But it also alludes to Guatemala鈥檚 鈥渄emocratic spring," considered a more inclusive period in the country's history during the presidency in the 1940s and early 1950s of his late father, Juan Jos茅 Ar茅valo.

Bernardo Ar茅valo won just 11% of the vote in the presidential election鈥檚 first round June 25, but it was enough to give him the in the Aug. 20 runoff ballot. He will face , a conservative and former first lady who was the leading vote-getter in the first round and is making her third bid for the presidency.

Ar茅valo's recent speech in Santa Maria de Jesus was similar to those he has given in Guatemala鈥檚 capital, but the imagery could be especially important in rural Indigenous communities as he seeks to rapidly expand his largely urban, youthful base before the runoff.

He won in Guatemala City and other important cities, including Sacatepequez and Quetzaltenango. It remains to be seen whether he can convince people in rural communities that he can address their daily problems.

The delayed certification of the first round results shortened the already small window that Ar茅valo has to reintroduce himself to much of the country as his opponents rush to paint their own negative picture.

鈥淒o you feel what is happening?鈥� Ar茅valo told the crowd in Santa Maria de Jesus. 鈥淭he new spring is arriving, that鈥檚 what you feel, and you all are the seeds of that new spring."

鈥淎 new spring that is going to bring us well-being, the water we lack, the education they owe us, the health that they have denied us thanks to those corrupt contracts that serve few," Ar茅valo said, standing in front of an old, damaged Roman Catholic church, in a wide-brimmed hat and untucked shirt against the tropical heat.

Among those listening was Juana Or贸n, a 67-year-old homemaker of the Kaqchikel people. She is one of the older voters who remember hearing about Ar茅valo鈥檚 father, one of only two leftist presidents in Guatemala鈥檚 democratic era.

The elder Ar茅valo, who governed from 1945 to 1951, is credited with establishing key social programs that remain in place today, including Guatemala's labor code and social security. Guatemala鈥檚 democratic spring was cut short in 1954 by the CIA-backed overthrow of his successor, President Jacobo Arbenz.

Under Juan Jos茅 Ar茅valo, the state advocated for rights for Indigenous peoples and others beyond the country鈥檚 small elite.

鈥淚 remember I was little and (my parents) said he had done good things,鈥� said Or贸n whose first language as a child was Kaqchikel. If his father was good, Ar茅valo could be a good president, too, she said.

Opponents have tried to frame Ar茅valo鈥檚 candidacy as a step toward some of the region鈥檚 more notorious leftist regimes, such as Cuba and Nicaragua. They warn that the progressive candidate will bring expropriations, abortion and same-sex marriage to the conservative country.

Ar茅valo has been the election鈥檚 surprise.

In the days before the June 25 vote, he was polling below 3% and trailing at least seven of the other 21 candidates. But his anti-corruption message resonated in the country where gains against corruption have been erased and the justice system reoriented to pursue the prosecutors and judges who formerly led that fight.

In the month since that initial result, the Attorney General鈥檚 Office announced an investigation into his party and until the Constitutional Court stepped in to block that move.

In Santa Maria de Jesus, people wanted to compare Ar茅valo in person to what they were hearing about him. Some handed him flowers, posed for photos or reached out to touch him as he made his way through the throng.

Ar茅valo pushed back against attempts to frame him as a left-wing radical 鈥� he has said private property rights are not up for discussion 鈥� and pounded the issue of corruption.

鈥淟et us work, let us get ahead on our own effort, let鈥檚 get rid of the corrupt once and for all,鈥� he said.

For Francisco Jim茅nez, a political scientist at Rafael Landivar University, Ar茅valo will need concrete proposals to make inroads with the base of Torres, who has spent two decades assembling it.

鈥淗e will have to make governing proposals with a social agenda, where the people see that he is going to have an impact on their lives and communities,鈥� Jim茅nez said. 鈥淭he other part is continuing to present himself as the different model. That has been his success, someone totally different from the other candidates.鈥�

Evangelical churches in Guatemala have painted Ar茅valo as an existential threat to the family.

Gladys Sunun, a 35-year-old Kaqchikel vendor from an evangelical family, said she came to hear Ar茅valo for herself. She said she had heard that Ar茅valo would convert Guatemala into another Cuba or Nicaragua, but left feeling that might not be true, though she wants to investigate more.

鈥淗e came to tell us not to worry,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t sounds real, but we don鈥檛 know.鈥�

Her sister July Sunun said she wanted to hear more about Ar茅valo's positions on gender ideology. 鈥淎s a mother I鈥檓 afraid, because we鈥檝e grown up with a Christian background. I don鈥檛 want to marry my daughter with another woman," she said.

July Sunun acknowledged that Ar茅valo said he would respect the identities and decisions of the people, 鈥渂ut what he hasn鈥檛 said is that he won鈥檛 allow (same-sex marriage) to happen here."