The Guatemalan Peace Accords Ten Years Later (program), November 6, 2006

The Guatemalan Peace Accords were signed December 29, 1996, ending Guatemala's 36-year civil war, one of the longest and bloodiest in Latin American history, leaving an estimated 200,000 dead, most of them indigenous Mayans. Brokered by the UN, the accords involved major concessions from both sides, including significant constitutional reforms by the Guatemalan government. At this conference, guest speakers from Guatemala and UT faculty commentators will discuss what the accords have and have not accomplished ten years down the road, particularly in regard to political parties, the army, and indigenous communities. The keynote address by Alvaro Arz. Trigoyen, current mayor of Guatemala City and former president of Guatemala (1996-2000), will examine policy then and now. The conference will be in English and Spanish, with simultaneous translation provided.