The Mayan Massacre

Guatemala was once the center of the Mayan Kingdom, until the 10th century AD. It was until Spanish explorers conquered the land and made the Mayans slaves in their own country. To this day, the Mayans are still the most underprivileged in Guatemala. The genocide of the Mayans had started as an accusation of being involved in a communist revolution in 1981. With this, it led to many deaths of the Mayans and millions being dragged out of their homes. In what had seemed a typical civil war, fighting for their rights, it turned into a deadly massacre of the poor Mayans. During this time period, a civil war was undertaken. The cause for this was the rebellion of guerrilla forces trying to overthrow Miguel Yidigoras Fuentes, who was the president
It had started off as harsh racism, but led to the brutal killings of the defenceless Mayan communities. According to the article, “The villagers, if they didn’t escape to become hunted refugees, were then brutally murdered; others were forced to watch, and sometimes to take part. Buildings were vandalized and demolished, and a ‘Scorched Earth’ policy applied: the killers destroyed crops, slaughtered livestock, fouled water supplies, and violated sacred places and cultural symbols.” (www.ppu.org.uk). This suggests that the army had no remorse while doing these harsh, destructive sprees on the Mayans. The regime had passed a policy to destroy their land because ‘they weren’t properly working the land.’ The result of this was the death of thousands of Mayans due to starvation and diseases. The army destroyed 626 villages, and in each village constant abuse and torture were executed. In the article it states, “Children were often beaten against walls, or thrown alive into pits where the bodies of adults were later thrown; they were also tortured and rape. Victims of all ages often had their limbs amputated, or were impaled and left to die slowly. Others were doused in petrol and set alight, or disembowelled while still alive, Yet others were shot repeatedly, or tortured and shut up alone to die in pain. The wombs of pregnant women were cut open. Women were routinely raped while being tortured.”
Some justice the Mayan community had was being able to charge people with the deaths of some of their people. In the article it states, “...in June 2001, a legal action on behalf of 12 Mayan communities succeeded in bringing a charge of genocide against a former dictator who had seized power in 182 (ousted by another in 1983).”(www.ppu.org.uk). This reveals how the Mayan community was able to put the faith of the dictators who caused them pain in their hands. This also reveals how the Mayan community was trying hard to get justice for those who passed in the genocide. In addition to the Guatemalan government being first to blame, it was also the United States that was accused of helping the government perform the brutal killings. According to the article, it concludes that the U.S. was aware of the killings, “...the United States aided the Guatemalan government by training officers, cooperating with intelligence officials, and providing military supplies or financial support. All evidence suggests that the U.S was aware of the human rights violations being perpetrated.” (www.ncas.rutgers.edu). This proves that the U.S. had been helping the government. There are claims that the U.S. did have some part in the killings, although it isn’t one hundred percent sure just yet. Furthermore, there are still more individuals who have been charged with the murders of the Mayan community. One of the