Yesterday was 'one of those days' that
we will remember for the rest of our lives. We traveled for over an
hour to a drop off point where a 4x4 truck picked up us. I rode in
the front with the camera gear and Adele was in the back bracing
herself against a roll bar along with several community leaders and
elders. The truck climbed straight up an eroded mountain road for
another hour until we arrived at the top. As we crested the last hill
we saw a large Mayan community waiting for us. They greeted us warmly
and it was here we met the Mayan Q'eqchi' women and listened to their
stories. They led us in a quiet procession to the sites where their
houses were burned to the ground and the rapes occurred. Through
tears they told us they had paid for the land we stood on with their
bodies and the babies they had lost after the rapes.
After sharing a meal of tortillas,
chicken, rice and beef, we walked several miles into the mountains to
where a new community has been built since the forced evictions in
2007. It was like we had entered another time and place. The mountain
path wove around lush green jungle and every corner held a
spectacular vista. The men walked behind us with machetes, bundles
of rice and babies on their heads and the women walked bare foot
through the red clay mud. We on the other hand were covered up to our
knees in red mud!
Finally we arrived at a serene,
beautiful and orderly Mayan village with gardens of pineapples,
tangerines, bananas, plantains and guiskil (similar to our acorn
squash) and harvests of cardamom and achiote. We were greeted by the
elders in a sacred clearing overlooking several mountain ranges. They
began the preparations for a Mayan ceremony. These ceremonies are
never allowed to be filmed but we were given permission to witness
the ceremony and record it. Five elders placed four bundles of copal
pum incense in a fire pit, and stood large yellow candles in all
directions to appeal to the heart of the earth and sky, and smaller
white candles encased in glass were positioned between the yellow
candles to remember the grandparents who had passed away. One of the
elders began a prayer and then the entire community began to chant
prayers, their voices rising with the smoke. All Mayan ceremonies
have a purpose and this one was intended to bring safety to the
community spokespeople, the community development committee and the
women involved in the lawsuit against the mining company.
Afterwards we joined the community
leaders and elders for caldo (a spicy beef or chicken soup),
tortillas and coffee. As the sun was setting we said our goodbyes and
hiked out to the truck waiting for us and rode down in the dark.
Words do not do justice for the incredible day we had, but I hope the
film footage will give you all a vicarious experience.
This morning we said our goodbyes to
our companeros and companeras and made some commitments to the
communities we visited. These people have become our friends and we
will do our best to support them in their resistance against mining
and in their efforts to reclaim their lands. Lastly we want to
acknowledge our amazing crew: Juanita, Edvin, Mark, the Committee and
Rights Action for their outstanding work.
Until we meet again Guatemala.
