Massacres In The Jungle: Ixcan, Guatemala, 1975-1982

by Ricardo Falla

Between 1975 and 1982 the Guatemalan military systematically and sadistically punished the "campesino" population for the activities of guerrilleros in their region. This account by Ricardo Falla, an anthropologist and Jesuit priest who is himself a Guatemalan exile, shows how the victims and their communities were destroyed and provides a detailed record of assassinations and disappearances. The book also bears witness to the work of Catholic priests who are dedicating themselves to improving the lives of the peoples of Central America.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Beth]

About the years of army repression and subsequent massacres carried out in the municipality of Ixcán in Guatemala (department El Quiché), 1975-1982. The majority who lived in this area were various indigenous communities, many organised into cooperatives where they could farm for both subsistence and wider export. This probably qualifies as being one of the most horrific events I have ever read about, and I appreciate Falla's dedication to capturing this history through the eyes of ordinary people, as the large majority of the book relies on the testimonies of witnesses who survived these events.

Significant analysis is saved for discussions on changes in the social organisation of these communities during and after these massacres, with some crossing the border and creating a refugee population in Mexico (including ~200,000 "nonofficial" refugees who were not registered as such), some staying to form resistance communities hiding in the forest, some joining the guerrillas who the army was ostensibly supposed to be fighting. The discussions of survival collective farming and security measures to elude the army were very inspiring. The role of religious thought in leading to both passivity (some stayed in the villages for reasons of faith and subsequently were murdered) and action (those who took chances to escape and trusted in God to either see them to safety or put them out of their misery) were also interesting, and handled with compassion and sensitivity. Truly a testament to human survival, resistance, and capacity to overcome some of the most appalling circumstances.

[Paul]

This book is an anthropological-style text that documents the systematic killing of the indigenous population in the Peten jungle in northern Guatemala, on the border with Chiapas. Between 1975 and 1982 the Guatemalan government killed somewhere around two million indigenous people in response to their attempts at self-organization.