In Central America, Reagan Remains A Polarizing Figure

In Guatemala, many remember that Reagan lent his prestige and backing to Gen. Efrain Rios Montt, who came to power in a coup and was an ardent anti-communist. Currently under house arrest for his alleged role in violent July 2003 riots, Rios Montt has been blamed by many international human rights groups for the massacre of tens of thousands of Guatemalans, including many women and children.

Carolina Escobar Sarti, a Guatemalan newspaper columnist, said many view Reagan's "interventionism" as part of a "difficult era."

"Of course," she said, "There are others, those on the ultra-right, who like Reagan," she said. "He has become a symbol of the conservatives."

In Honduras, where the little-known capital Tegucigalpa burst into the world's consciousness in the 1980s as a staging area for the U.S-funded contras, the Reagan era is viewed bleakly by many.

"It was a black moment," said Guatama Fonseca, a former Honduran security minister. "Reagan is remembered for events that are very unpleasant."

Reagan's critics contend that billions of U.S. dollars and U.S. arms and military intelligence inflamed and prolonged the 1980s wars because of Reagan's determination to leave no trace of communist sympathizers so close to U.S. soil.

In El Salvador, Martinez, the former rebel leader, said the U.S.-backed wars under Reagan created a massive wave of refugees who fled to the United States. He called that migration, which created a huge Salvadoran population in Washington, "the daughter of Reagan's policies."

He also said Central America's rampant street gangs were "the grandchildren" of Reagan's policies. Many gang members are people who had fled the wars, learned gang culture in Los Angeles or New York, then brought it home, creating the region's most critical security issue.

But in Nicaragua, reaction to Reagan's death included warm eulogies. President Enrique Bolaños was among those appearing at the U.S. Embassy in Managua to sign the book of condolences. He described Reagan a "great defender of Nicaragua's return to democracy," according to a spokesman.

Jordan reported from Mexico City.