104. After the massacre ended, the phrase: “The Atlacatl Battalion was here” could be read on a wall.125 As acknowledged by the State and established by Tutela Legal del Arzobispado in its report,126 at the end of December 1981, an aircraft flew over the village of San Fernando, in the north of the department of Morazán, dropping flyers informing the inhabitants of the death of all the people of the cantons of La Joya and Cerro Pando and the village of El Mozote. 105. As established in the Commission’s merits report and acknowledged by the State, at that time it had been determined that approximately 152 people were executed in the canton of La Joya. This is without prejudice to the determination that will opportunely be made by the Court in this Judgment, based on the criteria described previously for determining victims (supra para. 57). e) The massacre in the village of Ranchería 106. The village of Ranchería, in Guacamaya canton, in the Meanguera jurisdiction, department of Morazán, was located about 1,000 meters northeast of the village of El Mozote and consisted of around 17 homes of peasant families.127 107. As acknowledged by the State and established by Tutela Legal del Arzobispado in its report, in the early hours of December 12, 1981, the Third Company of the Atlacatl BIRI deployed in that direction, heading toward Ranchería and Los Toriles, where they continued their mass murders of the inhabitants. In this village family groups were killed inside the homes. They began with the home of Vicente Márquez, continued with the home of Catarino Rodríguez, 128 where three families lived, and went family by family for several hours. Many of the homes were set fire to during the slaughter.129 108. As acknowledged by the State and established by Tutela Legal del Arzobispado in its report,130 those who were able to escape and were in hiding at the time were able to hear the gunshots, the screams of the people begging not to be killed, and the children crying. Many of these survivors returned to the place in search of their family members and found the corpses, some of them mutilated and with their throats slit. the pleadings and motions brief, folios 5522 to 5525), and Sworn statement made by César Martínez Hernández before the Oficina de Tutela Legal del Arzobispado on June 22, 2011 (evidence file, tome VIII, annex 3 to the pleadings and motions brief, folios 5547 to 5548). 125 Cf. Victim statement made by Pedro Chicas Romero before the Second First Instance Court of San Francisco Gotera on October 31, 1990 (evidence file, tome III, annex 23 to the submission of the case, folio 1671); Witness statement made by Pedro Chicas Romero before the Second First Instance Court of San Francisco Gotera on November 27, 1990 (evidence file, tome III, annex 23 to the submission of the case, folio 1693), and Record of judicial inspection in the canton of “La Joya”, jurisdiction of Meanguera, district of Jocoaitique, department of Morazán, on July 1, 1992 (evidence file, tome III, annex 23 to the submission of the case, folio 2159). 126 Cf. Tutela Legal del Arzobispado de San Salvador, El Mozote. Lucha por la verdad y la justicia: Masacre a la Inocencia, San Salvador, El Salvador, 2008, p. 61 (evidence file, tome VIII, annex 2 to the pleadings and motions brief, folio 5304). 127 Cf. Judicial inspection made in the village of Ranchería, in Guacamaya canton, jurisdiction of Meanguera, district of Jocoaitique, department of Morazán, on July 15, 1992 (evidence file, tome III, annex 23 to the submission of the case, folios 2224 to 2228), and Witness statement made by Irma Ramos Márquez before the Second First Instance Court of San Francisco Gotera on October 31, 1990 (evidence file, tome III, annex 23 to the submission of the case, folios 1668 to 1670). 128 Cf. Witness statement made by Irma Ramos Márquez before the Second First Instance Court of San Francisco Gotera on October 31, 1990 (evidence file, tome III, annex 23 to the submission of the case, folio 1668). 129 Cf. Witness statement made by Irma Ramos Márquez before the Second First Instance Court of San Francisco Gotera on October 31, 1990 (evidence file, tome III, annex 23 to the submission of the case, folios 1668 to 1670). 130 Cf. Tutela Legal del Arzobispado de San Salvador, El Mozote. Lucha por la verdad y la justicia: Masacre a la Inocencia, San Salvador, El Salvador, 2008, p. 62 (evidence file, tome VIII, annex 2 to the pleadings and motions brief, folio 5305). 35