This February marked the arrival of a new cycle in the Mayan calendar: Jun Kej, a day associated with strength, balance, and the guardianship of the land. In many communities across Guatemala, it is a moment to reflect, renew commitments, and walk forward with clarity and purpose. As a [...]
[Español a continuación] In Guatemala, even in the darkest and most painful moments, life is sustained collectively. Solidarity, mutual support, and the simple act of showing up for one another provide the strength to continue. Sharing, accompanying, and moving forward together is not only a response to adversity—it is [...]
The page turns on the Gregorian calendar, but time — like memory and resistance — moves to its own rhythm. Still, the opening of 2026 invites us to pause, take a breath, and thank you for continuing to walk alongside NISGUA, for your trust, and for the commitment that [...]
[Español a continuación] Every November 1st, giant kites fill the skies over cemeteries across Guatemala. These barriletes gigantes—intricately decorated with vibrant colors and ancestral symbols—rise as bridges between worlds, carrying messages to those who have passed. In Maya cosmovision, death is not an ending but a continuation, and [...]
[Español a continuación] In this month of October, Maya Peoples celebrate Waqxaqib’ B’atz’, the New Year of the sacred Chol Q’ij calendar — a time to renew our collective commitment to life, community, and dignity. Each new cycle invites us to reflect on what has been learned, honor those [...]
[Español abajo] September marks the month when Guatemala celebrates its independence—but for many communities, the promise of freedom remains unfulfilled. Indigenous People, environmental defenders, and social movements continue facing systemic racism, inequality, and criminalization. Across the country, communities keep resisting, creating, and organizing, showing that real freedom comes not [...]
As August comes to a close in Guatemala, the canícula — the midsummer dry spell — gives way to the return of the rains. These waters are vital for the milpa, the traditional fields of corn, beans, and squash that nourish both body and spirit. Just as the earth [...]
July holds special meaning in Guatemala, marked by “El Día Fuera del Tiempo” (The Day Beyond Time), on the 25th—a sacred close to the Maya Calendar’s 13 moons and 364 days, inviting reflection, remembrance, and renewal. This month, communities honor the disappeared, celebrate resilience against state terror, and [...]
[Español a continuación] Dear NISGUA friends, In June’s Solidarity Update, we’re honored to share stories from Guatemala that speak to the power of memory, resistance, and community. From Indigenous gatherings that honor past struggles, to acts of creative remembrance and celebrations of deep ties to the land—these moments reveal [...]
[Español a continuación] Dear NISGUA friends, May is a powerful and beautiful month. In Guatemala, the rains return and the land turns green. It’s also a time of remembrance—when communities honor their history and continue their struggle with strength and dignity. For NISGUA, May is especially meaningful as we [...]
[Español a continuación] In the April Solidarity Update: 🌱 ACODET’s General Assembly elected new Board members for 2025-2027. The representatives signed a statement and reaffirmed their commitment to defending territory, water, and life against threats like dams and corruption, demanding respect for indigenous rights and condemning violent evictions. ACODET [...]
[Español a continuación] In the March Solidarity Update: 💧 On World Water Day, Guatemalan communities celebrated their efforts to protect water. Various collectives and organizations participated in events on water management and community-driven water projects. ACODET’s José Gómez urged the government to include Indigenous voices in drafting a long-overdue [...]
In the February Solidarity Update: 🌎 A delegation from Needham, Massachusetts, visited Santa María Tzejá to strengthen a 38-year partnership and support the community's priorities. Their visit coincided with the commemoration of the 1982 massacre, honoring survivors' resilience and ongoing fight for justice. ✊🏽 The National Day of Dignification for [...]
Includes: The Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR) denounces the dismissal of the tribunal in the Maya Ixil genocide case against Manuel Benedicto Lucas García. They point to this derailment of the case as blatant impunity and will continue to fight for justice. Organizers from the Departmental Assembly of [...]
[Español a continuación] In the October Solidarity Update: ⚖️ As the Ixil Genocide Case against Manuel Benedicto Lucas García comes to a close, this update includes an opportunity to take action in solidarity with Ixil Maya genocide survivors. 🌹 October 28th, 2024 marks one year since the assassination of [...]
Members of the delegation assemble before beginning their journey. Photo by NISGUA // Integrantes de la delegación se reúnen antes de iniciar su viaje. Foto de NISGUA (Español abajo) Dear NISGUA friends, As we continue our commitment to accompanying survivors and standing for justice, we bring you [...]
Members of the CRLN delegation and members of NISGUA leaving a visit to a witness in the genocide case against Lucas García, in the Ixil region. Credits: Juan V. Miembros de la delegación de CRLN y miembros de NISGUA saliendo de la visita a un testigo del caso por [...]
Youth in Copal AA march towards the river with signs denouncing contamination of the earth and water. Photo by NISGUA internacionalistas. Jóvenes de Copal AA marchan hacia el río con carteles que denuncian la contaminación de la tierra y el agua. Fotografía por internacionalistas de NISGUA (Español [...]
¡Bienvenides a la actualización solidaria de Abril! En este boletín, compartimos sobre el desarrollo del caso por Genocidio Ixil, a través de testimonios de sobrevivientes y expertos, conoceremos cómo este proceso llevado a cabo por la Asociación para la Justicia y Reconciliación (AJR) está contribuyendo a la memoria colectiva [...]
Welcome to the April edition of our solidarity update! In this newsletter, we discuss developments in the Ixil Genocide case. Through witness and expert testimonies, we learn how this process, directed by the Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR), is contributing to collective memory and to the search for [...]
Welcome to the March Solidarity Update! This month, we participated in a series of critical activities and topics that are setting the stage for the field of justice and human rights. We highlight the transitional justice case of the Alaska Summit Massacre, a milestone that represents an important step [...]
![[ENG] The image is a photograph taken at night of the national palace of Guatemala, which is illuminated with artificial lights and you can see the shadows of people looking towards the building. [ESP] La imagen es una fotografía tomada de noche del palacio nacional de Guatemala, que se encuentra iluminado con luces artificiales y se alcanzan a ver las sombras de personas que están mirando hacia el edificio.](https://nisgua.org/wp-content/uploads/signal-2024-02-14-142806-320x202.jpeg)
After 106 days of resistance of Indigenous people in the national strike against corruption and in defense of democracy in Guatemala, our partners continue the fight for truth, memory, and justice. In this solidarity update we share with you: a series of interviews with Guatemalan Indigenous leaders during the [...]
En octubre queremos honrar la lucha actual de los pueblos frente al colonialismo, capitalismo, imperialismo. El legado de las resistencias actuales será la libertad de los Pueblos del mañana! Es tan poderoso ver, oír, sentir a los Pueblos gritando: “No a la corrupción, no a leyes que depredan los [...]
This October we want to honor the current struggle of the People against colonialism, capitalism, imperialism. The legacy of today's resistances will be the freedom of the People of tomorrow! It is so powerful to see, hear, and feel the People calling out: No to corruption, no to laws [...]
![[ENG] A photograph of people in a protest outside a building with many windows, the building signs read "Constitutional Court" and a person socialized as a man, holding a sign that reads: "No to electoral fraud". [ESP] Una fotografía de personas en un plantón afuera de un edificio con muchas ventanas, en el edificio se lee “Corte Constitucional” y una persona socializada como hombre, sostiene un cartel que dice: “No al fraude electoral”](https://nisgua.org/wp-content/uploads/signal-2023-06-12-122640_002-320x202.jpeg)
Las elecciones del 2023, han sido la concreción de décadas de violaciones a derechos humanos, implementados desde la época colonial hasta la fecha, con la consolidación del poder en las manos de unos pocos para llevar a cabo sus intereses económicos con impunidad. A pesar de ello, durante los [...]
The elections of 2023 have been a materialization of decades of human rights violations, implemented since colonial times to this day, with the consolidation of power in the hands of a few to carry out their economic interests with impunity. In spite of this, over the last few months [...]
This month for Guatemala and its struggles has meant the reaffirmation that the struggle for life and dignity will be in its forms, or it will not be. On the one hand, the elections represent the feeling and need to leave behind corrupt systems, giving the vote of confidence [...]
Last June we accompanied our partners in their struggles for justice in the midst of a context full of uncertainty before the electoral period. Join us to read about the importance of an electoral vote with memory and dignity, about the recognition of justice from international awards beyond the [...]
Thank you for joining us in this May edition of NISGUA’s Solidarity Update. This month has been a month of justice. Not because of access to it, but because despite the lack of it, the people have never ceased to demand it. This month, hundreds of people took to [...]
March has been a month of transitions, from winter to spring, and in the processes of Mother Earth: it is the time to sow! Together, let us sow seeds of solidarity, resistance, and rebellion. Ancestral wisdom teaches us that, in order to grow, seeds must take root in fertile [...]
![[ENG] Photo of a red and white protest sign that reads "Never Again, Rivers of blood in Guatemala" behind a wall that is the entrance of a church. [ESP] Fotografía de una manta dolor rojo que en blanco dice "Nunca más rios de sangre en Guatemala" en la puerta de entrada a una iglesia](https://nisgua.org/wp-content/uploads/nb25-320x202.jpeg)
En los últimos cuatro años, la lucha por la justicia en Guatemala ha sufrido una serie de alarmantes reveses que nos llaman a mantener y sostener nuestra solidaridad con aquellos a quienes hemos apoyado durante más de cuatro décadas. Durante la presidencia de Giammattei, quien en coordinación con el [...]
Este mes queremos ponerles al día sobre el caso de genocidio de Lucas García, la lucha para proteger el agua en Huehuetenango, ¡y cómo nos fue nuestra celebración de fin de año! Un tema común que ha surgido mientras analizamos las condiciones actuales en Guatemala es la militarización histórica [...]
This month we want to update you on the Lucas García genocide case, the struggle to protect the water in Huehuetenango, and how our end of year celebration went! A common theme that has emerged as we analyze the current conditions in Guatemala is the historic and current militarization [...]
In memory of activist Susanne Jonas "Susanne Jones has died. Long Live Susanne Jonas!" -- Luis Argueta, Guatemalan filmmaker Susanne Jonas, prolific author, teacher, and tireless social justice activist on behalf of Guatemala and Central America more broadly, died while hospitalized with pneumonia in [...]
Trans-Territorial Table The Trans-Territorial Table will strengthen specific struggles, create shared knowledge across movements, and deepen the collective project for liberated territories from Turtle Island to Ixim Ulew. NISGUA is happy to announce that we selected the 9 project participants of the Trans-Territorial Table. Here they have the [...]
[español abajo] Building the World We Want Dear community, this month we share with you our reflections about the People’s summit celebrated in Los Angeles, updates on the Military Diary Case and the criminalization of the judge who ruled the opening of the trial, a video- report from the [...]
Dear friends, family, and comrades, As the year moves forward, NISGUA is happy to share that we are officially back in Guatemala! Over the last few months, we have been observing trials, commemorations, and accompanying different activities with our partners. Recently, social organizations, survivors, and victims highlighted the risk [...]
Luis Enrique Mendoza García, former high-ranking military officer, will face trial for genocide and crimes against humanity while attacks to judicial independence continue; a call for mutual respect and transparency on the pre-consultations of the mining project in Xinca territory Flyer announcing the opening of the trial. [...]
[español abajo] Dear community, This month, we share with you the concerns of Guatemalan human rights, and survivors organizations over changes to the Public Prosecutor's Human Rights office. We also invite you to commemorate Indigenous people’s day by listening to their powerful leadership in the fight against the US [...]
The sacred fire burns during a ceremony celebrated on September 10 in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the ADH on Maya Mam territory. Photo credit: ADH [Español abajo] Dear comrades, family, and friends, This month, we offer updates on the Lucas García Ixil [...]