Editing Jacobo Arbenz (section)

==Military Career and Political Awakening ==
Árbenz served as an army officer in the 1930s, stationed at Fort San José and other posts, where he witnessed the brutal treatment of indigenous peasants and laborers under Ubico’s vagrancy laws. In 1938, he married María Cristina Vilanova, a Salvadoran from a wealthy family with liberal leanings, who introduced him to Marxist and socialist literature, including works by Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. Their marriage, which produced three children—Jacobo, María Leonora, and Arabella—became a partnership of shared political ideals.

In 1939, Árbenz joined the faculty of the Escuela Politécnica, teaching military history and tactics. His exposure to Guatemala’s social injustices and María’s influence radicalized him, aligning him with the reformist “October Revolutionaries.” In 1944, he played a key role in the uprising that ousted Ubico, supporting the civilian-military junta led by Juan José Arévalo, Francisco Javier Arana, and himself. Árbenz’s bravery during the revolt, including disarming loyalist forces, earned him national recognition.