San Juan Cotzal Warnings Or Dangers

San Juan Cotzal is right in area of the mass genocide that was committed on the indigenous people of Guatemala during the civil war that began in 1960 and ended in 1996. Many of the army members and the members of the civil patrols that committed these atrocities have just melted back into the communities with impunity. So therefore, I warn you that you should always travel in groups of three or more and never, never, never be out at night. The National Civil Police have a station in SJC and at the time of my last visit there was still no phone service to the community....communication to the outside world was conducted on radio. Apparently now there is cell phone service in SJC. AGROS has sent 12-15 teams a year to the area for several years and we have had no serious problems because we act with caution.,