During the darkest period of state terror, in the early 1980s, children fled or were left behind at the scenes of horrific massacres; soldiers sometimes adopted them as “pets” to run errands or shine shoes on military bases, while others were dropped at orphanages or were likely handed over for private adoptions. In a case […]
Read MoreTag: Guatemala
In Guatemala, New Utopian Neighborhood? Or a Testament to Inequality?
Try going for a stroll in much of Guatemala City: It is a pedestrian’s nightmare. Motorcycles speed down crowded sidewalks. Rifle-grasping guards squint at each passerby, sizing up potential assailants. Smoke-belching buses barrel through stop signs. But tucked within the chaotic capital’s crazy-quilt sprawl, there is a dreamlike haven where none of that exists. In […]
Read MoreGuatemala’s Presidential Inauguration is Delayed, Flaring Tempers
Opponents of the anticorruption crusader Bernardo Arévalo delayed his inauguration as president of Guatemala on Sunday, ratcheting political tensions higher in Central America’s most populous country. Confusion around the transition of power emerged shortly after Guatemala’s highest court on Sunday allowed conservative members of Congress opposed to Mr. Arévalo to maintain their leadership of the […]
Read MoreNew Leader Takes Over in Guatemala, Raising Hopes for Fragile Democracy
Since Bernardo Arévalo burst onto Guatemala’s political scene last year as an anticorruption crusader, he has faced an assassination plot, his party’s suspension and a barrage of legal attacks aimed at preventing him from taking office as president. Now comes the hard part. Mr. Arévalo’s inauguration on Sunday — six months after his presidential victory […]
Read MoreNew York Food Delivery Workers, Overlooked in Life, Are Honored in Death
After the brass band packed up its instruments, Sergio Solano and two other food delivery workers walked a white bicycle to an overpass within view of the United Nations headquarters. A fellow worker, or compañero, as they call each other meaning “partner,” had died less than two weeks earlier that September in yet another bicycle […]
Read MoreRicardo Arjona, Prolific Latin Pop Star, Says He Will Stop Touring
Ricardo Arjona, the Guatemalan singer and songwriter known for dozens of Latin pop ballads that became international hits over a career that spanned more than 30 years, said he would stop touring, citing back problems and an imminent surgery. Arjona, 59, wrote in social media posts on Sunday that he would stop performing on his […]
Read MoreWill Guatemala’s President-Elect, Bernardo Arévalo, Actually Take Office?
When the anticorruption crusader Bernardo Arévalo won a landslide victory in Guatemala’s presidential race, voters streamed into the capital of Central America’s most populous country to celebrate. But as Mr. Arévalo’s foes intensify efforts to bar the president-elect from taking office just weeks from now, the mood on the streets has changed. Indigenous protesters camped […]
Read MoreColumbia Sportswear Is Scouting Factories in Central America
Stan Burton wandered the Guatemalan factory like a prospector probing for buried treasure. His company, Columbia Sportswear, had long relied on plants in Asia to make its clothing, but that appeared increasingly precarious. A trade war undermined the benefits of using Chinese factories to keep Americans stocked with windbreakers and fleece pullovers. The disruptions of […]
Read MoreU.S. Hopes to Tackle Migrant Crisis With Processing Centers in Latin America
As the Biden administration struggles to tackle a humanitarian and political crisis at America’s doorstep, it is focusing increasingly on keeping migrants far from the U.S.-Mexico border by establishing migration processing centers in Central and South America. But the program is off to a rocky start, with demand for appointments far outstripping supply, leading to […]
Read MoreThe Kids on the Night Shift
Teachers were used to seeing middle schoolers sleeping outside the building first thing in the morning in cars they drove without licenses after coming directly from the overnight shift. But no one could remember a student getting as badly hurt as Marcos, and they worried about who might be next. Applegate sometimes listened to a […]
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