Description
This painting depicts three orphans making their way through the jungle. They are carrying food and firewood so they will be able to survive. This painting refers to conditions during the so called Civil War that lasted over 30 years between 1960 and 1996. The war was initiated by the United States when it orchestrated the overthrow of Guatemala's democratically elected president to protect the interests of United Fruit. It was in fact a war of genocide. Over 450 native Mayan villages were destroyed and close to 200,000 perished. Mario Chavajay is one of the most respected Guatemalan painters with one of his works in the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian representing the indigenous Mayan people.
