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Guatemala, a country mired in turmoil, has an unusual leader in the long river of history: José Rafael Carrera Turchios. The illiterate pig farmer and bandit became Guatemala's first president in a time of crisis, ruling the land for nearly three decades.
Central America briefly formed the United Provinces after freeing itself from Spanish rule in 1821, but the young republic fell apart in 1837 due to infighting between liberals and conservatives. The United Province of Central America (UPCA) under Augustin Iturbide is coming to an end, leaving a political vacuum. Carrera's rise comes at this chaotic time.
Rafael Carrera, born in Guatemala City in 1814, was a mestizo who started out as a farm worker. However, his fate changed when government forces burned down his house in retaliation and even allegedly raped and killed his wife. Carrera, with a deep hatred of Morazán's government, stepped forward and led a small force of Indians in an attempt to retake Guatemala City.
Guatemala spiraled out of control in 1837, and Morazán fought fiercely on two fronts against Carrera and liberals elsewhere in Central America. Carrera has a growing number of supporters, especially the Indians of Guatemala, who see him as a savior. By 1838, the Republic had collapsed and the last forces loyal to Morazán had been defeated.
Carrera ascended the presidency of Guatemala and became the country's leader. As an avid Catholic, he quickly showed his iron fist. He overturned the Morazán government's anti-clerical legislation, restored ties with the church, and even signed an agreement with the Vatican in 1852 that made Guatemala the first American republic to secede from Spain.
Carrera's reign was considered dictatorial and autocratic, and he maintained order mainly through decrees. Although he stabilized the country, improved education, built roads, and reduced the national debt, freedom rarely touched his feet. Guatemala was stable under his rule, but he delayed the young nation's growth and did not allow it to learn to be independent.
As a participant in international politics, Carrera frequently interferes in the internal politics of his neighbors. He supported the conservative regime in Honduras and invaded El Salvador in an attempt to prevent the election of the liberal general Glardo Barrios. Guatemala plays a strong and interventional role in the Central American region.
Carrera's rule, while successfully stabilizing Guatemala, has also plunged the country into decades of conservatism. His influence on Guatemala was far-reaching, laying the foundation for the ruling elite and the military as a means of social mobility, while also exacerbating the alienation of Indian lands and labor.
Overall, Carrera has left a complicated and contradictory mark in Guatemala's history. He was a strongman who managed to stabilize the land, but also a tyrant, and his limitations to freedom and neglect of the Indians were thought-provoking. His influence continues to this day, becoming an important figure in Guatemalan history.
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