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New government introduced reforms that gave rights to the Mayan people. Made coffee plantations state-owned, which upset US, because they had many investments in the plantations.
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US organized and trained Guatemalan exiles to invade and overthrow the government for being "communist". The reforms that benefited the Mayans were lost.
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US military government's new policies result in the people fighting against the government.
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The Guatemalan army fires on and kills many protestors in the first act of violence against civilians in the civil war.
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Non-violent Mayan protesters occupied the Spanish Embassy, the Ambassador wanted to respond peacefully, but the Embassy was deliberately burned down. All the Mayans and the Embassy staff was killed, but the Ambassador survived.
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Mayans began to be murdered.
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Troops of the government burned villagers houses and crops, and killed their farm animals in a "scorched earth" policy. The idea of the policy was that in any place where they thought there might be rebels, everyone would be killed.
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Number of Mayan murders declined dramatically.
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Cerezo's election marked the beginning of the end of military violence against Guatemalan civilians. Cerezo was the first civilian elected President since 1966.
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Peace treaty was finally signed.
