In 1984 in the month of July, I went to Chajul, which is one of the three villages called "Tri·ngulo de Ichil" ("The Triangle of Ichil"). I was very fascinated with the Mayas who live there and I had been told that they where the most suppressed people at that time. When I came there, a military patrol had just passed by and this patrol had kidnapped some people, they had brought along some of the men and just before leaving the village, they had killed 2 or 3 of these men, I don't remember the exact number of people. And these dead men where still lying there surrounded by a lot of women - this was at the entrance of the village, near a little bridge that leads over a beautiful river.  
 
     I got off the bus and I started painting right a way - and was very fascinated by a woman who was just standing there without moving at all - she looked like a statue. The other women told me that this was the third son she had lost in a very short time. And again I don't know what is happening to me when I'm drawing, I guess I'm just like a journalist or a photographer - just taking a picture.  
 
      I drew her while she was standing there, without moving, without looking at me - this is one of my strongest drawings - I hid it from 1984 to 2000, so I haven't been looking at it for 16 years.... And I was very moved by seeing her again, because she expresses something I've seen a lot of times - this immobility that you see in most of the women who have lost their husband or their sons. She's from Chajul.  
 
      The women of Chajul are called "Las Mujeres Rojas de Chajul" ("The red Women of Chajul") - their clothes are red with a lot of drawings - but basically red. So to speak, they are the most socialist women of the Mayas. Their headgear is very characteristic - they are wearing 2 or 3 cotton balls and cotton threads hanging from their ears - often with coins - they have a very special relationship to money - they often prefer to decorate themselves with the coins instead of using them for what we would call reasonable purposes... 
 
      It is a very proud people - and in these situations the proud people is almost always persecuted. But some of my best friends belong to this tribe, the indigenous people of Ichil. I also have to tell you that they have never been conquered - during the Spanish Conquest - ever since the Conquest 500 years ago and until today, they have never been conquered... And they know that - and that's also what you can see in this woman's face.  
 
 
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