A society plagued by unstable government exposed in Guatemala documentaries

Almost 70 years ago, the United States embarked on an undercover operation to overthrow the government of Guatemala in Central America. It wasn’t the first or the last time the US had used its clout to topple an elected leader. President Jacobo Arbenz fell afoul of an influential fruit company which opposed his plans for land reform. Ever since then, the country has been the victim of dictators and coups. As one of the poorest countries in the Americas, Guatemalans do anything to survive, even looking for gold and riches in the country’s largest garbage dump in Guatemala City.