Minneapolis, MN -- (SBWire) -- 07/30/2013 --When the word genocide generally and especially genocide in Guatemala comes to mind, most people think of The Holocaust. However, few people are aware of the occurrence of genocide in Guatemala during the 1980s. So little was known of the genocide in Guatemala facts when it was occurring, it is often dubbed "The Silent Holocaust" by historians.

After the Guatemalan Civil War in the early 1980s, dictator Efraín Ríos Montt rose into power, determined to use his power with absolute force against anyone he suspected of sympathizing with the guerrillas.

The native Ixil people were massacred shortly after the Efrain Rios Montt rose to power. His government was convinced they were Marxist rebels trying to install a communist system through guerilla welfare.

Using the Guatemalan army, the government forcefully razed, massacred, and attacked an estimated 626 villages. Villagers were said to have been brutally murdered after they were rounded up and those trying to escape were killed on the spot. Other heinous crimes were reported such as pregnant women having their bellies ripped open, children being disemboweled, and old men and women being set on fire. Buildings were totally wiped out and even children of all ages were beaten, tortured, and raped. A "scorched earth" policy was applied by the Guatemalan government to completely erase all signs of a previously viable village.

During the 36-year Guatemalan Civil War, the US government continued their support to the Guatemalan government in the form of military and financial aid because the Mayans living in the Ixil triangle, that the army was fighting against, were in favor of social change. Infamously, the US government even trained the Guatemalan Army to fight against the guerillas.

After a peace treaty was finally signed in 1996, some former military officers and hundreds civilian witnesses, came out and spoke about the atrocities that occurred and were forcefully kept quiet by the military government, until the Rios Montt trial in 2013 in which he was convicted of genocide in Guatemala. However, the conviction was overturned by a court as a result of political influence of the conservative business sector.

To this day, Guatemala is still recovering from the events of the civil war and trying to come to terms with the horrible atrocities that occurred.

Overall, based on genocide in Guatemala facts an estimated 200,000 Guatemalans civilians were murdered during the civil war.

The Casa Xelaju educational institution in Guatemala offers students Spanish lessons by immersing their students with Spanish. In addition to Spanish lessons, the school also provides courses in the Quiche language, cultural exchange programs, social projects, volunteer work, and even internship programs for those interested.

About Casa Xelaju,
Casa Xelaju (http://www.casaxelaju.com) is educational institution that provides the best language and cultural education and services possible to their students They also provide the best economic environment for teachers and staff.