The Saga of the Guatemalan Lifestyle

Mario Alvarenga stares out south from his window, the light reflecting and accentuating the wrinkles of his time-visaged face. His eyes glare as he stares quietly into the light. He reflects on a time and place different from his home today. He turns to me and begins to tell me a story, the story of his life in Guatemala.

Since I was born I’ve been in the city, Guatemala City. It was a small city, only 300,000 or people. Most everybody knew me. I was working for the industrial commerce. You see I was an inspector for the commerce in Guatemala. I was working one day a week. I did reports, this and that.

At that time Jorge Ubico was the president of  Guatemala. The people in Guatemala, they did not like him. He was mean, and very strict. No crime, you see, if you commit a crime- you really pay. The schools were good. He cared. He cared about the people. He cared about the cities. He orders to be parking all over the city. He orders to have sidewalks. He orders the schools to uniforms, every school has to have uniforms. They don't know how good he really was. They say he was a dictator. He said he would leave the general Ydigoras Fuentes if they wanted to see somebody mean.

He left and Ydigoras was the president. He was after all the changes made by Jorge. These changes were thrown away. I was still working, I thought it was harder. It was much harder to get around, there was chaos in the city. Then the Revolution happened. The triumbidad was three guys. They took over the presidency because the government was thrown out by the Revolution. San Jose fort was burned, they shot a cannon at it. They knock down the generator and blow the walls. Smoke everywhere. That ended the revolution. It was very bad, no revolution is right. You see. Any revolution is wrong, no matter what it is.

The people wanted Ydigoras Fuentes out, they wanted elections, but I don't have no voice and vote so I can do nothing. They have elections, and then bring Jose Arevalo from Argentina, he was a doctor and a good president. He cared about schools, he has lots of ideas. After Arevalo you have this guy Jacob Guzman run for president. He won and became the president. He was a good president, to me he was very good because I knew him personally, like a friend; before he was the president, a long time ago. He was the person who sent me to Mexico. In Mexico City I work for the Guatemala consulate. I was a secretary. I did all the transactions that had to do with business. I authorized what was imported and what was not. I also authorized Visas.

The people did not like Arbenz though, they accused him of being a communist because he created the lay agrarian law. With that, the government took land away from people who didn't use it and give it to the poor. This made people mad and they accused him more. They kicked Arbenz out, and we lost everything. When he left, everyone had to go.

I was in Mexico City then with no job. Since then I have not been to Guatemala. I would never go back, it was where I came from but no one understands how great this country is.

Interviewed by Richard Alvarenga