To the faithful departed

This will be an ongoing tribute to the people that are the victims of violence in Guatemala. Sometimes, the circumstances surrounding their deaths bear too much weight on my conscience. Writing about them seems like the only way to somehow make sense of their deaths.

Byron Geovanni Andrade Salazar. 52, June 11, 2012. Guatemala City. Victim of gunshot wounds.

Henry Manuel Chen Choc (8), September 28, Cobán, Alta Verapaz. Died from complications related to an ax wound to the neck.

Juan Danilo Palencia Ruiz (25) and Gustavo Adolfo Palencia (43), September 28, Guatemala City. San Juan Sacatepéquez. Victims of gunshot wounds.

Jennifer Alejandra Vásquez Alquijay (3 years old). Her body was found on August 30th, 2012. Beaten to death. Her mother was found guilty of the crime and sentenced to 44 years in prison without the possibility of parole.

Unknown female. Her body parts were carried inside three plastic bags by a 14 year-old boy and a 24 year-old man. Both were retrieved on September 18, 2012.

Hugo Mateo Cervantes. 23, died September 27, 2012 as a result of machete wounds inflicted upon him.

Franklin Armando Oromán. 29, was shot 18 times yesterday October 3. 2012.

Julio David García. 35, multiple gun-shot wounds. His body was found today, October 25, in the La Leyenda neighborhood, San Pedro Ayampuc, at the bottom of a precipice.

Unknown female. 28, found in the fetal position, strangled and bound. November 4.

Uknown male. His body found, minus head and arms, in a local market. November 4.

María Teresa Xití. 40, died of complications due to an explosion in which both her daughter and son were injured. The explosive device was inside a backpack found by her son. November 18.

Rosa Estersita Beltrán. 18, one of four people beheaded, their bodies found at Sanarate, El Progreso (Guatemala), December 13.

Jorge Aníbal Morales.  42, stabbed seven times, at Gualán, Zacapa. January 1, 2013.

Joselyn Salazar Soler. 14, fatal victim of gunshot wounds at La Libertad neighborhood, Guatemala City. January 1, 2013.

María Angélica Cadena López, 26, José David Corado Enríquez, 22. Both victims of gunshot wounds. Their bodies were found near the old road to Amatitlán. A 3-year old boy, son of María Angélica, survived without any major physical injuries. January 9, 2013.

Óscar Anibal Can González. 23, shot in the head by Rolando Can, his father. San Juan Chamelco, Alta Verapaz. January 12, 2013.

Carlos Enrique Castillo Medrano. January 14, 2013. Mayor of Jutiapa, shot 16 times inside a barber shop.

Dorotea Ramos. 64. Victim of gunshot wounds. Zacapa. January 16, 2013.

Carmen Virginia Tuez Franco. 33. Matilde Gaitán Franco, 23. Andy Briseida Raymundo (10) and Marbella del Rosario Raymundo Tuez (6) (sisters), Guatemala City. January 16, 2013. Carmen  (the girls’ mother) and Matilde were both kidnapped and shot in the head. Andy and Marbella were  strangled and one of them raped.

José Mauricio González Rosales. 46. January 16, 2013. Shot, victim of an ambush. San Miguel Petapa.

Axel Molina Reyes. 45, and Oscar Alberto Argueta, 33. January 21, 2013. Beaten and shot. Escuintla.

Luis Fernando León Aldana. January 26, 2013. Victim of gunshot wounds. Santa Catarina Mita, Jutiapa.

Byron Joel Rosales. 22. January 26, 2013. Police office shot in the line of duty.  Guatemala City.

Nolberto Hernández Quich. January 26, 2013. Police office shot in the line of duty.  Guatemala City.

Jairo Salazar and Rudy Ramírez. 36. January 27, 2013. Victims of gunshot wounds. Guatemala City.

Lesly del Rosario López Véliz, 21, Angela Nicole López Véliz (6) and Estefany Jazmín Toj López (3). February 3, 2013. Shot to death by two gang-members, in the presence of an 11 year-old boy.

Mateo Castro López, 20.  February 7, 2013. Store clerk victim of gun shot wounds.

Patrocinio Solval Solval (28) and Marlon Wilfredo Cuxil (25). February 9, 2013. Prison guards shot while boarding a bus that would`ve taken them to work. Guatemala City.

María del Rosario Rodríguez Sanajay, 60. February 11, 2013. Victim of a drive-by shooting. Villa Nueva.

Unknown male, 35. February 12, 2013 His body was found tied, face-down, near a private school in Guatemala City.

Esmeralda Abigaíl Morales Cardona, 22. February 12, 2013. Shot during a robbery. Guatemala City.

Víctor Say Bachán, 28. February 12, 2013. Shot multiple times by strangers, in front of his wife. Guatemala City.

Cayetano Jiménez, 55. February 14, 2013. Beaten to death by a mob. San Pedro Ayampuc.

Carlos Estuardo Sarg Meneses, 24. February 14, 2013.Resisted a robbery and was shot in front of his home. Quetzaltenango.

Lea de León, 50. February 14 ,2013.  Lawyer, wife and mother shot multiple times. Guatemala City.

Juan Antolí, 53. February 16, 2013. Shot at point-blank range multiple times. San José Pinula.

Unknown man. February 16, 2013. Beaten and strangled. His body was found at a place called Ojo de Agua (Eye of the Water) on the road to San Andrés Sajcabajá, Quiché.

Unidentified man, 28. February 16, 2013. Cab driver shot in the face and head. Guatemala City.

Adrian Pérez López, 76. February 16, 2013. Interamerican route, Quetzaltenango. Undetermined cause of death.

Henry Calderón Ruiz, 36. February 16, 2013. Retalhuleu. Victim of gunshot wounds.

Jonathan Israel Jiménez Gómez, 22. February 26, 2013. Guatemala City. Shot by a 12 year-old boy involved with local gangs.

Marvin Florián, 38. March 2, 2013. Guatemala City.  Bus driver shot by unknown assailants.

Unknown male, 23. March 2, 2013. Guatemala City.  Shot and thrown from a bridge.

José Bavio Nájera (26) and Mónica Carolina Aldana Caal (21) . March 6, 2013. San Juan Sacatepéquez. Their dismembered bodies were found inside garbage bags on a strech of highway.

Ana Chilina González (30) and Agustín Jhojan Sánchez Peralta (30). March 6, 2013. Amatitlán. Victims of gunshot wounds.

Estefany Sucely Contreras Chávez, 19. March 6, 2013. Chinautla. Victim of a drive-by shooting.

Unidentified woman. March 6, 2013. Road to Chinautla.  Stoned to death by two male assailants.

César Bucu Choc, 27. March 6, 2013. Road to San Pedro Sacatepéquez. Bus driver shot to death .

Esbin Eusebio Alonzo, 31. March 12, 2013. Mixco.  Shot by police officers when he allegedly attempted to shoot a man who had sought refuge inside a police station.

Unidentified male. March 14, 2013. Beaten and burned alive by a mob, after he supposedly tried to execute a bus robbery. Guatemala City.

Rigoberto Aguilar and Roberto López. March17, 2013. Santa María Xalapán, Jalapa. Beaten and tortured.

Napoleón Jarquín, 63. March 20, 2013. Ciudad Pedro de Alvarado, Jutiapa. Victim of gunshot wounds.

José Gilberto López Gómez, 48. March 20, 2013. Guatemala City. Shot multiple times.

Dennys Geovany Paredes Amaya, 21. March 20, 2013. Guatemala City. Shot multiple times.

Unidentified male newborn baby. March 20, 2013. San Marcos. Found inside a plastic bag.

Mario Castillo. March 24, 2013. Guatemala City. Victim of gunshot wounds.

Abner Pérez Roblero, 28. March 24, 2013. Amatitlán. Victim of gunshot wounds.

Darvin Daniel Hernández, 25. March 30, 2013. Escuintla. Shot when he opposed the robbery of the public bus in which he was riding.

Estuardo Alfredo Hernández, 25. April 3, 2013. Guatemala City. Shot multiple times.

César Augusto Guerra, 35, and his unidentified male assistant. April 3, 2013. Shot while driving to Guatemala City from Antigua Guatemala.

Marvin Osvaldo and Alfredo Pirir Bucú (18). April 4, 2013. Guatemala City. Both of them shot by a 14 year old gang member.

Honer Onelio Hernández Toledo (28). April 4, 2013.  Villa Nueva. Shot to death.

Hansel Víctor Amaya (19) and an unidentified male (18). April 4, 2013. Mixco. Shot to death.

José Angel Mam Cuyuch (29). Mixco. April 4, 2013.  Cab driver victim of gunshot wounds.

Raymundo Adán Galindo Hernández (32) and Alejandra Agripina Chávez de Galindo (26). Villa Nueva. April 4, 2013. Married couple, ambushed and shot execution style.

Elvis Alexander López (17), Marlon Yoc (26) and unknown female (60). Tierra Nueva II, Chinautla. April 5, 2013. Shot multiple times.

Arnoldo Bladimir Zepeda (30), Ciudad Quetzal. April 6, 2013. Victim of gunshot wounds.

Carlitos Alexander Ordóñez (28), Villa Nueva. April 6, 2013. Victim of gunshot wounds.

Luis Alberto Lemus Ruano (61), Jalpatagua. April 7, 2013. Shot multiple times.

Manuel Alexánder Gonzales (22), Palencia. April 7, 2013. Beaten to death.

Oscar Vicente Cortez Ramírez (22), Chinautla. April 7, 2013. Tortured and shot.

Daniel Pedro (44), Santa Eulalia, Huehuetenango. April 17, 2013. Beaten to death.

Unidentified female (65), Guatemala City. April 20, 2013. Her body was found at the bottom of a garbage deposit.

Ronald Esaú Ochoa Cifuentes (31) and Rony Gallardo (25), Mixco. April 21, 2013. Victims of gunshot wounds.

Wilson Enrique Aguilar (16), Guatemala City. April 21, 2013. Shot multiple times.

Eliseo Ramos Martínez (41), Jesús Aldana Choc (39), Mateo García Pérez (61), Humberto Raúl García (38) and Nedelson Martínez Interiano (49), Centro Campesino II, Las Cruces, Petén. April 22, 2013. Victims of gunshot and machete wounds.

Domingo Morales (77), La Unión, Zacapa. April 24, 2013. Shot multiple times.

Víctor Aníbal López de la Cruz (52), Usumatlán. April 24, 2013. Shot in the stomach and hit in the head with a bottle.

Gilberto Waldemar Sosa Galindo (28), Puerto Barrios, Izabal. April 24, 2013. Shot 8 times.

Unidentified human remains. April 27, 2013. Found dismembered in San Juan Chamelco, Alta Verapaz.

Pedro Pablo Vicente Velásquez (52). April 27, 2013. His lifeless body was found tied to a tree in Malacatancito, San Marcos.

Eduardo Demetrio Camacho Orozco (40). San Rafael Las Flores, Santa Rosa. April 30, 2013. Shot by an angry mob.

Research has proven that during the first quarter of 2013 1,570 people were murdered in Guatemala; 197 of them were women, 1,373 were men and 23 were minors.

Marta Rivas (18), Ruth Chávez Monroy (39) and César José Luis (1), Guatemala City. May 6, 2013. Shot by a 17 year-old.

Rubén Mendoza Batres (52), Guatemala City. May 14, 2013. Victim of gunshot wounds.

Harold Peralta, Puerto Barrios, Izabal. May 15, 2013. Victim of a drive-by shooting.

Erick Nájera (18). Guatemala City. May 17, 2013. Victim of a drive-by shooting.

Mynor Cruz Ramírez (17), Jocotán, Chiquimula. May 17, 2013. Shot 17 times.

Ronaldo Selvin Cifuentes Sabaleta (30) and Elder Esaú Enrique Grijalva (24), Coatepeque, Quetzaltenango. May 17, 2013. Victims of gunshot wounds.

Lino De La Cruz Valdés (49) and Gregoria Alonzo García (50), Olopa, Chiquimula. May 19, 2013. Killed with firearms and machetes.

Wilmer Oleyder Pérez Presentín (20), Villa Canales. May 19, 2013. Victim of gunshot wounds.

Naylin Marisol Gil Dávila (16) and Francisco Lizánder Gutiérrez Santos (18). May 28, 2013. The married couple was shot multiple times. Villa Nueva.

Carlos Tot Cucul (51), Panzós, Alta Verapaz. May 30, 2013. Tortured, mutilated and burned to death. Two security guards, pressumably responsible for Tot’s death, were lynched.

Tommy Chajón (18). Quetzaltenango. June 20, 2013. Was doused with gasoline and set on fire.

Gilma Yolanda Muñoz (48) and Reina Cordón (28), El Maguey, Zacapa. June 22, 2013. Mother and daughter, shot several times.

Alfonso Hub (21). Cobán, Alta Verapaz. June 24, 2013. Lynched after allegedly abusing a 3-year old boy.

William Otoniel Barillas (32). Road to Puerto Quetzal, Escuintla. June 27, 2013. Shot multiple times.

Stefany Aracely Posada. Guatemala City. July 5, 2013. Shot.

Francisco Salamanca (31) and Alejandro Rafael Aguirre Morales (29). Guatemala City. July 6, 2013. Shot inside a restaurant.

Manuel Alfredo Godoy (37) and Brenda Leticia Pérez Castillo (37). Villa Nueva. July 6, 2013. Victims of gunshot wounds.

David Aarón Cifuentes Velásquez (25), July 8, 2013. Guatemala City. Police officer shot on duty while collecting evidence at a crime scene.

Santos Fidel Ajau Surte, San José del Golfo, Guatemala. July 9, 2013. Shot during a drive-by.

Edy René Zamora Marroquín (33), Edwar David Alvarez Marroquín (27) and Alejandro Sánchez Velasco (40). July 9, 2013. Villa Nueva. Victims of gunshot wounds.

8 year-old girl and her 16 year-old brother. July 12, 2013. On the road to Coatepeque. Victims of gunshot wounds.

María Alejandra Oseida Vásquez (10), El Cuasín, Fraijanes. July 18, 2013. Raped and strangled.

Diego Armando Moisés Pereira (25), Guatemala City. July 19, 2013. Died from complications caused by a mob beating, after he shot a high school student in the head.

Viviana Virginia Choc Barahona (15) and a 17-year old unidentified female, Guatemala City. July 21, 2013. Shot multiple times.

Leonel Guillén Sosa (17), Guatemala City. July 24, 2013. Died from complications related to a gunshot head wound.

Ingrid Gabriela Conedera Vargas (31), Guatemala City. July 25, 2013. Gunned down by a female, allegedly hired by Ingrid’s ex husband.

Dilan Iván Castellanos Locón (3) and his father, Gerber Alexander Castellanos Zamora. August 4, 2013. Guatemala City. Victims of gunshot wounds.

Luis de Jesús Lima (68), Zacapa. August 6, 2013. Victim of a drive-by shooting.

Mynor Danilo Del Cid Lima (45), Sacatepéquez. August 11, 2013. Police office gunned down by two assailants.

Luis Fernando Felipe Méndez (27) and Carlos Adolfo Franco (17), Guatemala City. August 11, 2013. Bus driver and his assistant, both of whom were shot from a motorcycle and a taxi.

Edilia Rosmery Alay Berganza (21). Cuilapa, Santa Rosa. Shot twice in the head by her boyfriend, a police officer, inside a police station.

José Antonio Hernández (2), San Martín Jilotepeque. August 14, 2013. Died as a result of a head trauma. His mother was charged in this case; his stepfather is the alleged culprit.

Elsa Asbelita Rosales Zet (42), Acatenango. August 14, 2013. Her body presented multiple injuries to the head, face and arms.

María Isabel Patre (30). Villanueva. August 18, 2013. Victim of a drive-by shooting.

Ludwin López Gómez (17), Ronald Oliver López Pablo (27). San Idelfonso, Ixtahuacán, Huehuetenango. September 2, 2013. Lynched.

Aurelio Suret Pixtún (34), Carlos Isidoro Xocoxit Salala (30), Santos García Pixtún (20), Rolando Monroy Pixtún (20), Leonardo González Hernández (27), Santos Vicente Tepén Xuyá (22), Javier Tepén Soyos (25), Santos Suret Pixtún (27), Inés Peinado Ortiz (32), Rigoberto Noj Tepén (24) and Juan Carlos Suret Xuyá (21). San José Nacahuil, San Pedro Ayampuc, Guatemala. September 7, 2013. Victims of gunshot wounds.

Leyser Wilfredo Tagual (27). Guatemala City. September 18, 2013. Shot.

Yuri Elisabeth Pérez Gómez(5). Coatepeque, Quetzaltenango. Shot in the face. September 19, 2013.

Edwin Estuardo Ronquillo Morales (24). Guatemala City. September 19, 2013. Strangled in his jail cell.

Víctor Miguelito Soria Pacheco (26). Santa Cruz Barillas, Huhuetenango.  September 29, 2013. Victim of gunshot wounds. Shot.

Edwin Alexander Chávez Ayala (6). Guatemala City. October 6, 2013. Victim of gunshot wounds.

Mario Amílcar Herrarte (16) and César Alexis Aquino Gónzález (13). Tierra Nueva II, Chinautla. October 10, 2013. Both shot multiple times.

Luis Antonio López Ramírez (39). Guatemala City. October 13, 2013. Victims of gunshot wounds.

Patricia Morales (14). Guatemala City. October 17, 2013. Her murder is being investigated, given the fact that it took place inside a child haven facility.

Lester Sarceño Castillo (41). Iztapa, Escuintla. October 18, 2013. Victim of multiple gunshot wounds.

A study reveals that Guatemala has an average of 84% of deaths in the country are a result of fire arms.

Josselyn Yohana Cordón Flores (16). Estanzuela, Zacapa. October 30, 2013. Shot execution style.

Two unidentified women (17 and 20). San José La Comunidad, Mixco. October 30, 2013. Their remains were found by neighbors at an outdoors soccer field.

Luis Urías Enrique Pérez (25). Guatemala City. October 30, 2013. Victim of gunshot wounds.

14-year old girl. San Pedro Sacatepéquez. November 15, 2013. Beaten and strangled.

Unidentified woman (23). Mixco. November 15, 2013. Shot multiple times during a drive-by.

Luis Fernando López Figueroa (27). Villa Nueva. November 15, 2013. Shot multiple times.

Jeremías Gamaliel López Osorio (24). Retalhuleu. November 15, 2013. Killed with sharp weapons.