Efraín Ríos Montt
A Guatemalan general whose brutal 17-month rule was marked by a scorched-earth campaign against indigenous communities, leading to genocide charges.
1926–2018 (age 92)·38th President of Guatemala from 1982 to 1983·Birthday: June 16·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Efraín Ríos Montt seized power in Guatemala through a coup, promising to restore order amid a vicious civil war. A born-again evangelical in a predominantly Catholic country, he framed his rule in stark, moralistic terms. His government implemented a ruthless counterinsurgency strategy known as 'fusiles y frijoles' (rifles and beans), which combined military terror with limited civic action. Army-led campaigns targeted the largely indigenous highlands, resulting in the wholesale destruction of villages, mass killings, and displacement. His brief regime became one of the most violent chapters in a long conflict. Decades later, he was tried and found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity, a landmark verdict in Guatemalan history that was later overturned on a technicality. Ríos Montt remains a deeply polarizing figure, symbolizing both the extreme brutality of the war and the fraught pursuit of justice.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Efraín was born in 1926, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Efraín Was Born
The biggest hits of 1926
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
Efraín's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1926Born
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1931Started school
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1939Became a teenager
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1942Could drive
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1944Could vote
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1947Turned 21
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1956Turned 30
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1966Turned 40
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1976Turned 50
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 60
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 70
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 80
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2018Died at 92
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
Key Achievements
- Served as the de facto President of Guatemala from March 1982 to August 1983 after leading a military coup.
- His government's counterinsurgency campaign significantly weakened the URNG guerrilla coalition.
- In 2013, he was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity for policies during his rule, a historic first for Guatemala.
- Founded the Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG), a political party that held significant power in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Did You Know?
He was an ordained minister in the Church of the Word, a neo-Pentecostal denomination.
After his presidency, he served as President of Congress from 1995 to 2004.
His 2013 genocide conviction was annulled days later by Guatemala's Constitutional Court, and he died before a retrial concluded.
“I do not have a policy of scorched earth; it is a biblical policy.”
