Buried Secrets: Truth and Human Rights in GuatemalaBetween the late 1970s and the mid 1980s, Guatemala was torn by a civil war which came to be known as La Violencia. During this time of mass terror and extreme violence, more than 600 massacres occurred in villages destroyed by the army, one and a half million people were displaced, and more than 200,000 civilians murdered. 83% of the victims were Maya, the indigenous people of Guatemala. Buried Secrets brings these chilling statistics to life as it chronicles the journey of Mayan survivors seeking truth, justice, and community healing and demonstrates that the Guatemalan army carried out a systematic and intentional genocide against the Maya. Victoria Sanford provides us with an insider's look at the workings of the Commission for Historical Clarification through the exhumation of clandestine cemeteries. The book is based on exhaustive research, including more than 400 testimonies from massacre survivors, interviews with members of the forensic team, human rights leaders, high-ranking military officers, guerrilla combatants, and government officials. Buried Secrets traces truth-telling and political change from isolated Maya villages to national political events, and provides a unique look into the experiences of Maya survivors as they struggle to rebuild their communities and lives. |
Contents
Prologue 1339 | 1 |
The Bones Dont Lie | 30 |
The Silencing of Maya Women | 49 |
It Fills My Heart with Sadness | 76 |
The Exhumation and the AntiChrist | 97 |
The Phenomenology of Terror | 121 |
Guatemalan Army Campaigns of Genocide | 147 |
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Common terms and phrases
Acul testimony amnesty army base army massacres army-controlled army's asked began burned camp campaign CERJ church civil patrols civilians clandestine cemetery combatants dead death December discourse document Don Sebastián Doña Elena ECAP El Quiché exhumation experience explained FAFG families fear Forensic Anthropology forensic team genocide grave Guatemala City Guatemalan army guerrilla Guha happened Historical Clarification human rights violations hunger husband interview Juan Manuel Julia justice killed La Violencia living looked Lucas García Maquín massacre survivors Maya communities Maya women memory military commissioners model villages mountains Nebaj official organized PACs Panzós massacre participation peace Photo Plan de Sánchez political Q'eqchi Quiché Rabinal Rigoberta Menchú Río Negro Río Negro massacre Ríos Montt rural Maya soldiers Stoll survival terror tion told torture trauma truth Tzalbal University Press Victoria Sanford violence Violencia wanted widows Xococ York