Editing Jacobo Arbenz (section)

==Early Life and Education== 
Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán was born on September 14, 1913, in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, to Hans Jakob Árbenz Gröbli, a Swiss-German pharmacist, and Octavia Guzmán Caballeros, a Ladina Guatemalan from a prominent local family. His father’s pharmacy business initially prospered but declined after Hans became addicted to morphine, leading to his suicide in 1934, a tragedy that deeply affected Árbenz. Raised in a middle-class household, Árbenz grew up in a culturally diverse environment, speaking German and Spanish. He attended local schools in Quetzaltenango, excelling academically and showing an early interest in social issues, influenced by Guatemala’s stark inequalities under dictator Jorge Ubico’s regime (1931–1944).

At 15, Árbenz enrolled in the **Escuela Politécnica**, Guatemala’s military academy, against his father’s wishes, who preferred a medical career. He graduated in 1935 as a sub-lieutenant, earning the Cross of Military Merit for his academic excellence and leadership. His time at the academy exposed him to progressive ideas through instructors like Major Francisco Javier Arana, shaping his views on social reform.