SONIA PÉREZ

A U.S. woman who was caught at Guatemala City airport with two ancient Mayan relics last week is in trouble again: She and another American were stopped on Sunday driving away from a ruin with 166 other pre-Hispanic artifacts. Stephanie Allison Jolluck, who was released by a judge after her first arrest, told authorities she had bought the pieces at a market in Antigua, Guatemala. She could face charges of trafficking in national patrimony. The case comes as Guatemala prepares for the inauguration of Bernardo Arévalo on Saturday as its first indigenous president. Arévalo, a former journalist and mayor of Coban, has pledged to fight corruption and improve social services in Central America's second-largest economy. He won the November election by a narrow margin over his rival Alejandro Giammattei. Arévalo's anti-corruption stance and outsider status have made him unpopular with some sectors of society, who fear he will dismantle the political and economic system that has benefited them for decades. The Indigenous peoples, however, hope to gain more representation and recognition under his government. Another factor that appeared to keep Arévalo's inauguration on track was the early and strong support from the international community. The European Union, Organization of American States and the United States government repeatedly demanded respect for the popular vote after a second round of voting in November. Arévalo won that runoff by just 31,653 votes out of more than 7 million cast, or about half a percentage point. His narrow margin of victory was challenged by his rival's party and some business groups who accused the electoral tribunal of fraud. The Constitutional Court upheld Arévalo's win after an audit confirmed there were no serious irregularities in the vote count. The court also ordered a review of all public spending by both candidates to ensure transparency and compliance with campaign finance laws.