Maya

IN 1999, the Commission for Historical Clarification (CEH) calculated that, from 1981-83, a fifth of the population of the northern Guatemalan town of Rabinal – at least 4,441 people – lost their lives at the hands of the military. The CEH also pointed out that 99.8 percent of the victims of these massacres were indigenous Mayans (Maya Achi). These statistics support the compelling case for arguing that the campaign of violence was specifically directed at the Maya Achi people.

In 2003, the Community Museum Rabinal Achi, the Bufete Juridico Popular and the Association for Integrated Development of the Maya Achi in the Verapaces (ADIVIMA) wrote a book, Oj K'aslik (We're Alive), which has contributed to the recovery of the historical memory of Rabinal. Oj K'aslik concludes that it is vital to "eliminate the structural roots of the internal armed conflict, which includes promoting programmes for the eradication of ethnic discrimination in Rabinal".