Today, 1954, the democratically elected government of President Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán in Guatemala was overthrown by a CIA-sponsored coup to protect the profits of the United Fruit Co. The coup led to years of bloody repression, forcing many to flee North to the USA . By 2019, Guatemalans became the second-largest Central American immigrant group in the U.S. The tragedy of modern Guatemala owes its origins to U.S. foreign policy. Below a painting by Diego Rivera entitled, “Gloriosa Victoria.” It tells the story of the overthrow. Coup Colonel Carlos Castillo Armas greets secretary of state John Foster Dulles, who holds a bomb with the face of Eisenhower, surrounded by people who were murdered in the coup. To his left is U.S. ambassador John Peurifoy with military officers and CIA director Allen W. Dulles whispering in his brother’s ear. On the right, the archbishop of Guatemala, Mariano Rossell Arellano, blesses the act, while Guatemalans protest.
