Do they hold the secrets of
the Maya civilization that ruled an empire and constructed pyramids
that rival the Egyptians?
Do they hold the secrets of the conquest that enslaved the peoples
that inhabited their steep hillsides? Do they hold the
secrets of the colonialists that raped them of nutrients by
planting bananas, coffee, flowers, and vegetables?
Do they hold the secrets of a people regarded as second-class
citizens that farmed their sides only to leave these people
indebted to the landowners?
Do they hold the secrets of a fallacious military coup that
forced the country into one of the fiercest genocidal campaigns
in the western hemisphere?
Do they hold the secrets of the villages that inhabited the
hillsides but no longer exist? Do they hold the secrets
of the bloody massacres and the bodies that remain hidden in
their caverns and valleys? Do they hold the secrets of
a people forced to remain silent in order to protect themselves
and their families? Do they hold the secrets of multinational
corporations that abuse labor laws and codes for larger profit
margins? Do they hold the secrets of the 33 families that
possess 99% of the wealth and land in the country? Do
they hold the secrets of the land that weeps silently as more
and more acres are cleared for agricultural use and swept away
in mudslides?
Do they hold the secrets of the innumerous individuals that
labor without end to improve their families' situation, praying
to a God that hopefully will not remain silent? Do they
hold the secrets of families split by the continuous migration
north in hopes of a better future? And do they hold the
secrets of hope that are alive in Guatemalans, an unfaltering
faith for a future that benefits all?
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