According to a 1999 United Nations truth commission, between 70 and 90% of Ixil villages
were ravaged and 60% of the population in the highland region were forced to flee to the
mountains. By 1996, it was estimated that some 7,000 Maya Ixil people had been killed
during the Civil War.
Violence particularly heightened during the period 1979–1985, as successive Guatemalan
administrations and the military pursued indiscriminate scorched-earth operations.
Nowadays, many survivors are still searching for the remains of their relatives killed
during the civil war. When it comes to the investigation of massacres against civilians,
exhumations are an essential part of the process of clarification and evidence gathering
of the Guatemalan justice system.
The forensic investigation tries to appease the grief of survivors, who can then give a
dignified burial to their loved ones.
Awards -Nominated to the Emergency Fund of Magnum Foundation -Among the winners of PDN Storytellers -2nd place as Photographer of the Year in Latin America 2015 at POY Latam -3th place in News Series at POY Latam -Honorable Mention in News Single at POY Latam -Honorable Mention in POY international -Honorable Mention in NPPA-Best of Photojournalism -Finalist at FotoEvidence Book Award 2015 -Finalist at Direct Look 2015
