1980 Spanish embassy burning in Guatemala City

Burning of the Spanish Embassy
Part of Guatemalan Civil War
Location
Date31 January 1980; 44 years ago (1980-01-31)
Target
Attack type
State terrorism
Deaths37 hostage (8 Spanish diplomats + 28 peasants and activists)
PerpetratorsGuatemalan Police
Armed Forces of Guatemala

The Burning of the Spanish Embassy (sometimes called the Spanish Embassy Massacre or the Spanish Embassy Fire) refers to the occupation of the Spanish Embassy in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on January 31, 1980, by indigenous peasants of the Committee for Peasant Unity and their allies and the subsequent police raid that resulted in a fire which destroyed the embassy and left 37 people dead. The incident has been called "the defining event" of the Guatemalan Civil War.[1] Spain terminated diplomatic relations with Guatemala as a result.[2]

  1. ^ Arias, Arturo (2007). Taking Their Word: Literature and the Signs of Central America. University of Minnesota Press. p. 161. ISBN 978-0-8166-4849-8.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference time 1980 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).