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Guatemala: Families bury loved ones missing for 31 years
20-06-2013 Photo gallery
Since 2003, the ICRC mission in Guatemala has been helping families to trace their missing loved ones, as well as helping to organize wakes, burials and funeral services for those found dead.
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Yalambojoch, a Mayan Chuj farming community near the border between Guatemala and Mexico. .
During the armed conflict in the 1980s many people from here disappeared, were forced to flee to Mexico or were killed. The community still bears the scars of that time.
© ICRC / D. Hernández-Salazar
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Yalambojoch, a Mayan Chuj farming community near the border between Guatemala and Mexico. .
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Local women preparing food before the funeral ceremony.
In Mayan culture, the missing people are still part of the symbols and rituals of everyday life, including meals. Once their remains are found, the funeral ceremony is performed and the deceased can finally rest in peace.
© ICRC / D. Hernández-Salazar
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Local women preparing food before the funeral ceremony.
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Women from Yalambojoch queueing for the communal meal eaten before the ceremony.
In Mayan culture, the shared sense of loss brings the different generations together for the service; the collective expression of grief bestows dignity on the relatives. Whether it’s for a relative or a stranger, the community mourns and remembers the dead together.
© ICRC / D. Hernández-Salazar
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Women from Yalambojoch queueing for the communal meal eaten before the ceremony.
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Two different generations carry a coffin across to the community hall.
The remains of 17 people who went missing 25 years ago will be laid to rest in two coffins, which represent the two separate incidents in which they went missing. Complete skeletons could not be identified by forensic scientists as the remains had been scattered by the elements. ICRC support enables the families of the dead to afford food, flowers, candles, coffins and commemorative plaques.
© ICRC / D. Hernández-Salazar
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Two different generations carry a coffin across to the community hall.
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Catarina Mauricio grieves for her husband and two daughters.
Lucas Mauricio Guillen, his wife, Catarina, and their two daughters, Angelina and Eulalia – just 3 and 5 years old – fled their home in 1982. They ran into a military patrol and were fired upon: their two daughters were killed instantly and Lucas was seriously injured. Catarina and her husband managed to get across the border to Mexico, but Lucas sadly died from his injuries three days later.
© ICRC / D. Hernández-Salazar
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Catarina Mauricio grieves for her husband and two daughters.
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Catarina and five others whose loved ones’ remains were found listen as the transfer-of-remains certificate is read out.
The transfer-of-remains certificate formalizes the handover of the clothes, personal effects and remains of 17 people who could not be individually identified. It also states that the case is closed, meaning that relatives now know the names of everyone who was killed in Yaltoya, Yalambojoch.
© ICRC / D. Hernández-Salazar
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Catarina and five others whose loved ones’ remains were found listen as the transfer-of-remains certificate is read out.
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Families gather round the remains to pray for the deceased and remember them.
© ICRC / D. Hernández-Salazar
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Families gather round the remains to pray for the deceased and remember them.
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Relatives decorate the altar with candles and flowers before celebrating mass.
In Mayan culture, the whole community comes together to support the relatives during the ceremony.
© ICRC / D. Hernández-Salazar
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Relatives decorate the altar with candles and flowers before celebrating mass.
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A funeral procession from the main square to the cemetery.
The relatives carry the remains to the local cemetery after a night-long funeral wake praying for the deceased to rest in peace.
© CICR / D. Hernández-Salazar
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A funeral procession from the main square to the cemetery.
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The procession entering the cemetery.
A mausoleum has been built especially to hold the remains of the deceased. Although it is a sad occasion, many relatives feel a sense of peace now that they have been able to hold a funeral ceremony for their loved ones in keeping with their culture and traditions.
© ICRC / D. Hernández-Salazar
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The procession entering the cemetery.
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An ICRC delegate saying a few words at the funeral service.
Since 2003, the ICRC mission in Guatemala has been helping relatives to trace their missing loved ones, as well as helping to identify the dead, organize funeral services and offer bereavement counselling.
© ICRC / D. Hernández-Salazar
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An ICRC delegate saying a few words at the funeral service.
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The ceremony brings to a close a difficult and painful chapter in the history of the community of Yalambojoch. The next generation will face the challenges of the future with confidence, while never forgetting those who died in the armed conflict of the past.
© ICRC / D. Hernández-Salazar
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The ceremony brings to a close a difficult and painful chapter in the history of the community of Yalambojoch. The next generation will face the challenges of the future with confidence, while never forgetting those who died in the armed conflict of the past.
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