Today we visited a cultural anthropology lab which exhumes bodies of those that died during the massacres in the time of violence. Families who lost someone approach this organization hoping to find the remains and have a proper burial. Here they are funded by the european government to dig up the bones of family members who were killed in genocides and masacrars. By digging up these bodies, the people of Guatemala are able to prove that these events did occur, and fight for their right to justice. Our group was esspecially intrigued by this event because it made the history and stories we have been hearing so much more real. We felt so privelaged to be able to walk through the lab and stand right in front of the bodies they were investigating. Jennifer, the anthropologist taught us that you can identify so much just by looking at the bones. We were able to take a look at a 30-40 year 0ld man, who had been shot through the head and burried deep in the ground by the army. Often times family members would flee from the military and hide in the mountains, if they would die of starvation in the mountains the family members would quickly bury them in the night and keep on running. Their are many families now who remember where they were burried and want to dig them up to give them a proper burrial.
When viewing the bones of a child it really hit me. The spine vertibraies were about the size of a nickle, and the ribs were as small as twigs you would see on trees. I couldnt belive that any human being could kill something so small and new to this world. Never should a child ever deserve to die. Seeing this made me feel sick to my stomach. It clicked in that they were people and not numbers, I was able to relate to them, they had families and friends just like us. These children played hopscotch and catch just like us.
Jennifer says right now they are on a very low rate of digging bodies because of past financial issues, 1-2 per week. The Guatemalan government does not support investigations of these masacars financially or otherwise. Jennifer also says that when there is enough funding from outside sources , they can have up to 10 exhumations or projects at once.
Although seeing this was difficult emotionally, we found that we are so greatful for this learning experience because so many people back home are unaware of these events. Through these experiences we are able to see that we are brothers and sisters with those who have suffered, and although we seem so distant and far away, we are very connected. In this way, we have discovered that apathy is no longer an option.
Ellen Reesor