Clara describes her experience of the 1986 invasion in Arcatao, during which town residents were locked inside the church.
- Interviewee:
- Clara
Transcription
The soldier said,
“Get in line.”
I do remember the invasion very well.
“Make a line,” he said.
I kept an eye on him, because he said to my sister,
“Do you know who I am?”
I also just stared at him.
“Make a line over here,” he said.
We obeyed and formed a line, and with the soldier pointed his rifle at us.
“Oh, Ms. Teya,” I said, “they’re going to kill us.”
I said it shaking a little.
“They’re going to kill us.”
“No,” said the old lady.
She knew some serious prayers.
“They’re going to kill us,” I told her.
“No,” said the old lady. “They’re not going to kill us.”
So the soldier stood up like this. He was on his knees, but he stood up and said, “Go towards the square.” He got everyone out of that place which they call Candelaria. There were a lot of us taking refuge there. He brought us here over a bridge. Then they sent us to the square, and locked us up in the church. They locked up only the women and children. The children cried of hunger and thirst. They took all the men out naked, in their underwear, as in a procession.
[They made them take their clothes off?]
That invasion was terrible. We were eventually set free, but the soldiers were ready to shoot us.
[How long...Were you locked up in the church? Approximately, how long?]
It was about seven, maybe, when they came to lock us up. We hadn’t eaten or drunk any water. We were just locked up. At about four o’clock we heard they were coming to do the invasion that they did in El Mozote. It was chaos. Since there were a bunch of people who had come back from a guinda, it was a mess. At that point, there were two—what are they called? International people, who were journalists. I heard they were captured and sent away on a helicopter. They reported that there was an invasion here, and what was being done to the people. At about four in the afternoon, we were still waiting to see what they’d do with us, just locked up in there. There were some strongboxes… There were about four soldiers watching people that were inside. “You can leave,” they said. Word came that they shouldn’t do anything. They sent us away, but it was already four in the afternoon. That’s what I remember.