Guatemalans in the Aftermath of Violence: The Refugees' Return

In the early 1980s the Guatemalan army unleashed a scorched—earth campaign against civilians suspected of supporting antigovernment guerrilla forces. Faced with violent repression, indigenous people found various ways to survive. Some joined the guerrilla ranks, some fell in with so—called self—defense patrols controlled by the army, while others crossed the Mexican border to seek safety. In the mid—1990s, after more than a decade in refugee camps, the displaced migrants returned to Guatema...