Guatemala: a photographic diary – in pictures

Reporters and photojournalists jostle for position at the airport as President Otto Pérez Molina, centre, holds a brief press conference before jetting off. Pérez, who once served in the special forces, has made the reduction of hunger and malnutrition a priority during his presidency. Despite swaths of lush, fertile land, Guatemala has the third-highest rate of chronic malnutrition (54.5%) in the world Photograph: Mark Tran/Guardian

A seller of cashew nuts, pistachios, plantain chips and other tasty snacks waits for customers in Guatemala City Photograph: Mark Tran/Guardian

Last year there were 5,632 officially registered murders in Guatemala, making it one of the world's most violent countries. Iron bars are ubiquitous, even on the humblest of shops, and it is common to see young security guards with pistol-grip shotguns at convenience stores Photograph: Mark Tran/Guardian

A technician examines evidence at the National Institute of Forensic Science. Funded partly with EU money, the institute was created to help speed up crime investigations. Violence against women is a chronic problem in Guatemala and most perpetrators are never brought to trial Photograph: Mark Tran/Guardian

This mural outside Pamumus village depicts military violence during the civil war that raged from 1960-96. Numerous massacres of indigenous peasants took place at the hands of the army, and the conflict claimed some 200,000 lives. The soldiers in the red berets represent the special forces Photograph: Mark Tran/Guardian

Guatemala's former dictator José Efraín Ríos Montt was convicted in May for genocide and other human rights violations, although the verdict was annulled amid suspicions of external pressure. Now there is talk of an amnesty, much to the consternation of human rights groups Photograph: Mark Tran/Guardian

Villagers in their finest costumes head to Pamumus to see the vice-president, Roxana Baldetti, who has come to highlight the country's successful campaign to combat hunger Photograph: Guardian

Vice-president Baldetti not only talks about hunger and malnutrition but violence against women. If your husband beats you, write to me and let me know, she tells the crowd Photograph: Mark Tran/Guardian

Hundreds of blue-tinged pictures of deceased locals adorn the cemetery wall in the central town of Rabinal. Indigenous Maya Achí were massacred in the early 1980s when they opposed government plans to put up a dam Photograph: Mark Tran/Guardian

Mario Chen pays tribute to his mother, Martina Rojas, in Rabinal. She had been missing for more than three decades, after being taken away by military helicopter. He received her remains only last month. 'Her remains were found in a well. I am still waiting for reparations,' Chen says Photograph: Mark Tran/Guardian