Panabaj

Panabáj, located on the edge of Lake Atitlán in the western highlands of Guatemala, was a small village (canton or aldea) within the municipality of Santiago Atitlán in the department of Sololá. Most of the 3,000 residents were Tzu'tujil Maya people. Like many indigenous populations around the lake, the residents of Panabaj suffered greatly during the 36-year-long Guatemalan Civil War that ended in 1996. In 1990, 13 unarmed civilians were gunned down while protesting at an army base located in Panabáj. International media attention forced the Guatemalan government to close the base and declare Santiago Atitlán and its environs a "military-free zone."