14 The following day, the corpses of his loved ones were still burning, when the Chipuerta military agents arrived with orders from the Rabinal detachment to bury the remains within one hour; otherwise, they would all be killed. They performed an “atrocious burial” and were unable to identify their next of kin. Their burial customs are based on the sacred love of the family and were well known and important within the community. When a member of the family dies, all the community is invited and a wake is held throughout the night with prayers, called “ceremonies” in Maya-Achí. The following day, those who will go to the cemetery to prepare the burial place are chosen; the “majordomos” who are in the house that is in mourning prepare the ritual of “accompanying the family.” Flowers and candles are taken to the burial. All those present are invited to a ceremony of three mysteries, seven or nine days later. Likewise, ceremonies are performed after 40 days, and 7, 14 and 21 years after the death of a family member. A few days after the massacre, the soldiers returned to the village and took all the domestic animals, hens, donkeys, cows, pigs and everything they had in their homes. They also took the objects of value they owned, “artisan work” or necklaces. They had to remain hidden in the wilds from 1982 to 1984, and to organize themselves so they could survive. When the amnesty was decreed, they returned to Rabinal and contacted the chief agent in order to return to their “legitimate life.” The chief agent ordered them to enlist in the patrol in the community of Chipuerta, and did not allow them to live in Plan de Sánchez. For 15 years after the death of his loved ones, the regional authorities subjugated them and they lost all desire to perform the rites of their indigenous culture and hold their religious ceremonies. As a culture, as indigenous people, and as human beings, they cannot accept that they were not able to bury their next of kin properly. The fact that a loved one dies does not mean that he disappears or ends, rather he remains spiritually present to his living next of kin. This is something that must not be lost. After the peace agreements were signed, they regained a little freedom and have been able to practice their Maya-Achí culture. During the first years after the massacre, they made no effort to seek justice, because they were not allowed to speak about what had happened and about what they wanted to do. In 1994, they began to file complaints and a request to exhume and bury the remains of their loved ones. Approximately one year elapsed between when the judge was requested to authorize the exhumation and the moment when this was conducted. When the exhumation procedure had concluded, they were able to bury their next of kin according to their traditional ceremonies. He knows of no investigation procedure against the perpetrators of the massacre, and he does not know whether the current President of Guatemala has apologized to the victims for the events that occurred during the armed conflict. He considers that, as an indigenous person, his rights are not taken seriously and, consequently, the complaints have not been resolved. He relives the death of his mother, children and wife continuously, “as if it happened this morning.”