looking, but she will take me to her auntâs house, who will give me lunch. Sheâs going to call the minister. Iâve got a good old attack of asthma, brought on by what Iâve been eating these last days. I hope Iâll recover with a strict, three-day diet.
May 10, 1954
Vieja ,
[â¦] My future appears brighter, and my permission for residence is advancing, although with all the typical red tape common in these places, so within a month Iâll be able to go to a movie without sponging off some kind pal.
I have promised myself something I think Iâve already told the old man, and Iâve also given him a vague idea of my plans. I have decided to leave these lodgingson the 15th and head off into the open air with a sleeping bag I inherited from a compatriot who was passing through here. That way, I can get to all the places I want, except Petén, where you canât go because itâs the rainy season, and Iâll be able to climb a volcano or two. For some time now, Iâve been wanting to take a look at Mother Earthâs tonsils (what a nice turn of phrase). This is the land of volcanoes to satisfy everyoneâs tasteâthose I like are the simple ones, not very high and not very active. I could get very rich here in Guatemala, but only if I put myself through the abject business of ratifying my degree, setting up a clinic and treating allergies (the place is full of fellow snufflers).
Doing this would be the most horrible betrayal of the two meâs that do battle inside meâthe social reformer and the traveler [â¦].
Warm and damp hugs because itâs been raining here all day (and while the mate lasts, itâs very romantic). [â¦]
Recent events belong to history: a feature, I think, appearing in my notes for the first time.
A few days ago, some planes from Honduras crossed the border with Guatemala and flew over the city in broad daylight, shooting at both people and military targets. I joined the public health brigades to work in the medical corps and also the youth brigades that patrol the streets at night. The course of events was as follows: After these planes flew over, troops under the command of Colonel Castillo Armas, a Guatemalan émigré in Honduras, crossed the border and advanced on the town of Chiquimula. The Guatemalan government, although it had already protested to Honduras, let them enter without putting up any resistance and presented the case before the United Nations.
Colombia and Brazil, docile instruments of the Yankees, drew up a plan to hand the matter over to the OAS but this was rejected by the Soviet Union, which favored a cease-fire agreement. The invaders failed in their attempt to get the masses to rise up with the weapons they had dropped from planes, but they did capture the town of Bananera and cut off the Puerto Barrios railway line.
The goal of the mercenaries was clear: to take Puerto Barrios and then ship in various arms and more mercenary troops. This became clear when the schooner Siesta de Trujillo was captured as it tried to unload arms in that port. The final attack failed but in the hinterland areas the assailants committed extremely barbarous acts, murdering members of SETUFCO (the union of the United Fruit Company workers and employees) in the cemetery, where hand grenades were thrown at their chests.
The invaders believed they only had to say the word and the people would rise up as one to follow them, and thatâs why they parachute-dropped weapons, but the people immediately rallied to defend Ãrbenz. Although the invading troops were blocked and defeated on all fronts until they were pushed back beyond Chiquimula near the Honduran border, the pirate airplanes keptattacking the battlefronts and towns, always coming from bases in Honduras and Nicaragua. Chiquimula was heavily bombed and bombs also fell on Guatemala City, injuring several people and killing a three-year-old little girl.
My own
May 10, 1954
Vieja ,
[â¦] My future appears brighter, and my permission for residence is advancing, although with all the typical red tape common in these places, so within a month Iâll be able to go to a movie without sponging off some kind pal.
I have promised myself something I think Iâve already told the old man, and Iâve also given him a vague idea of my plans. I have decided to leave these lodgingson the 15th and head off into the open air with a sleeping bag I inherited from a compatriot who was passing through here. That way, I can get to all the places I want, except Petén, where you canât go because itâs the rainy season, and Iâll be able to climb a volcano or two. For some time now, Iâve been wanting to take a look at Mother Earthâs tonsils (what a nice turn of phrase). This is the land of volcanoes to satisfy everyoneâs tasteâthose I like are the simple ones, not very high and not very active. I could get very rich here in Guatemala, but only if I put myself through the abject business of ratifying my degree, setting up a clinic and treating allergies (the place is full of fellow snufflers).
Doing this would be the most horrible betrayal of the two meâs that do battle inside meâthe social reformer and the traveler [â¦].
Warm and damp hugs because itâs been raining here all day (and while the mate lasts, itâs very romantic). [â¦]
Recent events belong to history: a feature, I think, appearing in my notes for the first time.
A few days ago, some planes from Honduras crossed the border with Guatemala and flew over the city in broad daylight, shooting at both people and military targets. I joined the public health brigades to work in the medical corps and also the youth brigades that patrol the streets at night. The course of events was as follows: After these planes flew over, troops under the command of Colonel Castillo Armas, a Guatemalan émigré in Honduras, crossed the border and advanced on the town of Chiquimula. The Guatemalan government, although it had already protested to Honduras, let them enter without putting up any resistance and presented the case before the United Nations.
Colombia and Brazil, docile instruments of the Yankees, drew up a plan to hand the matter over to the OAS but this was rejected by the Soviet Union, which favored a cease-fire agreement. The invaders failed in their attempt to get the masses to rise up with the weapons they had dropped from planes, but they did capture the town of Bananera and cut off the Puerto Barrios railway line.
The goal of the mercenaries was clear: to take Puerto Barrios and then ship in various arms and more mercenary troops. This became clear when the schooner Siesta de Trujillo was captured as it tried to unload arms in that port. The final attack failed but in the hinterland areas the assailants committed extremely barbarous acts, murdering members of SETUFCO (the union of the United Fruit Company workers and employees) in the cemetery, where hand grenades were thrown at their chests.
The invaders believed they only had to say the word and the people would rise up as one to follow them, and thatâs why they parachute-dropped weapons, but the people immediately rallied to defend Ãrbenz. Although the invading troops were blocked and defeated on all fronts until they were pushed back beyond Chiquimula near the Honduran border, the pirate airplanes keptattacking the battlefronts and towns, always coming from bases in Honduras and Nicaragua. Chiquimula was heavily bombed and bombs also fell on Guatemala City, injuring several people and killing a three-year-old little girl.
My own
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