Marcial
Rode Diaz
Elder Maya Kaqchikel, holds an ear of corn, part of his harvest and that he will use for seeds in the following year, a part of the struggle of indigenous communities in Guatemala is to protect their original seeds to guarantee their food, in a country where more than 50% of children suffer from chronic malnutrition. The practice of growing corn called “milpa system” is a knowledge that has been transmitted in indigenous communities for thousands of years. In this method of cultivation, corn, beans, squash and chili are mixed. These are traditional and basic foods in indigenous families in Mesoamerica. Chimaltenango, Guatemala 2014.
Mujeres Q'eqchí
Rode Diaz
Indigenous women participate in a consultation to vote whether or not they agree with a Spanish capital hydroelectric project that has generated social conflict, criminalization and imprisonment of leaders who oppose the project, the communities have denounced the pollution and diverted from the river. In the vote 99% of the communities of the municipality of Cahabón, voted against the project.
Cahabón, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, 2014.