Kammala jumla mai zuwa: Bayan karshen shugabancin Arévalo a 1951, an zabi Jacobo Árbenz a matsayin shugaban kasa a cikin gagarumar nasara. Jagoran soja na ci gaba na 1944 ya ci gaba da gyare-gyaren Arévalo, kuma ya fara shirin gyaran ƙasa mai ban sha'awa, wanda aka sani da Dokar 900. A karkashinsa, an kwace sassan da ba a noma ba na manyan mallakar ƙasa a musayar diyya, kuma an sake rarraba su ga ma'aikatan noma da ke fama da talauci. Kimanin mutane 500,000 ne suka amfana daga wannan dokar. Mafi yawansu 'yan asalin ƙasar ne, waɗanda kakanninsu suka rasa dukiyarsu bayan da aka kori su.
mamayewar Mutanen Espanya. Manufofin Árbenz sun sa Kamfanin United Fruit Company ya yi jayayya, wanda ya yi hasarar wasu daga cikin gonakinsa da ba a noma ba. Kamfanin ya matsa wa gwamnatin Amurka don kifar da Árbenz, kuma Ma'aikatar Harkokin Wajen ta amsa ta hanyar shirya juyin mulki a karkashin hujjar cewa Árbenz dan gurguzu ne. Carlos Castillo Armas ya karbi iko a shugabancin soja, wanda ya haifar da yakin basasar Guatemala. Yaƙin ya ci gaba daga 1960 zuwa 1996, kuma ya ga sojojin da Amurka ke tallafawa sun aikata kisan kare dangi a kan 'yan asalin Maya, da kuma keta hakkin bil'adama ga fararen hula.