The Massacre at Acteal - A Photo Essay 1. Los Altos de Chiapas, New Year's Eve 1997. Afraid of further attacks, the procession is accompanied by human rights activists, journalists, and priests from the Diocese of San Cristobal de las Casas. Here, Father Alberto of Bachajon carries a brick to Acteal, symbol of the survivors' determination to rebuild their lives and honour the memory of their dead. The bricks will be used to build a memorial at the site of the massacre.
International observers accompany the procession.
After the massacre, their most pressing demand is the right to live without fear. This sign is calling for the Attorney General of Mexico to immediately arrest those accused of the murder. Until now, political murders have enjoyed almost total impunity in Chiapas. A mass is conducted at the displacement camp where the 45 men, women and children were murdered as they prayed for peace on December 22 last year. Tzotzil women stand beneath what is left of the camp's hurriedly constructed shelters.