Overview
- The effigy was burned on December 7 in Guatemala City during La Quema del Diablo, a centuries-old pre-Christmas cleansing tradition.
- Reuters video shows a papier-mâché head resembling President Donald Trump placed in a giant devil’s hand and set ablaze, with another horned-Trump crab figure burned elsewhere in the capital.
- Festival participant Aldahir Gonzalez described the rite as a symbolic purge of evil to mark the start of the holiday season.
- An organizer known as “Diablo 1” labeled Trump the “little tyrant” and said his depiction drew focus because of controversy and perceived harm to Latin communities.
- Reports connected the selection to recent U.S.–Guatemala migration flashpoints, citing deportation flights, enforcement affecting families, and a June Asylum Cooperative Agreement.