Mayan tragedy, dignified memory

[struggle4progress]

<snip> In Atitlan, the people threw the national army out in 1990 after drunken soldiers killed 13 people in just one night. This came on the heels of half a decade of murders and disappearances of town officials and other civic leaders, carried out primarily by the army and its death squads. A 20-year civil war in Guatemala intensified horrifically as a result of the much-vaunted ''Reagan Doctrine,'' which in Latin America became the green light for repression by assassination or massacre of anything and anyone that looked like or supported any type of popular social change.

It took a lot of courage for the people of Santiago Atitlan to kick out the army in 1990, but this is the caliber of the people from those lakeside communities. The army's unceremonious eviction, the focus of world media attention, signaled the waning of its prestige and power and ushered in a new phase of the anti-communist war - one that resulted in workable peace accords by 1996. One of the most traditional and ancient cultures and languages among the 22 Mayan nations, the Tzutujil are respected for their strength of cultural identity throughout Maya Guatemala.

Last week, when the army arrived and soldiers were offered to dig for buried victims, people from Santiago Atitlan blocked them from entering. Before allowing army soldiers to dig for their dead relatives, the people asked that the whole site of the buried village be declared hallowed ground: a cemetery for the many people who would never be dug out. This was accepted and legalized by the national government. <snip>

http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096411763

[Metta]

1. I salute and honor their courage and sacrifice.

What incredibly courageous people. The merit of one is truly the merit of all. Thanks for the uplifting post.

[NVMojo]

2. ...a brave people...