Manuel Estrada Cabrera

Guatemala's several dictators also have been artists at the business of discouraging opposition.

Of them all, Estrada Cabrera stands out head and shoulders above other despots, not only of Guatemala, but of all Latin America.

Until a very few years ago, he reigned for term after term, proclaiming himself re-elected when necessary, and quietly murdering any politician who gave the slightest indication of opposing him.

Why he clung to the presidency is a mystery.