Glossary

achiote – a yellow-red matter from fruit of the achiote tree that is used to color food; the paste of the fruit is also used to dye cotton

almud – a five pound unit

Asociación Chajulense – local membership organization in Chajul, administered in collaboration with the Catholic diocese, for buying and selling coffee, artisanry, etc. of its members

atole – thick drink made from corn or other grains, cooked with water, salt sugar and milk

azote – plant, the fruit of which is a type of gourd or pumpkin

básico – post-primary school education in Guatemala; the equivalent of middle school in the USA

boxbol – traditional Ixil food of corn dough wrapped in leaves and cooked over the hearth; similar to a tamale, but without additional food in the center; often served with a local hot sauce made of pumpkin seeds and chili

CPR - Comunidades de Población en Resistencia - Communities of Populations in Resistance – groups of local peasants who fled army scorched earth tactics and established well-organized “hidden” communities in remote regions including Chajul, Ixcan and Peten, and in this way resisted army persecution.

CPT – Comité Pro-tierra - Pro-Land Committees – groups organized within Chajul to advocate within a post-war context on behalf of peasants whose lands had been occupied by the CPR

campesino – peasant, farmer who works his or her small plot of land in the countryside

chachal - traditional bead necklaces made with beads and coins; in this text refers to earrings made of similar beads and coins

chanac - a plant used as soap

CONALFA– Comité Nacional de Alfabetización – National Literacy Committee - literacy program funded by the Guatemalan government

chile – hot chilli peppers from the region

Cofrade - a member, male or females, of a Cofradía

Cofradía - an association, often of men, organized for the enactment of rituals or worship (often with Catholic syncretic elements) of a particular saint or holy image. Indian Cofradías were started by priests and carry on the Mayan rituals called costumbre. (See below on Costumbre).

copal – pungent pine pitch incense used in Mayan religious ceremonies

corte - a long, wrap-around skirt, part of a woman’s traje (see below).

costumbre – a custom or tradition; refers to a complex set of Mayan rituals (often with Catholic syncretic elements) and lifestyle whose usage is an important part of defining a “traditional Maya”

cuxa - home-brewed corn liquor

finca – large farm; usually a commercial plantation growing crops for the international market

guaro - locally made hard liquour, type of brandy, liquor

guerrilla/guerrillero/guerrillera – members of an armed insurgent organization, or more recently the URNG (see below). Many of the references to the guerrilla that the women make in their stories could well have been pre-URNG.

huipil (also güipil) - traditional handwoven blouse worn by Mayan women

güisquil - a native vine-vegetable that grows easily in a very wide range of conditions in many parts of Guatemala

Ixil – one of the 22 indigenous language groups in Guatemala; also refers to the Maya-Ixil ethnic group; Ixil speakers are concentrated in the towns of Nebaj, Chajul and Cotzal, that is, the Ixil region of the country in the northern Quiché province;

ixil – adjective to describe the language, customs, dress of the Ixil people. The Ixil language is closely affiliated with the Mayan languages Aguacatec and Mam. (See above).

k’ iche’ – one of the 22 indigenous languages, with more speakers than any other; it is the principal indigenous language spoken in six provinces, including the Department of Quiché and by K’iche’ Maya who live in other parts of Guatemala. There are some K’iche’ living in Chajul who are members of PhotoVoice.

ladinos - terms used in Guatemala to refer to the population of Spanish descent or a person of mixed Spanish-Indian parentage; most simply and often inaccurately, the non-Mayan

machete – scythe-type sharp edged instrument used for clearing fields, cutting wood and many other activities

marimba – percussion instrument usually made of 30 slats of wood and sound boxes of gourds or wood that are struck with sticks with rubber balls at the end. It works on the same principles as a xylophone and is played in many rural communities by local music groups.

mazorca – corn cob

mecapal – tumpline or headstrap of leather or woven twine wrapped across the forehead and extending toward the back, used to distribute and balance weight of heavy loads carried on the shoulders and back

mestizo – person of mixed blood, often used interchangeably with ladino

milpa – corn crop while under cultivation; also, a small field planted with corn and beans

MINUGUA – Misión de Verificación de las Naciones Unidas en Guatemala – United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala – initiated presence in Guatemala in November 1994 to oversee the implementation of the Peace Accords signed on 29 December 1996.

Monseñor Gerardi –Monsignor Juan Gerardi, Auxiliary Bishop of Guatemala City and General Coordinator of Human Rights Office (ODHAG), Archdiocese of Guatemala. The ODHAG coordinated an inter-diocesan project on human rights violations during the war, known as REMHI (Recovery of Historical Memory Project). Gerardi was assassinated two days after the project’s report, Guatemala: Never Again, was released on April 24, 1998. There is considerable evidence to suggest that members of the military were responsible for his brutal assassination and that the government has been complicit in the cover-up; two years after the crime, the case has yet to be brought to trial.

municipio – administrative and territorial unit consisting of a town center and its surrounding villages, some of which are a day or more walk.

mozo – day laborer

nixtamal - corn mash, made as the corn is cooked with lime; the dough used to make tortillas.

Oriente – eastern part of Guatemala, including provinces of Zacapa, Chiqimula, Jalapa, Jutiapa and Santa Rosa. Mainly populated by ladinos.

PAC- Patrullas de Autodefensa Civil– Civilian Self-defense patrols – set up by the military governments in most of rural Guatemala in the early 1980s as compulsory militias for all adolescent and adult men. In many places the PAC was associated as the direct perpetrator (under military orders) of war crimes, although participants were often forced to commit such crimes under threat of death. The PAC was formally disbanded by the army in 1996.

pacayas –edible, bitter-tasting palm flower, used widely in Guatemala

pepita – squash seed(s)

quetzal – national bird of Guatemala and name given to Guatemalan currency whose value in 2000 is 7.70 Q to $1USA

quintal – hundred pound weight

tamale - corn or rice based paste, wrapped in corn or banana leaves, and steamed; often filled with vegetables or meat

tamalito – a variant of the tamale, with a drier dough; used in many parts of the country instead of tortillas; may be plain dough or may have some other ingredient as well, for example, fresh cheese, chipilín, or loroco

tapisca (also tapizca) – harvest of corn or of beans

temascal – traditional steam bath, made in an enclosed space, typically outside of the living space, often made of hot stones

tierra caliente – lowlands, warmer climates; the municipality of Chajul has both a highland and a lowland area, the latter being to the north of the town. Many people had lands in the more productive but still mountainous and isolated lowlands prior to la violencia (see below) and that is where the CPR of the Sierra lived.

tortilla – flat pancake of corn, cooked over the hearth; staple of Guatemalan diet

traje – traditional indigenous clothing, usually hand-made. For women, it typically includes a guipil, corte, an apron, and a shawl or head covering. For men, it typically includes knee-length pants, a woven shirt, open-toed sandals, and often a coat or woolen poncho.

URNG - Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca – Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity – formed in 1982 as the coordinating body of the four guerrilla organizations (EGP, FAR, ORPA, PGT)

violencia, la (also, tiempos de la violencia) - a term or phrase used frequently by Guatemalans to refer to the 36-year war and more specifically to the very violent period of the late 1970s and the early 1980s.