ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the reconstruction work of a non-governmental organization known as the Alianza para el Desarrollo Integral de la Juventud, commonly known in Guatemala as ALIANZA. The relief/development project began following an earthquake which shook much of Guatemala in 1976. The earthquake of 1976 was felt in more than 60,000 square kilometers out of the 130,000 that make up Guatemala and neighboring Belize. In Guatemala City, 1,200 people were killed and 45 percent of the city was destroyed. Guatemala has recorded seismic disturbances for centuries. Guatemala City and the old capital of Antigua have been severely damaged by earthquakes at least fifteen times since the sixteenth century. In 1976, Joyabaj, in Quiche, northern Guatemala, was struck by an intense seismic disturbance that registered 7.5 on the Richter scale and 9 on the modified Mercali scale. The economy of Joyabaj is based in agriculture and livestock.
