Miriam's reflections on the group's emotional visit to Acteal

On our second day in San Cristóbal, we visited the massacre site, Acteal. Acteal is a small Tsotsil indigenous village that is a few hours outside of San Cristóbal. On December 22, 1997, 45 indigenous men, women, and children were brutally killed by paramilitary groups in their small village. The massacre became an internationally known tragedy. Acteal is the base for the social movement of the Abejas (The Bees). The Abejas are an indigenous group who lobbies for basic human rights for the indigenous people of Chiapas. Much like the Zapatistas, they believe that the land that they live on belongs to them and not the government or private companies and that healthcare, education, and food are not luxuries but basic human rights of which are not being fulfilled. As a political group, The Abejas are aligned with the causes and the work of The Zapatistas but remain a separate entity because they do not believe in taking up arms. They declare themselves to be a pacifist, peaceful, and faith based organization. Their name itself comes from the idea that bees are animals that organize but still have a queen. They say that their queen is god.

As you drive down the twisty roads through the Chiapas mountains, Acteal is marked by a sculpture named the pillar of shame, which was created by a Danish artist. As a memorial to those killed in the massacre, casts of faces and bodies of different ages tower on top of each other, making a clear mark on the landscape. Next to it, a large banner reads, ¨Montes Azules: No se vende nuestra tierra, agua, biodiversidad, el petroleo, son nuestros! (Don’t sell our land, water, biodiversity, petroleum, they’re ours!). Immediately you feel that you are standing in a place that has been through incredible struggle.

We had the incredible privilege to meet with some of the leaders of the Abejas. We sat in their headquarters, which is a small wooden room that is covered with posters about peace and in memorial of the men and women and children who were brutally killed just twelve years ago. They recounted the story of the massacre for us despite it clearly being a painful experience for them. Paramilitary soldiers attacked the small town of about 200 people one morning in December while many were gathered in the church praying. When the gunshots were heard, many tried to escape into the mountains and hide behind banana trees. Until sunset that evening, soldiers continued the attack with what they described to us as a rainfall of bullets. Because the surrounding area is scattered with Zapatista autonomous villages, there are many Mexican military bases close by. Despite this, no help came to Acteal for hours.

It was very clear that this massacre, this slaughter of 45 men, women, four of whom were pregnant, and children, was not an accident. Most believe that the government targeted Acteal in an effort to crush the Zapatista movement, with the understanding that Acteal was the headquarters of the Abejas movement. This was regardless of the fact that the Abejas has always been, and declared themselves as, a peaceful group. The government has taken no responsibility for the massacre and very few who took part in the planning and execution of the attack have been brought to justice.

It is incredibly important to note the United State’s role in this event. The massacre implemented low intensity warfare tactics learned at the School of the Americas, and in addition, the US has poured countless tax dollars into training and equipping the Mexican military. Some of the Abejas leaders brought us to the old church where their people were praying when the attack begin, the bullet holes in the wooden walls remain there. The community has since built a new, cement church. A large mural of the face of Jesus sits on the facade. The crosses, photographs, and plaques that are placed throughout Acteal and serve as a memorial to the lost loved ones cannot be ignored. Because Acteal is so small and so insular, during our meeting with the Abejas and our walk through Acteal you could feel the scar and pain from the massacre even though it’s been twelve years since the atrocity. In our meeting, The Abejas told us that despite their pain and struggle, they continue to work for peace and the rights of their people. It was incredible to see this sadness and oppression be transformed into such a forceful energy and strength to do good and to continue to work for peace.