Rodrigo Asturias

Rodrigo Asturias Amado was a Guatemalan guerrilla leader and [[Politics of Guerrilla Leadership: In the 1970s, he co-founded the Organization of the People in Arms (ORPA), one of the four main guerrilla groups that later merged to form the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG). Symbolic Name: His pseudonym, Gaspar Ilom, was taken from a character in his father’s famous novel, Hombres de Maíz . Peace Process: He was a primary negotiator for the guerrilla forces during the talks that led to the 1996 Peace Accords, which ended 36 years of civil war. Political Career: Following the peace treaty, he transitioned into mainstream politics. He ran as the URNG's presidential candidate in 2003, though he did not win. Death: He died of a heart attack in Guatemala City on June 15, 2005, at the age of 65]].