# Jacobo Árbenz

_President of Guatemala in 1951–54_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/jacobo-arbenz
Last updated: 2026-11-02

> Juan Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán was a Guatemalan military officer and politician who served as the 25th president of Guatemala. He was Minister of National Defense from 1944 to 1950, before he became the second democratically elected President of Guatemala, from 1951 to 1954. He was a major figure in the ten-year Guatemalan Revolution, which represented some of the few years of representative democracy in Guatemalan history. The landmark program of agrarian reform Árbenz enacted as president was very influential across Latin America.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 14 September 1913 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216943#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Quetzaltenango ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216943#P19))
- **Died:** 27 January 1971 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216943#P570))
- **Place of death:** Mexico City ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216943#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Guatemala ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216943#P27))
- **Occupation:** university teacher; military personnel; politician ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216943#P106))
- **Political party:** Revolutionary Action Party ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216943#P102))
- **Education:** Escuela Politécnica (Guatemala) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216943#P69))
- **Spouse:** María Cristina Vilanova ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216943#P26))
- **Positions held:** president of Guatemala (15 March 1951 – 27 June 1954) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216943#P39))
- **Awards:** Order of the Quetzal; Legion of Merit ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216943#P166))

## Questions

**When was Jacobo Árbenz born?**  
Jacobo Árbenz was born on 14 September 1913 in Quetzaltenango.

**What positions has Jacobo Árbenz held?**  
Positions held by Jacobo Árbenz include: president of Guatemala (1951–1954).

**Where did Jacobo Árbenz study?**  
Jacobo Árbenz was educated at Escuela Politécnica (Guatemala).

## Related

- [Juan Antonio Martínez](https://diginpl.com/people/juan-antonio-martinez)
- [Alfonso Portillo](https://diginpl.com/people/alfonso-portillo)
- [Otto Pérez Molina](https://diginpl.com/people/otto-perez-molina)
- [Álvaro Arzú](https://diginpl.com/people/alvaro-arzu)
- [Álvaro Colom](https://diginpl.com/people/alvaro-colom)
- [Óscar Berger](https://diginpl.com/people/oscar-berger)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Jacobo Árbenz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobo_%C3%81rbenz) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q216943](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216943) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Jacobo Arbenz 1951 (cropped).jpg by Gobierno de Guatemala (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jacobo_Arbenz_1951_(cropped).jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Jacobo Árbenz, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Jacobo Arbenz 1951 (cropped).jpg — Gobierno de Guatemala, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Jacobo Árbenz". DigiNepal. Last updated 2 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/jacobo-arbenz. Retrieved 5 November 2026.