After a week resting in La Libertad, it was time to hit the road once again. With the horses rested, Bruiser feeling better and a few more stories in my journal, I headed for San Pancho.
“I hope you continue to have luck on your journey Filipe and anything you need don’t be afraid to ask,” Carlos told me before we parted ways.
As I made my way out of town, I reflected on my time in La Libertad. It was an unexpected stay that taught me a lot about life in Guatemala.
“When the 27 ranch workers were killed here 2 years ago this is where they burried them,” Carlos told me as we drove by the town’s cemetery.
It was sad hearing about this story first hand but it is very telling of just how gruesome the drug war can be in Latin America. In 2011, the Zeta’s, Mexico’s infamous drug cartel killed 27 campuzinos at a ranch just outside of the small town. When the drug lord they were searching for was not found in the finca, they decided to leave a bloody message.
During my time in La Libertad I also learned about another massacre that happened in the area. During Guatemala’s 36-year-long civil war, Kaibil special forces murdered 251 people in the small village of Dos Erres.
“The Civil War was a very hard time for all Guatemalans,” Carlos’ grandfather told me.
The war was a fight between several leftist groups and the government. The Guatemalan government forces have been condemned for committing genocide against the Mayan population and human rights violations against civilians. Over 200,000 people were killed or went missing during the civil war, mostly of indigenous backgrounds.
Even with all of this bloodshed Guatemala has faced in its past and present, the people here are some of the happiest I have ever met. Carlos, his family and friends gave me a lesson in resiliency.
“I work at a gas station here in town to help my family and study on the weekends,” Kevin Garcia told me with a smile on his face.
Only 19-yeas-old, Kevin has already been working to help support his family for several years. This is a reality shared amongst many of the children here in Guatemala.
“Life is not easy for us, but this is what will make me stronger,” he told me sitting in the back of the Tuc-Tuc his brother operates to help the family.
Barely getting by, Kevin does not let his financial situation get him down. In fact he has a dream to one day study in Mexico to help bring his family out of poverty.
“I read a lot of positive thinking books and they teach me that I can do anything I dream of,” Kevin said.
