At the request of the Donor, this collection is closed until 2075.

 

Field papers in Spanish and Quiché regarding the life and culture of Quiché (K'iche') Indians in Guatemala during a government-sponsored reign of genocide. These papers, comprised of interviews, notes, manuscripts, maps, and photography, document massacres in native communities, their struggles for justice and human rights, and their revitalization with assistance from Catholic Action. The author used these papers in his Ph.D. dissertation and published writings.

Borrowed from the author for preservation microfilming, 1998-2002, 2004, 2007, followed by transferring the originals to the Central American Province Jesuit Archives. Processed by Mark G. Thiel, CA, 1998-[ongoing].

Biographical Note

Ricardo Falla-Sánchez (1932-) is a Jesuit and anthropologist from Guatemala who studied in the United States. He dedicated his life to documenting the lives and cultures of the Quiché (K'iche') Maya Indians in Guatemala and other indigenous peoples of Central America, and in so doing, he served as an advocate in their struggle for justice and human rights.

Scope and Content

Maya (Guatemala)

Series 1, Field Notes and Manuscripts, reels 1-3 and reels 4-5: The Maya papers, which are in Spanish [Castillano], correlate to the Ph.D. dissertation and published writings by the author: La conversión religiosa: estudio sobre un movimiento rebelde a las creencias tradicionales en San Antonio Ilotenango, Quiché, Guatemala (1948-1970), University of Texas at Austin, 1975; Quiché Rebelde: estudio de un movimiento de conversión religiosa, rebelde a las creencias tradicionales, en San Antonio Ilotenango, Quiché (1948-1970), 1978; Masacres de la selva: Ixcán, Guatemala, 1975-1982, 1993; Massacres in the Jungle: Ixcan, Guatemala, 1975-1982, 1994; and Historia de un gran amor: recuperación autobiografica de la experiencia con las Comunidades de Población en Resistencia, Ixcán, Guatemala, 1993.

The microfilm contents are arranged by geographical area, and there under alphabetically and/or numerically arranged subject categories created by the author. Within each folder the order is according to document or page numbers assigned by the author. Targets on specific ties between the published and unpublished material have been added to the microfilm. 

Series 2, Photographs: Copy prints and negatives pertaining to the Quiché Indians in Guatemala.

 Processing of the photographs is incomplete. 

Series 3, Interviews: In Spanish [Castillano] and Quiché (K'iche') regarding the life experiences of Quiché Indian adults and children in Santa Maria Chiquimula, Totonicapan, Guatemala.