Celestino remembers how he and his family survived during the “May Guinda” in 1982, when many died while attempting to cross the Sumpúl River.
- Chapter:
- Chapter 3: The Years of "Guindas"
- Interviewee:
- Celestino "Ebaristo"
Transcription
After that came the famous "Guinda de Mayo." I was in Patamera. A lot of people were already migrating to Honduras. We arrived in Santa Anita. Supposedly another force was coming and we were going to cross the lake to go to the other side.
When we got to a place they called Veragua, they told us, "There's no way through, it's taken over, we're going back." We were already in Santa Anita at that point.
Suddenly we heard a gunshot ahead of us. There were so many of us that it began to sound like an airplane. People began to fall down and once you had fallen it was very difficult to stand up. The animals were fully loaded since we were bringing everything along. A lady was carrying some roosters and a goat.
When we got to the river, the water level was rising and the river was filling up. I managed to put a kid on my neck and the other one, Tomasa, was hanging from here. All the children formed a chain and we went into the water. Another woman—it was painful—in order for the women to get across there was a small boat. They put about 25 children in it. The boat capsized and they all went downriver.
Another woman, when we passed by her, cried, "Help, help!" She was trying to swim and she was also carrying her boy but didn't want to let him go. She also went down the river.
And we got to the other side. We spent three days over there. Every time we spotted the military, we would go back to where we'd come from or then go somewhere else. "Oh, there they are again," and we'd go somewhere else.
Finally, we were told the soldiers had come again and we were told, "Save yourselves if you can. Every man for himself." It would have been easier like that, earlier. People were almost relieved. Everyone separated, and we started to walk.