Manufacturing the Nueva Guatemala: Guerrilla Re-Imaginings of the Modem Guatemalan Nation during the 1960s by Michael Kirþatrick A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of History University of Manitoba Vr'innipeg Copyright O 2006 by Michael Kirkparrick THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA FACULTY OF GRÄDUATE STUDIES COPYRIGHT PERMISSION Manufacturing the Nueva Guatemala: Guenilla Re-Imaginings of the Modern Guatemalan Nation during the 1960s BY Michael Kirkpatrick A Thesis/Practicum submitted to the Faculty ofGraduate studies ofrhe university of Manitoba in partial fulfillment of the r€quirement of the degree Master OF Arts Michael Kirkpatrick @ 2006 Permission has been granted to the Library ofthe University of Manitoba to lend or sell copies of this thesis/practicum' to the National Library of Canada to microfilm this thesis and to lentl or sell copies of the film, and to University Microfilms Inc. to publish an abstract of this thesis/practicum. This reproduction or copy of this thesis has been made available by authority of the copyright orvner solely for the purpose of private study and research, and may only be reprorluced ána copiea as permitted by copyright laws or rvith express rvritten authorization from the copyright owner. Abst¡act This thesis examines the revolutionary left in Guatemala during the 1960s focusing primarily on the communist-influenced Fuerzas Ar¡nadas Rebeldes (Rebel Armed Forces o¡ FAR). It argues that left-wing proponents ofguerrilla insurrection referenced their struggle in the lexicon of the nation, thus challenging the government's claims to national legitimacy. The nationalism of the FAR sought socialist modernization for Guatemala and the inclusion of marginalized sectors ofthe population into their national project, narnely the rural and urban proletari at, campesinos, women, and the indigenous. particular attention is given to Luis Augusto Turcios Lima, the military leader of the FAR, who helped formulate the guerrilla nationalisrn that the left espoused. Similarly comrnunist playwright Manuel Galich and revolutionary poet Otto René Castillo are examined as intellectuals who sought a relevant national past to justifii the emergence ofthe armed struggle. Acknowledqements I would like to thank my advisor Timothy E. Anna for his stunning depth of knowledge and direction. Similarly, I owe a debt of gratitude to my thesis defense committee, Jorge Nállim, Raynond E. Wiest, and especially Mark Gabbert for their thoughts, suggestions, and assistance in helping me to complete this thesis. The Faculty and Staff in the Department of History have been helpful with their feedback and guidance, particularly Carol Adam, David Churchill, and Tina Chen. My family-Malcolm and Charlotte Kirþatrick, Kimberly Kirkpatrick, and Jennifer Argo-have been wonderful and I want them to know that I truly appreciate their love and inspiration. Darrin and Taylor Keats are thanked for providing me with plane tickets and a refreshing swimming pool. In Guatemala, I would like to thank the Staff at CIRMA, Carlos Ochoa Garcia, Carlos Juan Pérez Pop, and Sandino Asturias. In addition, special recognition must be given to Eduardo Enrique Sacayon, the directo¡ of the Instituto de Estudios Interetnicos at USAC for his resourcefulness and willingness to assist a shanger. I would especially like to salute my compañeros and dear füends Marc Roy, Tyler Shipley, Kurt Komeski, Matt Mclean, and Scott Rutherford for their insights, solidarity, and for animating my everyday. Above all, I \ryant to thank A¡a Vialard for her constructive criticism, tolerance, and compassion. As a final note, I don't wish to thank in any way the technocrats who administer the University of Manitoba and who value the commoditization of education. University administrators should not exploit sectors oftheir Iabour force, run public institutions as corporations, or reward themselves with handsome salaries they don't deserve. In mentory of Mary Kirþatrick 1916-2006 l Table of Contents Abstract......... .. .. ... ... .. .... .i Acknowledgements............... ...... .... ... ......ii Dedication...... .............,....iii Introduction: Re-Imagining Modernity and the Nation rvithin Guatemalan Urban Space... ... .... ... .. .....1 Chapter I: Referencing the Guerrilla Construction of a Nuevø Guatemala: Luis Turcios Lima, the Tricontinental, and Socialist Modernity..... .. .. ...............27 Chapter II: Luis Turcios Lima and the Í'ragments of the Guatemalan Nation. .... ... .. ..................75 Chapter III: History and Marfyrdom as Cultural Creation: Nationalist Intellectuals and the Search for a Relevant Pâst.....................................115 Conclusion: Memorializing the Nuevø Guatemata...... .........154 Works Cited.... ...................162 Introduction: Re-Imasinine Modernitv and the Nation rvithin Guatemalan Urban Space Guatemala City is designed like a giant caracol that spirals counter-clockwise out from the city centre in an ascending numerical fashion to denote the various zonas. The capital bears both the architectural trophies and scars of the enigmatic fìgures and inflated egos who have presided over the country's turrultuous past. The city was christened Za Naeva Guatemala de Ia Asunción on I January l776,after an earthquake in 1773 destroyed the old colonial capital ofAntigua Guatemala (located just west of present-day Guatemala City). As it grew, the new capital often came to embody the still-bom aspirations of 191h and 20ú century rulers as the country made the transition from a regional colonial stronghold to a politically independent modern state. Modem amenities such as street lighting, horse-drawn streetcars, and electricity complemented the development ofurban space and public parks as the l gth century drew to a close.l Later, the city was dissected by a Parisian-inspired boulevard, the Avenida La Reforma2 that capped an early 20rh century urban makeover, which included the establishment ofgrandiose botanical gardens, a replica of the Eiffel Tower, and a temple dedicated to Minerva. The Avenida eventually winds its way north to Zona Uno, al thehearl of Guatemala City. It is here, in the Plaza Mayor de la Constitución, that self-aggrandizing President Jorge Ubico had his architectural legacy built: the Palacio Nacional de la Cultu¡a. Under construction Íiom 1936 until 1943, the project was never completed; characteristic ofsuch visions ofsplendo¡ financial constraints limited the masterpiece. t Gary S. Elbow, "Guatemala," in Gerald Michael Greenfield (ed), llistorical Profiles ofMaior Cities, (WesÞort, Conn.: Greenrvood press, 1994),p.284. ' Avenida La Reforma rvas origirally called the Boulevard 30 de Junio. 2 ln the quarter century after Ubico's ouster Íìom power, Guatemala City evolved through simultaneous processes ofgentrification and urban ¡enewal, and the spatial conflict generated by the immense social disruption ofurbanization. In doing so, it came to capture marvelously the contradictions between visions of modem nationalist grandeur and the limitations of capitalist development. A certain irony is manifested when one contrasts the utilitarian dimensions and political economy of the awesome modernist architecture of Guatemala City's Centro Cívico with the dialectics between social inclusion and exclusion. Taken further and ÍÌamed within the political context ofthe 1960s, the Centro is characteristic of the incongruities between elite modemist vision and the social ¡ealities throughout Guatemala. Located within walking distance ofUbico's Palacio Nacional and just south of the limits of Zona Uno, the Centro Cívico encapsulates the historical expression of liberal-capitalist modemity for which Zona Cuatro-where it resides-was originally intended. Designed in 1890 as the suburb of Exposición, what came to be known as Zona Cuah'o was Guatemala's contribution to the spirit of the World Exposition (the Paris World's Fair). Spawned through what seems like trans-generational aspirations towards capitalist modemity, the Centro Cívico was built in the late 1950s and early 1960s and consists of a conglomeration of Guatemala's most important public buildings.3 Promoted as evidence of "la modema ciudad,"a the Centro protrudes from the cityscape with a stylistic modem architectural design that provides public space 3Included are the Banco de Guatemala (Bank ofGuatemala), the Banco de Crédito Hipotecario (National Mortgage Bank), the Instituto Guatemalteco de Seguridad Social (Social Security Institute of Guatemala), and the Palacio Municipal (Municipal Building). t-ater, the Corte Suprema de Justicia (Supreme Court), the Ministerio de Finarzas Públicas (Ministry ofPublic Finances), and the Instituro Guatemalteco de Turismo (Guatemalan Tourist Board) rvere constructed in the vicinity. 'Diego Molina F., Guatemala Sensacional, (L€ón, España: Editorial Everest, S.4., 1995), p. 39. 3 and services. Suggestive of their rare form and brilliance, the buildings are adomed and fashioned with public works ofart by Guaternala's premiere and pioneer Modemist, Carlos Mérida and the so-called "Generation of 1944," which included Roberto Go¡uâlez Goyri, Guillermo Grajeda Mena, EÍÌaín Recinos, and Dagoberto Vásquez Casteñeda.s With regard to their depth and stururing totality, perhaps the concrete relief murals found on the facades of the Banco de Guatemala and the Banco de Crédito Hipotecario best embody the spirit of capitalist