2020-06-25 Thu

The celebration of Teachers' Day in Guatemala annually falls on June 25. This is a special day for all teachers and professors.

In 1931, General Jorge Ubico came to power in Guatemala and started his authoritarian rule. He was known for his policies that generally continued the practice of his predecessors. His regime was overthrown in July 1944 by a pro-democracy uprising, which led to a 10-year Guatemalan Revolution.

In 1942 Ubico confiscated coffee plantations held by Germans, and this eventually led to the massive protests against him. Among the demonstrators were students and teachers, who demanded some educational reforms and immediate release of their comrades. In June 1944 the repressions against the civilians worsened and teachers again started demonstrations.

Professor Maria Chinchilla was one of the activists and on June 25 she was shot by the troops, sent by the government to suppress the demonstration. Today Maria Chinchilla is one of the martyrs of Guatemala and the day of her death is known as Teachers' Day. The 0.12 Guatemalan quetzal stamp issued in the year 1978 depicts a child holding a helping hand.

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Image Courtesy: Colnect.com