Dear members of the Peaceful Xinka Resistance to the Escobal Mine in Casillas, Santa Rosa, We, the undersigned international organizations, express our deepest respect and admiration for the nine years that you have maintained the resistance camp and for the over fifteen years that you have been organizing to [...]
Unofficial translation by the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA). You can find the original statement in Spanish further below. For life and our land, here we are! Press release marking the 9th anniversary of the Xinka people’s peaceful resistance and the 15th anniversary of the [...]
This is the third and last part in a series of informational texts published by NISGUA, translated from materials produced by FAMDEGUA (Families of the Detained Disappeared of Guatemala) and Verdad y Justicia, about the forced disappearance of Luz Leticia Hernández Agustín. Read Part 1 here and Part 2 [...]
On May 27th, 2021, the Guatemalan government arrested eleven former members of its military for crimes committed during the Internal Armed Conflict. These crimes are logged in the "Military Diary" a fifty-four page document leaked to the US National Security Archive and made public on May 20th, 1999. The document [...]
This is the second part in a series of informational texts published by NISGUA, translated from materials produced by FAMDEGUA (Families of the Detained Disappeared of Guatemala) and Verdad y Justicia, about the forced disappearance of Luz Leticia Hernández Agustín. Read Part 1 here. [...]
This is the first in a series of informational texts published by NISGUA, translated from materials produced by FAMDEGUA (Families of the Detained Disappeared of Guatemala) and Verdad y Justicia, about the forced disappearance of Luz Leticia Hernández Agustín. In November 1982, at the height of one of the [...]
Unofficial translation by the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA). You can find the original statement in Spanish further below. Coalition of Ixil Organizations – COI WITH THE ENERGY OF OUR IXIL GRANDMOTHERS AND GRANDFATHERS, MAY 12, 2026, WE: FAMILY MEMBERS AND SURVIVORS OF THE INTERNAL [...]
Unofficial translation by the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA). You can find the original statement in Spanish further below. STATEMENT WE CONDEMN THE DELAYS OF THE START OF THE GENOCIDE TRIAL. THE VICTIMS DEMAND JUSTICE The families of the victims and survivors of the genocide, [...]
April in Guatemala arrives as a moment of transition — as the first rains approach, many Maya calendars signal a time of balance, preparation, and renewal. It is also a time to remember that the past is not behind us: the legacies of the Internal Armed Conflict remain present [...]
We invite you to submit photographs for consideration for our 2027 solidarity calendar! This year’s theme, “Solidarity Over Time,” invites a broad interpretation. As NISGUA marks 45 years of accompaniment, we hope to highlight Guatemalan social movements and the role of international solidarity across the years. We are especially [...]
March is a key moment for the beginning of a new solar cycle in the Maya calendar—a time of renewal, balance, and planting begins. It’s a reminder that the processes that sustain life require memory, patience, and community. From Guatemala, this month invites us to continue walking alongside those [...]
Unofficial translation by the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA). You can find the original statement in Spanish further below. Press Release The Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR), The Human Rights Office of the Archdiocese of Guatemala (ODHAG), and the Institute of Comparative Studies in [...]
Costs and implications for investment: Are there viable solutions, and what can we bring in from local communities? Last December, defenders of life and territory received some truly inspiring news: the US mining company Kappes, Cassiday & Associates (KCA) lost its multi-million-dollar lawsuit against the Guatemalan state. This news [...]
Unofficial translation by the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA). You can find the original statement in Spanish further below. The re-election of Roberto Molina Barreto and Luis Alfonso Rosales Marroquín to the Constitutional Court is an offense to the memory of the victims and survivors [...]
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 [...]
Unofficial translation by the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA). You can find the original statement in Spanish further below. ENOUGH IMPUNITY THE PEOPLE OF GUATEMALA DESERVE JUSTICE On February 25, National Day for the Dignification of the Victims of the Internal Armed Conflict, survivors, relatives [...]
[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 [...]
[Español a continuación] The Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA) shares its position on the illegal military action carried out by the United States in Venezuela on January 3, 2026, which culminated in the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro, and in the context of the current [...]
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 [...]
Unofficial translation by the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA). You can find the original statement in Spanish further below. TO THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC OPINION: On this January 3, 2026, we strongly condemn and repudiate the actions and policies of U.S. President Donald Trump [...]
You can find the statement in Spanish further below. Statement from the Peaceful Resistance La Puya to the Guatemalan and International Community in response to the decision of the International Arbitration Tribunal (CIADI) in KCA v. Guatemala In response to the decision in favor of Guatemala in the international [...]
Unofficial translation by the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA). You can find the original statement in Spanish further below. PRESS RELEASE WE DEMAND THE FULFILLMENT OF THE HUMAN RIGHT TO JUSTICE FOR THE VICTIMS OF GENOCIDE AND CRIMINALIZATION Today, DECEMBER 10, 2025, on INTERNATIONAL HUMAN [...]
[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 [...]
In university classrooms, on church pews, and at the edges of rivers and forests, the people of North Carolina learned how the Indigenous Xinka People of Guatemala continue to successfully protect water and land from the Escobal mine. The people of the United States are hungering for living examples of success against [...]
[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 [...]
This October marks two years since the 2023 Indigenous National Strike in Guatemala, a historic mobilization that brought together thousands of people across the country in defense of democracy, dignity, and the rights of Indigenous Peoples. For 106 days, Indigenous Authorities and community leaders from different peoples coordinated peaceful [...]
Unofficial translation by the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA). You can find the original statement in Spanish further below. PRESS RELEASE Before national and international public opinion, we make known: This 12th and 20th of October, the DEPARTMENTAL ASSEMBLY OF THE PEOPLE OF HUEHUETENANGO IN [...]
We’re thrilled to announce that the NISGUA 2026 Calendar is now available for pre-order! Every month features stunning photographs capturing the resilience, creativity, and determination of communities in Guatemala. From food sovereignty and environmental justice to ancestral ceremonies and community-led projects, each image tells a story of people [...]
From October 20-24, NISGUA will be in North Carolina hosting a speaking tour with the Diocesan Commission for the Defense of Nature (CODIDENA), one of the organizations we provide human rights accompaniment for. Made up primarily of Xinka people living on their ancestral territory, CODIDENA is key in [...]
[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 [...]
Part 2: Community Power, Building the Future Reminder of the first part In the first part of the interview, we met Rafael and José from the New Dawn Elementary School, who shared with us the origins and evolution of the Mother Earth Festival in the community of Copal AA [...]
Unofficial translation by the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA). You can find the original statement in Spanish further below. STATEMENT PARLIAMENT OF THE XINKA PEOPLE OF GUATEMALA TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC In recent weeks, intentionally and in bad faith, there has been false information circulated [...]
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 [...]
Internacionalista Taz (they/elle) wrote this reflection in August 2025. Late July, it is hot in Santa Anita las Canoas, the small Maya Kaqchikel community in Chimaltenango, a department in the central highlands of Guatemala. The dirt glows orange. Leaves of the coffee trees shift and shimmer. Don Aguilar(1) sits [...]
Unofficial translation by the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA). You can find the original statement in Spanish further below. FROM OUR PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES WE INDIGENOUS AUTHORITIES DECLARE: 1. Our emphatic rejection of the Public Prosecutor's actions against the former Vice Mayor of the Indigenous [...]
This photo storytelling highlights a visit to organized communities in the Kaqchikel region within the Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR) at the end of July 2025. Through these images, Internacionalista Tas shares their experience, reflecting on their reactions and insights from this inspiring encounter. Memorial to victims [...]
Parte 1: Orígenes y Evolución de una Lucha Comunitaria Sobre esta entrevista La siguiente conversación fue realizada durante el 11º Festival por la Madre Tierra en la comunidad de Copal AA La Esperanza, Guatemala, en junio de 2025. Este festival, organizado anualmente por el Instituto Básico "Nuevo Amanecer", reúne [...]
Part 1: Origins and Evolution of a Community Struggle About this Interview This conversation took place during the 11th Mother Earth Festival, held in June 2025 in the community of Copal AA “La Esperanza,” Guatemala. Organized annually by the local elementary school, Instituto Básico “Nuevo Amanecer”, the festival brings [...]
[Español abajo] In recent years, Guatemala has been experiencing growing water scarcity, driven both by climate change and by the unregulated use of water by extractive industries and monocultures. Since 1991, Guatemalan legislators have introduced 13 bills aimed at creating a Water Law, yet none have been passed. The [...]
[Español más abajo] Calling Organizers Committed to Justice: Apply to Join our 2026 GAP Internacionalista Cohort Organizers in the United States and in Guatemala have a great deal at stake. Across Guatemala and the U.S., communities are rising up to defend life and territory—and facing violent backlash for doing [...]