Guatemala

The present day Republic of Guatemala (República de Guatemala) was claimed as Spanish territory in the 16th century, part of a larger region called the Captaincy General (Capitanía General de Guatemala). In 1821, the entire Captaincy (Chiapas, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Honduras) proclaimed its independence from Spain, and later joined the Mexican Empire. All but Chiapas soon separated from Mexico, however, forming the United Provinces of Central America, but this too separated into nations by 1840.

From 1898 until 1944, Guatemala was ruled by a series of dictators, supported by the United Fruit Company whose financial interests in the nation were not inconsiderable. Democratic elections were held for the first time in 1944, following a coup d'etat led by military officers, and this led to a long period of support and assistance form the United States. Concerned over the emergence of socialist politics and revolutionary ideas in the region, the USA continued to provide training, military equipment and financial aid to the nation until the 1990s. Nevertheless, dissatisfaction with the right wing government, human rights abuses, racial and socio-economic discrimination spurred several insurgent movements to form and mount a guerilla movement against the government. The Guatemalan Civil War lasted from 1960 until 1996, and was marked by innumerable human rights abuses, particularly on the part of the government. A peace agreement was reached in December 1996, following which the United Nations deployed military observers to the country to monitor implementation of the process.

Guatemalan Camouflage Patterns