An undated photo of Rufina Amaya, a notorious survivor of the El Mozote 1981 massacre, at an undisclosed location El Salvador. www.daylife.com/ photo/0arXf5u3IQ35l
I had a meeting with several community based organizations reps currently involved in developing rural tourism capacity. Amongst these men and women was Pacita: a woman and survivor from El Mozote massacre (1981). She left when she was eleven and returned a 15 years later to find nothingness. She came back with her newborn and her parents and macheted her way back to settle, to make of El Mozote an inhabited place one more time. Due to the lack of resources and the roughness of the place, Pacita left her parents in El Mozote and returned to the city to make some money for her re-return. Three years after she returned for good. This time, she organized some women and formed a study group on the History of the War. Against all odds, she was determined to keep the story alive, to remember the death of 500 men, women and children, to always remember for memory to remain history and for history to remind us of war. These women are now local tour guides who share turns to tell the story. They also share child care. Pacita also works in the milpa (crop growing), sells crops at the closest market, takes care of her 85 year old father who has prostate cancer (just like mine) and knits.
Her daughter´s name means “cloudy eyes”. I thought it was a sad name until she said more about the name's origin: “...in a cloudy day everything feels fresh and crisp ....” I couldn't help but feeling the sense of relief hidden in her daughter's name. The idea of life (daughter) after death (war) followed immediately. Then I stopped my thoughts and returned to her, to her story, to her name.
Pacita´s name means Peace. In diminutive
