ABSTRACT
In this chapter we analyze the Guatemalan insurgent groups from ca. 1970 to 1996. We distinguish two clear stages. First, during the 1970s the armed movement reorganized and grew rapidly after the crisis of the late 1960s. This process was characterized by the consolidation of guerrilla focos in the mountainous regions populated by indigenous people, and by the relationship between guerrilla and popular movements in the urban areas. After the revolutionary triumph of 1979 in Nicaragua, the Guatemalan guerrillas carried out numerous offensive actions. However, their attempt to overthrow the government failed due to a lack of weaponry and military preparation. Between 1981 and 1983, the armed forces launched strong offensive campaigns against the urban and rural insurgency. The massacre of thousands of civilians and the creation of paramilitary (‘civilian’) patrols enabled the government to restore control over large territories. The guerrillas suffered substantial casualties and retreated to the jungle and mountainous areas. Second, between 1984 and 1996 the war continued but under very different circumstances. Insurgent organizations reorganized their forces and acquired better combat capacity. However, their activity was limited to remote regions and their strategic possibilities in the political and politics and military sphere were diminished. In this context the Guatemalan guerrilla no longer fought to seize power as in previous years, but to survive as a belligerent party. The fundamental goal of the guerrillas in this last stage of the conflict was to use the peace negotiations as a resource to contribute to the democratization of Guatemala.
