Las Guerrillas

This week’s focus is on the guerrilla side of the armed conflict. We met an ex-guerrilla and watched a film Los Cruces: La Promixa Pueblo. Both events reflected the mentality of the side opposite the Guatemalan Army. To summarize the conflict, the Guatemalan Army wanted to eliminate competition for resources (land, money, services) by annihilating indigenous and poor populations. They began be murdering or “disappearing” community leaders and scholars. This occurred in response to the progressive nature of Presidents Avaralo and Arbenz who wanted to create a democracy in Guatemala. The guerrilla army arose from young army soldiers who opposed the military’s position. The guerrillas lived in the forest and traveled from place to place. This required the support on the rural, typically indigenous populations, in the form of shelter and food. Their primary objective was to take weapons and supplies from the military and to gain a political space in the government.

In today’s conference we met an ex-guerrilla named Ronaldo. He lived in a small pueblo in the countryside. When he was 8 years old, he watched his father be tortured by the military. His father as a leader in the community was not affiliated with the guerrilla forces but the military said he was. When his father survived beatings, stoning, kicks, and 15 nights naked in a grave, his family escaped to Mexico. When Ronaldo turned 18, he decided to join the guerrillas in their fight for human rights. Various leftist groups provided propaganda in the refugee camps about the situation in Guatemala and he wanted to help.

He explained his life traveling the mountains and living a very difficult life. The guerrilla camps cooked from 2-5am, when their smoke would be hidden by the darkness of night, and again from 5pm onwards, when their smoke would linger into the cloud cover. They often ate simple meals of rice, beans, and tamales – but barely more than half a coffee mug’s worth. Each day two or three campaneros shared the cooking responsibilities. In the camp, men and women had equal responsibilities and equal rights. They slept in pairs to protect one another and keep the group disassembled. Often times they slept in the same wet clothes (it rains a lot here) as they walked, worked, and fought it in all day. It was tough times emotionally as well when they lost a comrade or missed home – they could only send messages to their families once a year or so.

Occasionally, guerrillas helped farm workers as well. If they heard workers were being mistreated or not being paid, they would approach the patrones and demand that the condition be changed. If their demands were not met, then they would take arms against the finca owners. Many of the guerrillas were from communities who traveled to the fincas so they were well aware of the difficult work environment.

Later in the conflict, several leftist groups from around the nation merged together to create a larger political party, the URNG. After signing the peace accords in 1996, the party remained and participated in the following elections. Currently, there are 2 members of Congress, deputatas, from this party who oppose pretty much every law the current President and legislature propose. There are several regional and local candidates as well. Ronaldo spends his time sharing the ideals of the party and is a candidate himself in his father’s municipality. Because they have little money, his campaign is based on a philosophy of ants (I can’t remember the Spanish word) and he goes door-to-door to explain his ideas. He is trying to gain the community support in a more grassroots style. Typically candidates use bribes, gifts, and straight up cash to buy votes. One of the current presidential candidates (ex-wife of the current President) is known for going to rural communities via helicopter and gifting blenders. The poor people are uneducated or afraid to choose differently because they are threatened by the strong political parties.

As many of you know, I definitely lean to the left. When I came back from El Salvador the first time, some of you may have considered me FAR left. I still maintain my socialist ideals and want to advocate for the human rights of every person. This is the focus of most of my essays for medical school. I was very intrigued by the ex-guerrillas experience (obviously) but I am still hesitant to say their side was correct. In all some 200,000 died, some in terrible massacres and tortured, over the 36 years. Violence continues to be an issue today and there are still MANY inequalities in the country.