For a people struggling with true peace and liberty, liberty not so much from foreign invaders as from domestic social, economic, and political oppression, the people of San Lucas celebrate September 15, the anniversary of Central America’s independence, very enthusiastically.

     The Maya say that they were invaded and not conquered, that they were put into slavery by the fifteenth-century Spanish. Independence Day is a celebration of freedom from that slavery. This freedom fortunately did not come about through war and bloodshed; Spain, after hundreds of difficult years, agreed to give Central America its independence in 1821.

     Since this year’s Independence Day fell on a Monday, the community held festivities throughout the preceding weekend as well as on the
actual holiday.

     Saturday morning, the pre-school children from all of the schools gathered in the parish’s churchyard. Monday’s big parade would be too much for these youngsters, so they had a parade of their own. They proudly waved banners with their school names and school colors and marched to music from portable stereos. They walked from the church to the park, several blocks up the hill, though they did go around a few extra blocks to get there. Many supportive parents lined the streets or walked alongside their children.

     Unfortunately, the children’s parade was all the formal festing that took place on Saturday, since the town’s electricity went out during late afternoon and did not come back on until Sunday morning. The evening dance had to be cancelled, though the darkness did not keep some revelers from setting off fireworks around town. The darkness, broken by a cloud-filtered near-full moon, carried an enchanting quality. Many people were out, either going to church services or simply strolling. Except for the fireworks, the town was relatively quiet. The stillness and gentleness of the evening served as a reminder of what was being celebrated throughout the weekend. It probably spoke more of peace and liberty than the dance would have.

     During Sunday morning’s church services, worshippers throughout the town spent time in prayerful thanksgiving for independence, hope for future freedoms, and faith in the one who has guided them this far. True personal liberty and peace are found within and cannot be determined by others; this was likely a common reflection during the morning services.

     In traditional celebration of this Eve of the Independence, students and teachers from San Lucas schools, as well as from schools around the country, went to the capital city with a torch to light from a common flame. The flame is the flame of liberty and was carried with pride back to the community. The torch was held aloft by running students followed by a bus or truck for resting during this marathon home. The thousands of runners and torches streaming in all directions from the capital was a moving sight.

     Schools from several nearby towns ran their torch through San Lucas during the afternoon. San Lucas welcomed its own torch late in the day; community officials used its flame to light a large torch in the municipal park. With all Guatemalan communities, San Lucas kept her flame of liberty burning throughout the remaining independence celebrations.

     Much of rest of the day was a typical San Lucas Sunday with afternoon soccer for some and many taking their weekend’s rest. That is, they rested when not preparing for the next day’s events. Dances and songs had to be perfected, floats had to be finished, and the streets had to be cleaned, cleared, and readied for Monday’s big parade.

     Finally, Monday came. After two days of preliminary activities, the community was ready to celebrate its day of liberty. Beginning at 8:00 a.m., students from all of the schools gathered at the south end of town in their school uniforms and exhibition clothing to march in the parade. The parade lasted approximately two hours, as each school stopped at intervals to perform; there were several drum corps, a drum and bugle corps, and acrobatic dances. Some groups of students portrayed traditional Mayan ways of life through clothing and baskets of foods. One group carried posters of all the Central American nations; another held flags of all the nations of the Americas.

     One group wore Spanish military regalia and marched in unbroken, unwavering step. These youth offered an emotionless, unaffected presentation of the late-fifteenth century Spanish invaders.

     After snaking its way across town towards the lake and back to the south end of San Lucas, the parade arrived at the soccer field. When each school had made its triumphant entry into the field and performed for the assembly, its students lined up in front of the grandstand, patiently waiting for all to take their places. When all the schools had arrived, the vast number of students of San Lucas gathered in one place provided an amazing sight. Children and youth filled the large soccer field.

     Community officials in the grandstand took the microphone and made several speeches about the country, about the community, and about liberty. The assembly sang the national anthem, saluted the flag, and spent time in silent prayer for the full realization of the recently signed national peace accords. External peace and liberty came over 170 years ago; only internal changes in the country’s social and political structure will bring enduring peace for the people of Guatemala.

     After the prayer, the students backed away from the grandstand to leave a large, open area. One last time, each school paraded in front of the spectators and officials to show their school, community, and national pride through their costume, dance, and song. After this final presentation, nearly five hours after gathering in the morning, the crowd dispersed to rest and prepare for the evening’s activities.

     At 5:00, people gathered again in the municipal park in the center of town, in the presence of the large liberty torch that was lit the day before. Three of the schools, one with a drum and lyre corps and one with a drum and bugle corps, processed into the park while performing a song or dance and took their places before the stands.

     Speeches and intermittent fireworks followed. The crowd applauded fervently as one speaker proclaimed: Guatemala es siempre libre, meaning Guatemala is forever free. Everyone again sang the national anthem and saluted the flag. Several students received certificates of community recognition. One young boy proclaimed a poem he had memorized: a poem about the land, the people, the nation, and liberty.

     A round of final fireworks signaled the end of the festivities, and each of the schools processed out of the park. The formal celebrations had been completed. All that remained, except for the soon-beginning, rescheduled dance, was the fulfillment of the promise of liberty in the hearts and lives of each person.

     The people of Guatemala are free from foreign military oppression. May the process of peace allow them to be truly free in living and expressing the unique and defining character of their culture.