Why the Ixil TriangleDuring the longest civil war in Latin American history, running from 1960 until 1996, the Ixil Triangle was hit by waves of horrific violence as it became the main theater of operation for the Guerrilla Army. As a result, the Guatemalan army targeted many of these areas, adopting a program of genocidal tactics against the Mayan communities. During this time military death squads massacred over 200,000 people, 440 villages were wiped from the map, and 1 million people fled their homes into the mountainous western highlands.
In 1987 the atrocities of the Civil War came to light, and since the 1996 peace accords the government has taken steps taken to heal these wounds by building schools in these remote areas. Unfortunately, the resulting poverty and homelessness issues have not been addressed. During the last five years Bridge of Hope has been building on the foundation of its predecessor’s more than 20 years experience serving these devastated communities. |