ABSTRACT
Modern Guatemalan history is dominated by conflict between Indians and ladinos, between rich and poor, between the state and guerrilla insurgents, as well as within families and communities. When Guatemala enters the popular imagination of North Americans, it is likely to be conceived as the home of impressive archaeological sites; a country ravaged by civil war; or a land of colorful textiles, puffing volcanoes, and impressive biodiversity. Publications of all sorts generally divide Guatemalan society into two major ethnic groups, Indians and ladinos, although there are smaller, but significant, populations of Garifuna, Chinese, Koreans, Germans, and people of other national origins. News stories from Guatemala are notoriously difficult to interpret, and networks of communication in Guatemala are ill developed. On the night of April 26, 1998, Archbishop Juan Gerardi was murdered in the garage of his parish house at San Sebastian Church in Guatemala City.
