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Description
Three soldiers sit in a Cadillac Gage Commando armored car while they patrol the streets of Chimaltenango. The two soldiers on the right are wearing hats while the soldier on the left is wearing a helmet. Between the soldiers there is a mounted machine gun. In the background of the image, Santa Ana Catholic Church can be seen. The church has two bell towers. Most soldiers forced to patrol as part of the "Patrol of Self-Defense" program in the 1980s were Mayan men. Patrols were used by the military to destroy civil organizing and to control any political networks of rural Mayans. The UN-administered Truth Commission, known as the Commission of Historical Clarification documented more tan 600 massacres committed by government forces against civilians in predominately Mayan areas between 1981 and 1983. Tres soldados yacen sentados dentro de un vehículo blindado Cadillac Gage Commando mientras patrullan las calles de Chimaltenango. Los dos soldados sobre la derecha de la imagen portan gorros mientras que el soldado sobre la izquierda porta un casco. Entre los soldados se observa una ametralladora montada. Al fondo de la imagen se observa la parroquia de Santa Ana. La iglesia tiene dos campanarios. La mayoría de los soldados obligados a patrullar como parte del programa "Patrulla de Autodefensa" en los ochenta eran hombres mayas. Las patrullas fueron utilizadas por los militares para destruir la organización civil y controlar a cualquier red política de los mayas rurales. La comisión de la verdad administrada por la ONU, conocida como la Comisión para el Esclarecimiento Histórico, documentó más de 600 masacres cometidas por fuerzas gubernamentales contra civiles en áreas predominantemente mayas entre 1981 y 1983.
Documentary photographs Combat patrols Guatemala. Ejército Firearms Guatemala--History--Civil War, 1960-1996 Armored vehicles, Military Church buildings Soldiers Bell towers
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