his podcast “Under the Shadow,” about US involvement in Central America, Michael Fox traveled to Guatemala, where he looked at the legacy of United Fruit and its impact on the global fruit industry today.

Bernardo Arévalo ran on an anti-corruption campaign to become president.

‘We want to eradicate corruption’: Guatemala’s new president makes promises that stir hope — and impatience

Politics
Guatemala's president-elect, Bernardo Arévalo leaves at the end of a press conference in the Plaza of Human Rights in Guatemala City, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023.

Guatemala’s newly elected president faces legal challenges

Politics
people in line with signs

Victims of Guatemalan military seek justice for war crimes 

A police officer searches and checks the documents of a man living in the Kiwanis Community, during a preventive patrol in search of gang members in Soyapango, El Salvador, Aug. 16, 2022, amid a state of exception.

El Salvador imprisons dozens of foreign visitors in crackdown on crime

Conflict & Justice
volcano

El Fuego volcano erupts in Guatemala

Natural disasters

​​​​​​​The El Fuego volcano in Guatemala spewed lava and ash over part of the country last week. Thousands evacuated the area, and many more were exposed to dangerous ash. 

A decorated street carpet known as an alfombra created for Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala.

Guatemalans commemorate Holy Week with colorful street carpets

Lifestyle & Belief

During Holy Week in Guatemala, many people participate in the tradition of creating elaborate alfombra, or colorful flower carpets made out of sawdust on the streets for processions to pass over.

At a playground in San Francisco, Deisy Ramírez reflects on how she found safety here after fleeing captivity in Guatemala

For immigrants fleeing gender-based violence, it’s a long road to asylum in the US

Women & Gender

Thousands of people are pursuing protection from gender-based violence in a US asylum system that was gutted during the presidency of Donald Trump and has been only partially restored by President Joe Biden. Deisy Ramírez was one of them, trying to escape an abusive, forced marriage in Guatemala.

Honduran migrants Bianca Emerita Galvan, 22, left, and Dani Omar Suazo, 21, holding their son 1-year-old sone Daniel Emir, arrive at El Ceibo, Guatemala, Aug. 12, 2021, after being deported by air from the US to Mexico and then shipped into Guatemala by l

Mexico expels Central American migrants to rural Guatemala

Immigration

Mexico is forcing hundreds of migrants to the small border outpost of El Ceibo, Guatemala. Many are would-be asylum-seekers in the US.

Mayan stone ruins in a field of foliage

Scientists turn to the ancient Mayans for lessons on sustainability

Environment

Lisa Lucero, an anthropology professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and an expert on Mayan civilization, discussed her findings with The World’s host Marco Werman.