CIRMA's "temporary" closing in Antigua, Guatemala

El Salvador has recently been in the news with regards to threats to historic memory following the strange happenings at Tutela Legal and the attacks against Pro-Busqueda. Unfortunately, the threat to historic memory is still alive and well in Guatemala as well.

On December 1, the Centro de Investigaciones Regionales de Mesoamérica (CIRMA) released the following statement announcing its closing

Anuncia que después de más de tres décadas de servicio al público, y con el fin de asegurar la óptima conservación de sus acervos, ha emprendido reparaciones mayores y una completa renovación de su edificio.

Mientras duren las reparaciones, las colecciones de sus tres acervos, Biblioteca de Ciencias Sociales, Fototeca Guatemala, y Archivo Histórico, permanecerán en La Antigua Guatemala, en un ambiente con las condiciones de seguridad y preservación necesarias para su debida protección. El acceso a ellas será limitado, por lo que se les ruega a los interesados hacer una cita por medio de correo electrónico.   

CIRMA agradece su comprensión y espera con emoción compartir con todos los guatemaltecos sus instalaciones renovadas, mejoradas y dignas de los tesoros que resguarda y continuar sirviendo a sus apreciados usuarios como siempre lo ha hecho.

Se estarán publicando noticias periódicas de los avances de este proyecto de renovación en los medios sociales y a través del boletín informativo y la página web. A todos nuestros amigos que han colaborado con nosotros por más de tres décadas esperamos su futura participación en nuestra nueva y mejorada sede. Aprovechamos para desearles a todos unas felices fiestas y un próspero año nuevo!

 Para mayor información y consultas, por favor escríbanos a cirma@cirma.org.gt. Será un gusto atenderlo.         

CIRMA will close for an indefinite period of time for repairs. I took a tour of CIRMA earlier this year and then went to a reception there over the summer. While the facilities were not top of the line, there was little indication that such a closing was imminent or critical. Unfortunately, the situation sounds all too similar to the closing of Tutela Legal as this letter from concerned individuals makes clear.

We the below, concerned scholars of Guatemala and Latin America, are troubled by the recent, sudden closing for an indefinite period of the Centro de Investigaciones Regionales de Mesoamérica (CIRMA). The reason given for the action was that repairs had to be made on the institution’s physical plant.   

We are not in a position to assess the validity of the explanation, but the reports we have heard are disturbing, including that long-term employees of CIRMA were treated in a heavy-handed and disrespectful way during the closing, including having a heavily armed security guard at the door as they were being notified of the collective firing.

The lack of transparency and discussion that led up to and followed this action has likewise generated a series of rumors, which we can’t confirm but are nonetheless troubling. These include: 

● The fear that the documentary archive, or collections therein, will be scattered in different locations and/or transferred out of the country;

●  The fear that sensitive archives such as the collections on the armed conflict may not be protected out of political motives.

●  That “donated” or “on loan” collections of documents and photography are being illegally handled (many of CIRMA's collections have the status of Patrimonio Nacional, and all are governed by convenios signed by donors and the institution, many of which stipulate making the collection available to the public as a condition of the donation);  and that donors of important collections are petitioning for a return of their materials (we’ve heard reports that the Arévalo family has taken steps to retrieve its collection and that Julio Cambranes’ documents have been removed) – which will have a chilling effect on future donations.

Whatever the truth of the above fears and rumors, what is clear is that the archives will be unavailable for consultation for one to two years at a crucial time: collections held by CIRMA are providing key supporting documentation in the trial of Rios Montt and other high-profile human rights cases.

CIRMA’s closing also takes place during a particularly inopportune time for the region as a whole. In El Salvador, Tutela Legal’s human rights archive has recently been closed, shortly followed by the destruction (by an armed group) of the archives of Probusqueda, an NGO that investigates the location of children kidnapped by the Salvadoran military during that country’s civil war. In Guatemala last year, Otto Pérez Molina closed the Archivos de la Paz within SEPAZ.

We believe the shuttering of CIRMA – whatever the conditions that precipitated it -- contributes to the current threat facing the recovery of historical memory in Central America.    The anger and confusion in Guatemala’s scholarly community over CIRMA’s closing – and the manner in which it was carried out – is palpable. 

The loss of CIRMA’s archive and library would be devastating to Guatemala and a violation of its cultural and historical patrimony – no less so than the selling off of stolen historical documents in international auction houses.  

We are even more concerned that prosecutors and lawyers involved in human rights cases continue to have access to relevant information.  

We ask not just for clarification but a commitment to 1. keep the collections intact and in country; 2. respect relevant national laws governing archives as well as the specific convenios of each collection; 3. make CIRMA’s archive accessible as soon as possible to researchers in its temporary location; and 4. allow prosecutors and other legal workers access to relevant documents related to legal cases. 

In short, we are asking CIRMA to live up to its own “fundamental value” of transparency, as stated on its website. 

We understand that the maintenance of CIRMA, its archive, photograph collection, and library has entailed a significant financial burden.  And we appreciate that a new form of financing and governance might be necessary, but that process should include the wider community of Guatemalan and Guatemalanist scholars.

If these issues are not addressed, we will request that the Latin American Studies Association convene a committee of inquiry to assess the situation.

I received this information over the Thanksgiving break so if anyone has an update on the situation, please leave it in the comments or email me directly.