The consequences of violence in Guatemala, a violence that stemmed from an armed conflict between the army and the guerrilla forces during the past 40 years, have led to more than massacres, missing people, displaced populations and exile; they have sown terror, fear and silence, they have destroyed the fabric of society and left deep scars in daily life and ways of living.

All of these elements, which build a prison of pain, the anguish of daily existence, the dizziness of an unspoken joy that is not linked to hope, fear and the strain of regaining the lost memory, together with a collective process of repairing the damage caused by violence, constitute a new map to guide us through this world of illusions, in order to see death reflected in the mirror of collective memory.

The Mayan people’s process of uncovering the truth and searching for justice, generates many contradictions that have not been resolved on a judicial, social, political, cultural and economic level.

Despite the fact that the Peace Accords were signed in December 1996 after long years of negotiation, the martyrdom of the Mayan people is the result of a political history of exclusion, developed by a hegemonic system based on intolerance, lack of solidarity and disrespect for basic rights.