Navidad in El Sitio

Short History of Communidad El Sitio

On January 16, 1992 the government agreed to give people the land on which they had resettled, as most were forced from their homes during the war.  People from El Sitio first repatriated Nuevo Copapeyo with many others from the Mesa Grande (refugee camp in Honduras).

While in Nuevo Copapeyo, Peggy spoke with Mercedes (Community Organizer) and a small group about unpopulated land outside Suchitoto.  The group moved and created Communidad El Sitio, named after a tree in the area that was a common meeting place for the gorillas during the war.  They built Peggy a home alongside their own.   

Mercedes explained this to me in Spanish.  My translation may not be fully accurate.

Navidad in El Sitio

Peggy drove Sister Pat and I about forty-five minutes outside Suchi’s center to El Sitio.  We spent the day with Mercedes’ family.  She has six kids (around my age) and most of them have kids.  I have spent time with individuals from this family throughout my past two months here, so the huge gaggle of people wasn’t overwhelming.  I guess my training with the Buccola Crew was helpful too.

We ate extremely fresh chicken sandwiches and tamales.  We drank “coffee” that was actually burnt sugarcane but tastes like coffee.  We relaxed in hammocks.  And we sat and talked for hours.  My favorite conversations were based around stories Mercedes shared from Mesa Grande.

She talked about learning to read and write so that she could send notes to her husband fighting in the war.  She talked about taking care of kids whose parents were out fighting.  She told a story about when she and her husband found out they had the same birthday, after having been married for over twenty years!  They were illiterate like their parents, so they couldn’t read the birth certificates.

Paola snatching a shirt full of candy from the Penyada.

Little boy/angel processing to the Chapel.

When the sun went down, children in the community dressed in costumes for the Posada and sang Christmas carols while waiting for families to gather.  They acted out the Biblical Christmas story and processed on the dirt path (main road) to the chapel.  When we arrived, they performed the Posada with some characters inside the chapel calling and responding to the characters outside the chapel.  They completed the production inside and celebrated the Liturgy of the Word.

Posada call and response at the Chapel door.

Nativity in the Chapel

Afterward, there was an all night dance party in a local family’s yard.  Mercedes gave me a sip of their local moonshine.  I danced until 2am and was one of the first to leave!  There were still little kids running around, lighting fireworks and babies awake next to the loud speaker! 

I stayed the night with Mercedes’ daughter and granddaughter, Amenta and Xiamara.  We had a live chicken under the bed.  I found the next morning that Christmas day is similar to every other day.

Amenta, Xiamara, and Hector before the Posada