Guatemala News

Guatemala's ex-president Portillo home from U.S. jail

Guatemala City - Guatemala's ex-president Alfonso Portillo returned home after serving time in a U.S. prison for money laundering in a graft scandal involving Taiwan.

Guatemala 'fire volcano' eruption subsides

Guatemala City - Guatemala's Fuego volcano calmed down Sunday after an eruption blanketed nearby towns in ash, the nation's volcano monitor reported.Guatemala City's La Aurora airport remained closed due to ash that had fallen on the runway.

Guatemalan ex-police chief handed 90 years over embassy raid

Guatemala City - A court in Guatemala sentenced a former police chief to 90 years for an assault on the Spanish embassy in 1980 when a group of protesting Indians, peasants and university students were holed up inside.

Guatemala ex-dictator forced to appear at genocide trial

Guatemala City - Guatemala's ex-dictator Efrain Rios Montt was hauled to court on a stretcher Monday to attend his retrial on genocide charges before proceedings were halted by a motion to change judges.

Ailing Guatemalan ex-dictator requests retrial absence

Guatemala City - Lawyers for Guatemalan ex-dictator Efrain Rios Montt said Friday he is too sick to attend court next week, when he faces a retrial for genocide over the killings of indigenous people in the 1980s.

Guatemala prison chief arrested in corruption probe

Guatemala City - The head of Guatemala's prison system was arrested on bribery and money-laundering charges linked to a notorious jail-based criminal syndicate, prosecutors said.

Guatemala Mayans: from victims of discrimination to perpetrators?

Guatemala City - Fearful of losing their culture and land, ethnic Maya people in Guatemala -- who have faced centuries of discrimination themselves -- drove out a group of 230 ultra-Orthodox Jews, experts say.

Jewish community 'forced out' of Guatemalan village

Guatemala City - A community of 230 Orthodox Jews from several countries Thursday began leaving the Guatemalan Indian village where they have lived for six years after claims and counterclaims of discrimination and threats.

Guatemalans bury victims of 1982 civil war massacre

- Weeping and singing Christian hymns, Guatemala's indigenous Ixil Mayans buried Wednesday the remains of 31 civilians killed by the army during the country's bloody civil war three decades ago.

Central American kids risk everything on road to US

Washington - Marco saw his hopes and dreams crumble before his eyes, barely scraping a living in his western Guatemalan town as it fell victim to drugs and gangs.

Obama to meet Central American leaders on child migrants

Washington - President Barack Obama will meet three Central American leaders Friday to discuss the surge of children crossing the southern US border without parents or papers, in flight from violence and poverty.

Body of Guatemala teen sent home after failed attempt to enter U.S.

Guatemala City - The body of a 15-year-old who died while trying to migrate illegally into the United States was repatriated to Guatemala Friday, amid a raging U.S. debate over how to stem a flood of similar cases.

Newborn baby among dead as quake hits Mexico, Guatemala

A strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake rocked southern Mexico and Guatemala on Monday killing at least three people -- including a newborn baby at a hospital -- and injuring dozens.The quake, initially measured at a magnitude of 7.

At least two dead as quake hits Mexico, Guatemala

A strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake rocked parts of southern Mexico and Guatemala on Monday, killing at least two people and injuring more than 40 others.The US Geological Survey said the quake -- initially measured at a magnitude of 7.

Guatemalan ex-guerrilla convicted of indigenous massacre

- A Guatemalan court handed down the country's first conviction of a leftist guerrilla leader for the killings of indigenous farmers during the 1960-1996 civil war.

Biden to discuss child migrants on Guatemala visit

Guatemala City - US Vice President Joe Biden travels to Guatemala on Friday to discuss the growing numbers of unaccompanied minors from Central America and Mexico illegally trying to cross the US border.

Op-Ed: 5 things the CIA did before joining social media

The CIA has finally joined Twitter and Facebook. While they dig themselves out of a rock and join 2014, it is time to look back at five actions committed by the CIA that is bound to increase their likes.

Guatemala ex-leader gets six years in New York

New York - Former Guatemalan president Alfonso Portillo was sentenced in New York to five years and 10 months in prison Thursday for a $2.5 million bribery scandal.

Pentagon chief headed to Mexico, Guatemala

Washington - Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel will depart Wednesday for Mexico City to hold talks with his counterparts from Canada and Mexico aimed at bolstering Washington's security ties to its neighbors.

Five Latin American countries lead the world in homicides

Honduras continues to have the world's highest homicide rate, according to a recent United Nations report, followed by four other countries in Latin America.

6.6-magnitude earthquake hits Mexico-Guatemala border

Guatemala City - The US Geological Survey reports that the border between Mexico and Guatemala was shaken up on Friday night by a 6.6-magnitude earthquake.

Go directly to jail: Guatemala passes tough new gun law

Guatemala City - Even as homicide rates fall, Guatemala has enacted strict measures which will send anyone caught carrying a firearm straight to jail until trial.

Review: Ancestry and Artistry — Maya textiles at the Textile Museum Special

Toronto - Ancestry and Artistry: Maya Textiles from Guatemala celebrates the inventive skills of Maya women's craft. This exhibit displays huipiles and other types of clothing from over a period of nearly 50 years, and the evolution of style both local and global.