List of Guatemalans

A

Abularach, Rodolfo, painter

Álvarez, José Luis (1917–2012), painter

Andrade, Sergio, musician (bassist founder of Lifehouse)

Argueta, Luis, film director

Arbenz Vilanova, Arabella, actress, model, socialite. Daughter of Jacobo Arbenz, had a tumultuous life following her family into exile behind the Iron Curtain.

Arbenz, Jacobo (1913-1971), military officer, former president, deposed by CIA and Guatemalan military

Arenales Catalán, Emilio (1922–1969), diplomat. Foreign minister of Guatemala from 1966 to 1969 and the president of the United Nations Twenty-Third General Assembly from 1968 to 1969.

Arévalo, Juan José, first democratically elected president, Jacobo Arbenz was the second

Arjona, Ricardo, international singer

Asturias, Miguel Ángel, writer, winner of the Nobel Prize in literature (1967)

Asturias, Rodrigo, guerrilla leader of ORPA, a.k.a. Comandante Gaspar Ilom, son of writer Miguel Ángel Asturias

Ayala Acevedo, Allan, track athlete, national record holder in 400, 400 hurdles, and 1600 relay

Aycinena y Piñol, Juan JoséEcclesiastical and intellectual conservative in Central America. He was President of the Pontifical University of San Carlos Borromeo from 1825-1829 and then of the Universidad Nacional from 1840 to 1865. Thinker criticized by liberal historians for his strong relationship with the conservative government of General Rafael Carrera and for eliminating the possibility of getting the Central American Union who the Liberals wanted. His participation in the government has been exhibited more objectively by research conducted between 1980 and 2010. Heir in 1814 of the noble title of III Marquess of Aycinena and bishop in partibus of Trajanopolis since 1859. He had a taste for law, oratory talent and wrote over twenty works.

B

Barrios, Justo Rufino, General, leader of the Liberal movement, dictator, attempted Central-American union by force

Barrondo, Erick, Olympic Silver medalist racewalker

Batres Montúfar, José, writer

Berganza, Eddie, writer, Executive Editor of DC Comics

Bressani Castignoli, Ricardo, nutrition expert and biochemist

Bosch Gutierrez, Felipe A., international businessman

Bosch Gutierrez, Juan Luis, international businessman

C

Cardoza y Aragón, Luis, writer, essayist, poet, art critic, and diplomat

Carnage, DJ and music producer

Carrera, Rafael, general, conservative politician. President of Guatemala from 1844 to 1848 and from 1851 until his death in 1865. During his military career and presidency, the new nations in Central America faced numerous problems. This led to a rise of caudillos, a term that refers to charismatic populist leaders among the indigenous people. Many regional and national caudillos were interested in power for their own gain, but Carrera was an exception as he genuinely took the interests of Guatemala's Indian majority to heart. During his life, the liberals could not establish the Central American Federation that they wished due to Carrera's strong conservative and Catholic convictions.

Castillo Armas, Carlos, colonel, politician

Castillo, Otto René, poet, guerrilla member of FAR

Chacón González, Lázaro Army General, former President

Chinchilla Recinos, María (1909–1944), schoolteacher killed by soldiers during a peaceful demonstration, now celebrated as a national heroine

Cerna y Cerna, Vicente, conservative marshal and politician. Loyal friend and comrade of Rafael Carrera, was appointed army's marshall after Carraera's victory against Salvadorian leader Gerardo Barrios. He was appointed Carrera's successor after the caudillo's death in 1865; however, Cerna's presidency was marred by constant uprising and was eventually ousted by the liberal leaders Miguel Garcia Granados and Justo Rufino Barrios on June 30, 1871.

Cordón, Kevin, national badminton player

E

Estrada Cabrera, Manuel, lawyer. Secretary of Foreign during Jose Maria Reina Barrios government. President of Guatemala from 1898 to 1920.

Espada, Rafael, Vice President of Guatemala and former cardiothoracic surgeon

F

Flaquer Azurdia, Irma, journalist

Flores, Mateo, athlete

G

Galeotti Torres, Rodolfo, sculptor

García Granados y Saborío, María (1860-1878), socialite. She was the daughter of General Miguel García Granados, who was President of Guatemala from 1871 to 1873 and granddaughter of María Josefa García Granados, an influential poet and journalist of the time. When Cuban poet and patriot José Martí came to Guatemala in 1877, he was invited to General Garcia Granados gatherings and fell in love with Maria there, but could not correspond her because he was already engaged to marry Ms. Carmen Zayas Bazán. María died in 1878, shortly after learning that Martí had married, and he immortalized her in his 1891 poem La Niña de Guatemala.

García Granandos y Zavala, María Josefa (1796-1848), intellectual, writer, journalist and poet of Spanish origin, and one of the greatest intellectual exponents of the Independence of Guatemala in 1821. She was also a feminist ahead of her time that with here strong and dominant character prevailed in Guatemalan society. She was the sister of General Miguel García Granados, who was the first liberal president of Guatemala and Adelaida García Granados, who was tutor of Petrona Alvarez, wife of General Rafael Carrera, lifelong conservative president of Guatemala. As his family was part of the Aycinena clan, it suffered exile and dispossession of their property by Francisco Morazán in 1829.

García Laguardia, Jorge Mario, jurist, magistrate of the Constitutional Court, and Ombudsman for Human Rights

Gerardi Conedera, Juan José, Roman Catholic bishop and human rights defender

Goldman, Francisco, writer

Gomez Carrillo, Enrique (1873–1927), writer. He was a world class journalist who is most famous for his chronicles of the Russian Revolution and World War I.

González Palma, Luis, photographer

Gutierrez, Juan José, international businessman

Gutierrez Mayorga, Dionisio, international businessman

H

Hendricks, Ted, retired American Football linebacker who played 15 years for the Baltimore Colts, Green Bay Packers, and the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders

I

Isaac, Oscar, Guatemalan-American Actor

J

Jensen, Alfred Julio, artist

L

La Rue, Frank William, human rights activist, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression

Lehnhoff, Dieter, composer, conductor, musicologist

Lopez, Ed, Guatemalan-American politician

Lubitch Domecq, Alcina, writer

Lucas García, Fernando Romeo, general, former President

Rolando "The Kid" Lopez, musician, composer , guitar virtuoso

M

Mack, Myrna, anthropologist

Marroquin, Manny, Grammy Award winning mixer/engineer

Martinez, Benito, American actor of Guatemalan descent

Menchú, Rigoberta, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize (1992), indigenous woman, activist, author

Mérida, Carlos, painter

Mendez, Francisco, (1907–1962) writer and member of Tepeus Group

Milla y Vidaurre, José (Salome Jil) (1822–1882), writer

Monteforte Toledo, Mario, writer

Monterroso, Augusto, writer, winner of the Prince of Asturias Award of literature (2000)

Montúfar y Rivera, Lorenzo (1823-1898), politician and lawyer. Strong leader and speaker, helped the liberal regime of Justo Rufino Barrios, served in the Guatemalan legislature, taught in the College of Law of the Universidad Nacional de Guatemala and, towards the end of his life, he was a presidential candidate himself losing to general José María Reyna Barrios. He was also Foreign Secretary of Costa Rica in 1856 and from 1870 to 1873, and President of University of Saint Thomas, also in Costa Rica.

Moreno, Gaby, singer and songwriter

Mulet, Edmond, diplomat, head of mission of MINUSTAH

P

Palencia, Karl M., Record Producer (Pina Records), aka Myztiko

Palma, Gustavo Adolfo (1920–2010), Singer - Lyric Tenor

Pappa, Marco, Guatemalan National Team and Seattle Sounders footballer

Peña Aldana, Carlos Enrique, winner of Latin American Idol 2nd season

Pezzarossi, Dwight, retired Guatemalan National Team and CSD Comunicaciones footballer

Plata, Juan Carlos, retired Guatemalan National Team and CSD Municipal footballer

Q

Quevedo, Fernando, Professor of theoretical physics, Cambridge, England

Quezada Toruño, Rodolfo, Cardinal, Archbishop of Guatemala City

R

Ramírez, Guillermo, retired Guatemalan National Team footballer, who also had a prolific club career

Ramirez de León, Arnoldo, guerrilla leader of EGP a.k.a. Comandante Rolando Morán

Raudales, Henry, violinist

Recinos, Adrián, Lawyer, historian, Mayanist scholar, essayist, and diplomat

Recinos, Efraín, Engineer, Architect, Painter, Sculptor, Muralist, Scenographer, Inventor

Robles, Rodolfo, physician, discovered onchocercosis (Robles Disease)

Rodriguez Macal, Virgilio, writer

Ríos Montt, Efraín, general, dictator, stands accused of genocide

Rodríguez Beteta, Virgilio (1885–1967), lawyer, historian, diplomat and writer

Ruiz, Carlos, Guatemalan National Team and CSD Municipal footballer

Rafeal Carrey (president)

S

Sandarti, Héctor, television personality

Sandoval, Kevin, Soccer player, 1988 Summer Olympics

Shery, singer, songwriter and producer

Soluna Samay, Singer, songwriter

Tobar, Hector, writer/journalist

T

Tecún Umán, sixteenth century leader of the K'iche' Maya people

Turcios Lima, Luis Augusto, Guatemalan army officer, guerrilla leader (FAR)

U

Ubico, Jorge, military dictator

Unger, David, author

Urruela Federico, diplomat

V

Villatoro, Anton, professional cyclist

Villatoro, Alan, International Christian singer, music producer

Viñals, Jaime, mountaineer (scaled seven highest peaks in the world)

von Ahn, Luis, computer scientist, creator of CAPTCHA technology, professor of Carnegie Mellon University

W

Whitbeck, Harris, CNN's International Correspondent based in Mexico City.

Y

Yela Günther, Rafael, sculptor

Yon Sosa, Marco Antonio, Guatemalan army officer, guerrilla leader MR-NOV13

Z

Zamora, José Rubén, journalist

Zuniga, Daphne, Guatemalan-American actress