Olympus OM-2N | Kodak Plus-X
Although there were occasional whispers behind my back, this was the first man to look me straight in the eye and ask in unabashed wonderment, "chi-neee-ta??" Just one of the benefits of being old.

Posted on June 14, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Olympus OM-2N | Kodak Plus-X
Oscar is an ex-guerrilla living in Segundo Montes and working in Perquin as a guide. We hitched and walked from Perquin through Arambala to get to El Mozote, where one of the civil war's many atrocities took place in 1981. Perhaps one of the worst—the vicious slaughter of more than 1000 men, women and children. Arambala was destroyed as well.

El Mozote is just a tiny hamlet, but people fled here from the surrounding areas because they'd been falsely led to believe they would be safer.

Rufina Amaya was one of the few survivors and most outspoken witness to the massacre, repeatedly called upon to describe her family's brutal murder. She died in March 2007 at the age of 64, and is now buried within the bars of the El Mozote memorial.

Posted on June 12, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Olympus OM-2N | Kodak Plus-X
A tribute to the children who died in El Mozote, within this very church.

Posted on June 12, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Olympus OM-2N | Kodak Plus-X
No child, no matter how young, was spared.

Posted on June 12, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Olympus OM-2N | Kodak Plus-X
And yet, life goes on.

Little by little, people returned to El Mozote. Some originally lived there and fled before the soldiers came. Some were ex-guerrillas who just needed a place to settle. They can't spend their lives focused on tragedy.

Posted on June 12, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Olympus OM-2N | Kodak Plus-X
Family living next to the ex-guerrilla camp. So lovely to completely lack self-consciousness.

Posted on June 11, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Olympus OM-2N | Kodak Plus-X
Don't know why it was closed to visitors (considering there were no other tourists in town, you'd think they would have appreciated me showing up), but this sweet girl from the family living next to the camp ran over as soon as I entered.

I mean, she TOLD me why it was closed, my Spanish is just too limited to understand.

Posted on June 11, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Olympus OM-2N | Kodak Plus-X
...with young family living on the property.

Posted on June 11, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Olympus Trip 35 | Fuji Neopan 1600
Big enough for football, seriously.

Posted on June 11, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Olympus OM-2N | Kodak Tri-X

Posted on June 11, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)