The Katinamit Museum Poqomchi’ Community Educational Center in San Cristóbal, Alta Verapaz, came about as a local initiative to preserve and promote Poqomchi’ culture in the municipality. Through a community effort, objects were collected from the region, including everyday tools used to work in the fields and in the home, traditional clothing and archaeological objects found in the area. A permanent exhibition was set up with all these objects.
At the beginning of the 2000s, the people who started this project turned their attention to the issue of historical memory of the IAC, particularly the case of the clandestine graveyard found at the army base in Cobán, now known as CREOMPAZ. There, the remains of more than 500 people who were kidnapped and disappeared in and around San Cristóbal were found. The museum has a specific room dedicated to the memory of these people, showing how they had contributed to community life throughout their lives. The museum also has a special area dedicated to women survivors of different types of violence, presenting their testimonies and life stories.
In recent years, the museum has trained around 25 young people to be community guides and peace promoters. Their role is to convey historical and ancestral memory to the general public, with a special emphasis on the region’s schoolchildren, encouraging them to visit the museum regularly and learn about the region’s sacred and ancestral sites.
Location: 0 calle 0-33 zona 3, Calle del Calvario in San Cristóbal Verapaz, Alta Verapaz.
Contact Information: 7950 4896.
Facebook Page: Memoria Histórica y Ancestral.
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 17h