An Expanding Underbelly

by Jon Orbach (United States of America)

The last thing I expected Guatemala

“Whatever you’re thinking, it gets worse.” Surprising words to hear from Manuel while we were overlooking a gorgeous ravine and volcano mere meters from San Juan Comalapa’s city center. As I gazed at the surreal rainforest and delightful hue above, it dawned on me. A quick glance to my left revealed an older man in uniform dumping trash directly into the ravine. As I looked over the massive ledge to see where it was landing, I saw a vast sea of bottles, cans and various liquids. Any job in the rural municipality is a privilege, given its 14-percent employment rate, but its trash disposal system was a harrowing sight. Almost entirely indigenous, Comalapa — like many other Guatemalan villages — has an unsavory history, Manuel explained. Once a thriving Maya metropolis of commerce and institutional tradition, Guatemala underwent an abrupt transition upon the conquistadors’ invasion in the 16th century, with natives becoming slaves in their own homeland. Sensing my horror, Manuel, eyes fixated on the countryside, repeated his mantra. “Whatever you’re thinking, it gets worse.” In the 1980s, Manuel explained, hundreds of thousands of indigenous Maya, accused of communist mutiny, were slaughtered by the Guatemalan government. Hundreds of villages were destroyed, and millions of locals were displaced. A Kaqchikel Maya himself, Manuel let his words trail behind him; he was visibly scarred by the tragedy. An ominous glance my way, the first time Manuel had broken eye contact with the ravine, suggested there was more to come. “Here,” he said, pointing at the greenery. “Here is where they brought the bodies.” Manuel explained that while Comalapa is now known for its painters, during the genocide, it was a notorious dumping ground for cadavers. While Manuel hasn’t seen his sister for 35 years, there are many unidentified cadavers in the ravine and throughout Guatemala. Manuel was right.