Even in Guatemala’s Small Towns, This Election Feels Huge
AQ’s columnist attended rallies in the campaign’s final days. Everyone seemed aware of the stakes for democracy.
LA ALTA MONTAÑA DE SAN JOSÉ PINULA, Guatemala — This rural hamlet sits in a dense maze of hills just 30 miles from the center of Guatemala City, but it feels like it’s a world away. It takes almost half a day of driving along vertically-pitched dirt roads—if you’re lucky—to make it to the town center. But even there, you can sense Guatemala is in the midst of its most consequential presidential election in decades—one that could shape whether Guatemala’s democracy survives or slips away. The August 20 runoff pits centrist anti-corruption candidate, Bernardo Arévalo,...
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