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"Indigenous Perspectives of Genocide: The Committee of Peasant Unity (CUC) and the Survival of Indigenous People during the Guatemalan Armed Conflict, 1978-1992." by Heider Tun Tun (Firm Rock), ACLS Emerging Voices Postdoctoral Fellow

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From the histories of the sacred Mayan tree Ya'axche' in Guatemala and Mexico to the narrative of the ancient mayan book Popol Vuh to the novel Hombres de Maíz (Men of Maize) by Miguel Ángel Asturias, the cyclical view of Mayan communities is still prevalent in Central America. I argue that indigenous communities have used this perspective of change over time to articulate their activism and struggle in modern history.  By highlighting the story of creation, survival, and reorganization of the CUC, this presentation discusses how Indigenous and poor peasant communities responded to the genocide committed by the Guatemalan state between 1980 to 1982. The history of the CUC is part of a larger effort to understand the complexities and characteristics of the human rights movement in Guatemala from the view of Mayan communities.