ABSTRACT
This chapter documents the history of forensic investigations in Guatemala, focusing on how respect for families and their ceremonial and religious practices have ensured investigations meet and fulfill their needs and priorities in their search for Disappeared loved ones. As part of the family centered approach of Fundación de Antropología Forense de Guatemala (Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala) (FAFG), Maya ceremonies and practices—as part of Maya Cosmovision—are welcomed throughout their forensic investigations. This chapter describes the relationship between the forensic process, local organizations, and the families of victims, using the case study of the San Juan Comalapa Memorial for Victims of Enforced Disappearance. This relationship, built on trust and the participation of victim families, advances the mission of the forensic process: to uphold and elevate truth telling, memory, and justice. This chapter demonstrates how FAFG’s methodology of transparency, inclusion, and respect for families has generated trust. In this way, it has paved a path for civil society organizations and the families of the victims to work together in search of truth and human identification.
