Acteal Massacre

Massacre of 45 people attending a prayer meeting of Roman Catholic indigenous townspeople, including a number of children and pregnant women, who were members of the pacifist group Las Abejas ("The Bees"), in the small village of Acteal in the municipality of Chenalhó, in the Mexican state of Chiapas. It was carried out on December 22, 1997 by unknown paramilitary forces.

The Las Abejas activists professed support for the goals of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, including their rejection of applying violent means. Many suspect this affiliation as the reason for the attack, and government involvement or complicity. Soldiers at a nearby military outpost didn't intervene during the attack, which lasted for hours, and the following morning, soldiers were found washing the church walls to hide the blood stains.


Names of Those Killed at Acteal Massacre

Lucia Mendez Capote 13
Vicente Mendez Capote 5
Manuel Santiz Culebra 57
Loida Ruiz Gomez 21
Victorio Vazquez Gomez 22
Graciela Gomez Hernandez 3
Guadalupe Gomez Hernandez 2
Roselia Gomez Hernandez 5
Miguel Perez Jimenez 40
Antonia Vazquez Luna 27
Rosa Vazquez Luna 14
Veronica Vazquez Luna 20
Margarita Vazquez Luna 3
Juana Vazquez Luna 8 months
Ignacio Pukuj Luna unknown
Micaela Pukuj Luna 67
Alejandro Perez Luna 16
Juana Perez Luna 9
Silvia Perez Luna 6
Maria Luna Mendez 44
Nanuela Paciencia Moreno 35
Maria Perez Oyalte 42
Margarita Mendez Paciencia 23
Daniel Gomez Perez 24
Susana Jimenez Perez 17
Josefa Vazquez Perez 27
Maria Capote Perez 16
Martha Capote Perez 12
Micaela Vazquez Perez 9
Juana Gomez Perez 61
Juan Carlos Luna Perez 1
Antonia Vazquez Perez 30
Lorenzo Gomez Perez 46
Sebastian Gomez Perez 9
Daniel Gomez Perez 24
Juana Perez Perez 33
Rosa Perez Perez 33
Marcela Luna Ruiz 35
Maria Gomez Ruiz 23
Catarina Luna Ruiz 31
Marcela Capote Ruiz 29
Marcela Capote Vazquez 15
Paulina Hernandez Vazquez 22
Juana Luna Vazquez 45
Alonso Vasquez Gomez 46