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It seems as if everything read about in regards to Guatemala is about land or death over land. The amount of detail and violence in this weeks reading was overwhelming, so say the least. The hatred and hardships that had to be over come to reconstruct Santa María Tzejá were more then most people could bear. The ways in which the army obtained the town and abused it's people reminded me of a modern day holocaust. It is hard to understand how all of this could go on in the 1980's, a modern time, with no one noticing or stepping in to resolve the terror. The extended massacre and destruction of the town is just a small part of the devastation. I can't even imagine what it would be like to see me town burned and then be forced into a hybrid social colony. Over spring break a worked in a town just like Santa María Tzejá and I now see what it is like to build a town from the ground up and understand the labor it takes to plow a field bay hand with only minimal tools and I an not sure how the peasants went on after loosing everything.

The word community comes up a lot when we talk about Guatemala. When I think of community in reference to Guatemala, I think of a true bond and kinship; a support network of sorts. Therefore, I found it interesting that the peasants turned on one another during reunification. I see where conflicts arose between the three factions, but it seem more natural for them to all come together after enduring such hardships. It was heart warming though to see that the nuevos and refugees would in the end see the error in their ways and would come together for the same cause and in the end were able to live together. It was very gracious of the nuevos to retreat and give the land back to the refugees. I can't imagine I would want to go back after life seemed so much better in Mexico, but I know there is a pride and bond that comes when you create something, how the refugees created Santa María Tzejá. Though they are not of the same heritage, I can one day see the nuevos and refugees traditions and rituals blending together to form a unified community.

Even though we have already read so much this semester, it still boggles my mind the lengths people will go to, to acquire and protect land. Land is clearly livelihood in Guatemala, but it seems that it is more valuable then a human life, which could should never be the case. I am not sure Guatemala will ever be a country not filled with turmoil, it's people seem to have a lot of harbored hatred and resentment towards the country and for valid reason.