Panoramic view of the place called Chaupimayo, one day after being exhumed. The remains of two victims found in a mass grave in Chungui. This place is called Chaupimayu, within the area known as “Dog’s Ear” in Chungui, and it’s located at 800 kilometers from southeast Lima.
Max Cabello Orcasitas
Chungui’s Grief (The Wedding of Grief and Carnival)
ESSAY CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT
In the district of Chungui, Ayacucho, Peru, there’s a foundational myth that strikes people’s imagination the most. From the countless versions that exist, this is one of them: when Dominican monks arrived to the district during the first part of the Spanish Conquest, there was a drunken and insolent local chief ‘a curaca’ who irrupted into the church and threw down the chalice and the world descended into darkness. The curaca transformed into a jaguar and started chasing and devouring people. Only when the saints resurrected, the jaguar was dominated with lashes and fire. When peace was restored, survivors resettled.
Thirty years ago this myth adjoined reality.
Dannal Aramburu, forensic anthropologist (in blue), along with a family from Chungui observe the remains of two victims found in a mass grave of moderate depth, situated near a mango tree. This place is called Chaupimayu, within the area known as “Dog’s Ear” in Chungui, and it’s located at 800 kilometers from southeast Lima. The population is in charge of guiding the forensic teams. In order to reach this area, they have had to walk for 17 hours departing from the nearest highway. Chungui’s people are concerned with finding their relatives, who died during violent times between 1980 and 1990. Between November and December of 2013, two forensic teams from the Public Prosecutor’s Office exhumed approximately 50 mass graves in the long-suffering Chungi district, in Ayacucho, Peru. Shining Path and Peruvian Armed Forces are believed to have buried at least 200 people in these pits. During four weeks of work, 99 corpses were found. Chungui is a distant district located in the region of Ayacucho, which was –according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission– one of the most affected Peruvian villages during the political violence and armed conflict time, between 1980 and 1995. Chungi’s territory, of around 1000 square kilometers, was the scenario of multiple slaughters caused by both subversive organization Shining Path and Peruvian Policing Agencies (Army and Police forces). Currently, that same area contains 320 mass graves with the remains of more than 1,384 victims, waiting to be acknowledged by their families, mostly orphans and survivors of such harsh time. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission estimates that 1,384 people there died by assassination. Today, most of Chungui’s population lives in extreme poverty. They are part of VRAEM, a large area of valleys surrounding the rivers Ene and Apurimac that also account for the most extensive Peruvian territory dedicated to production of cocaine paste and coca. Although one part of Chungui di
Chungui’s landscape. A villager rests in the hillside of Chungui. Between November and December of 2013, two forensic teams from the Public Prosecutor’s Office exhumed approximately 50 mass graves in the long-suffering Chungi district, in Ayacucho, Peru. Shining Path and Peruvian Armed Forces are believed to have buried at least 200 people in these mass graves. During four weeks of work, 99 corpses were found. Chungui is a distant district located in the region of Ayacucho, which was –according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission– one of the most affected Peruvian villages during the political violence and armed conflict time, between 1980 and 1995. Chungi’s territory, of around 1000 square kilometers, was the scenario of multiple slaughters caused by both subversive organization Shining Path and Peruvian Policing Agencies (Army and Police forces). Currently, that same area contains 320 mass graves with the remains of more than 1,384 victims, waiting to be acknowledged by their families, mostly orphans and survivors of such harsh time. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission estimates that 1,384 people there died by assassination.
A girl hides in Chungui’s church and observes from there the celebration of Chungui’s anniversary. The restoration of celebratory expressions and life rituals is interrupted by the still slow exhumation process of the victims and disappeared people of those brutal years. Between November and December of 2013, two forensic teams from the Public Prosecutor’s Office exhumed approximately 50 mass graves in the long-suffering Chungi district, in Ayacucho, Peru. Shining Path and Peruvian Armed Forces are believed to have buried at least 200 people in these pits. During four weeks of work, 99 corpses were found.
Chungui’s landscape.
Churca panoramic view, one of the 40 villages of Chungui
Bride during wedding celebrations at Chungui. The restoration of celebratory expressions and life-death rituals is interrupted by the still slow exhumation process of the victims and disappeared people of those brutal years. Along with this restoration, Chungui’s population is concerned with recovering their relatives’ bodies.
Currently, many of Chungui’s small hamlets do not have electricity or water supply, not even highways or healthcare centers. Since there are not highways, people have to make long walks of around 6 to 12 hours to move their products to a sales point,
A member of the Self-defense Committee in the town of Churca, in Chungui. Members of the Self-defense Committees are armed villagers in charge of securing the area due to the absence of police enforcement. They also act as guides for the forensic experts during the exhumations since they know the paths to reach the mass graves where the armed conflict victims would have been buried. Between November and December of 2013, two forensic teams from the Public Prosecutor’s Office exhumed approximately 50 mass graves in the long-suffering Chungi district, in Ayacucho, Peru. Shining Path and Peruvian Armed Forces are believed to have buried at least 200 people in these mass graves. During four weeks of work, 99 corpses were found.
Chungui is a distant district located in the region of Ayacucho, which was ‘according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission?’ one of the most affected Peruvian villages during the political violence and armed conflict time, between 1980 and 1995. Chungi’s territory, of around 1000 square kilometers, was the scenario of multiple slaughters caused by both subversive organization Shining Path and Peruvian Policing Agencies (Army and Police forces). Currently, that same area contains 320 mass graves with the remains of more than 1,384 victims, waiting to be acknowledged by their families, mostly orphans and survivors of such harsh time.
Today, most of Chungui’s population lives in extreme poverty, and also trying to recover from the trauma that meant so violent in years past decades.
The restoration of celebratory expressions and life-death rituals is interrupted by the still slow exhumation process of the victims and disappeared people of those brutal years. Along with this restoration, Chungui’s population is concerned with recovering their relatives’ bodies.
Many of Chungui’s small hamlets do not have electricity or water supply, not even highways or healthcare centers. Since there are not highways, people have to make long walks of around 6 to 12 hours to move their products to a sales point.
Remains of a Peruvian army barracks that has been abandoned in the jungle of Chungui near the Apurimac river. Part Chungui territory, also includes part of Amazon jungle, to be located in the Valley of the Apurimac River and Pampas (VRAEM), which is one of the areas of coca cultivation, most important of Peru. Chungui is a distant district located in the region of Ayacucho, which was –according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission– one of the most affected Peruvian villages during the political violence and armed conflict time, between 1980 and 1995. Chungi’s territory, of around 1000 square kilometers, was the scenario of multiple slaughters caused by both subversive organization Shining Path and Peruvian Policing Agencies (Army and Police forces). Currently, that same area contains 320 mass graves with the remains of more than 1,384 victims, waiting to be acknowledged by their families, mostly orphans and survivors of such harsh time. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission estimates that 1,384 people there died by assassination. Restos de una barraca abandonado de una Base Contrasubversiva de las Fuerzas Armadas., en Villa Aurora ,selva de Chungui. 2013 . Parte del territorio de Chungui es todavía asolada por remanentes de Sendero Luminoso, motivo por el cual , se instalan estos controles militares.
Clothes and remains of a boy were found after the exhumation of a mass grave in the Suyrurupampa area, in Chungui. This is not the first exhumation held there. Between November of 2005 and July of 2013, 166 corpses were dug up and 102 of them identified. Between November and December of 2013, two forensic teams from the Public Prosecutor’s Office exhumed approximately 50 mass graves in the long-suffering Chungi district, in Ayacucho, Peru. Shining Path and Peruvian Armed Forces are believed to have buried at least 200 people in these pits. During four weeks of work, 99 corpses were found. Chungui is a distant district located in the region of Ayacucho, which was –according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission– one of the most affected Peruvian villages during the political violence and armed conflict time, between 1980 and 1995. Chungi’s territory, of around 1000 square kilometers, was the scenario of multiple slaughters caused by both subversive organization Shining Path and Peruvian Policing Agencies (Army and Police forces). Currently, that same area contains 320 mass graves with the remains of more than 1,384 victims, waiting to be acknowledged by their families, mostly orphans and survivors of such harsh time. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission estimates that 1,384 people there died by assassination. Today, most of Chungui’s population lives in extreme poverty. They are part of VRAEM, a large area of valleys surrounding the rivers Ene and Apurimac that also account for the most extensive Peruvian territory dedicated to production of cocaine paste and coca. Although one part of Chungui district is a mountainous area, the possibility of making more profit from coca plants is a permanent temptation, since it’s highly demanded in comparison to other agricultural products. The restoration of celebratory expressions and life-death rituals is interrupted by the still slow exhumation process of the victims and disappeared people of those b
Aramburu Dannal Forensic Archaeologist exhaustion lies amid the jungle of Chungui. Just reunited with a group of forensic, after being lost for 3 hours.
A tree decorated with streamers, toys and buckets swings, moved by the wind, in front of two children. This is a carnival scene in Chungui district. The restoration of celebratory expressions and life-death rituals is interrupted by the still slow exhumation process of the victims and disappeared people of those brutal years. Along with this restoration, Chungui’s population is concerned with recovering their relatives’ bodies.
A girl lies on the grave of her relative during their funeral. Between November and December of 2013, two forensic teams from the Public Prosecutor’s Office exhumed approximately 50 mass graves in the long-suffering Chungi district, in Ayacucho, Peru. Shining Path and Peruvian Armed Forces are believed to have buried at least 200 people in these pits. During four weeks of work, 99 corpses were found.
Funeral of Victoria Contreras, Chungui’s villager. Although Mrs. Contreras died of natural causes, the passing of elderly people means the passing of witnesses of the armed conflict. They are also the beneficiaries of an economic compensation law affecting victims of the armed conflict and their children.
Chungui village woman attends to the cemetery to visit the grave of his family who passed away at the hands of members of Shining Path. Most of the citizens have Chungui deceased relatives during the domestic violence suffered Peru, especially Chungui during the years 1980 and 1995.
Chungui’s landscape. Chungui is a distant district located in the region of Ayacucho, which was –according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission– one of the most affected Peruvian villages during the political violence and armed conflict time, between 1980 and 1995. Chungi’s territory, of around 1000 square kilometers, was the scenario of multiple slaughters caused by both subversive organization Shining Path and Peruvian Policing Agencies (Army and Police forces). Currently, that same area contains 320 mass graves with the remains of more than 1,384 victims, waiting to be acknowledged by their families, mostly orphans and survivors of such harsh time. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission estimates that 1,384 people there died by assassination. T
Bio
Max Cabello Orcasitas. Born in Lima, Peru, 1974. Founding member of the group of documentary photography Supayfotos. Since 1999 he has worked asa freelance photographer for newspapers and agencies. In 2004 he received The Eugene Courret National Photography Award. In 2011 he received the first place in Latin America POYi Award for the series “Girls want to be singers” in the category Identity Nuestra Mirada. In 2013, his series “Happy Days” (still under construction) reached the honorable mention in the 2013 PHOTOGRAPHIC MUSEUM GRANT OF HUMANITY.