A young woman, one of the countless victims of Peru’s civil war, finds her purpose in life even as she still struggles to find peace.
By Sr. Mary Neylon

I met Mary when I worked as a counselor at the University of Huamanga in Ayacucho. She had come into my office to talk with me, and, gradually, she let her story unfold.

Maria’s story is like too many others we have heard in Peru. It’s the story of the effects of 20 years of political violence. Nearly 70,000 people were killed during the civil war between the Peruvian military and the guerrillas of Sendero Luminoso, the Maoist Communist “Shining Path” movement that terrorized and murdered thousands of Peruvians from 1980 to 2000.

Maria was 5 years old in 1983 when she lived with four brothers (ages 1 to 17) and a sister in the city of Huamanga. Her parents had left that year to look after their farm in Totus, many miles south of the city. They never returned.

For Maria, this was the beginning of years of suffering and a relentless search for her parents. What had happened?

As the children began to make inquiries, they heard the outline of a tragedy: Maria’s parents were rearing cattle on their farm, and they had been blessed with a good harvest.

One night, Shining Path guerrillas came to their house and demanded food and lodging. Her parents had no option but to oblige.

The guerrillas stripped them of all they had, then left. Later, the Peruvian military came to Totus, searching for the terrorists. Maria’s parents were accused of being friends and followers of the Shining Path, because they had helped them, and were taken into custody.

Maria overcame her family tragedy to graduate with a nursing degree from Peru’s University of Huamanga.

During the investigation, common graves were opened, but there was no indication that Maria’s parents were among the remains. Were they buried elsewhere in some other common grave? Were they taken as prisoners to “Fronton,” the maximum security prison of that time? Were they tortured and killed there? So many questions surfaced in our conversation as Maria retraced the story of her family.

What about her siblings? Surely this experience must have drawn them very close and bonded them as family. Not so.

A Determined Effort To Succeed
Neither aunts nor uncles made contact with the children for five years, possibly because of fear of being labeled as sympathizers. The oldest brother became very authoritarian and found refuge in alcohol. The second oldest began to steal and later spent many years in jail.

Next was her sister, who took on the responsibility of maintaining the family. She worked as a street vendor.

On one of her journeys as a vendor when she was 12 years old, she was raped and became pregnant. When she returned home, her brother beat her badly, blaming her for what had happened. She brought the baby to term, but it died soon after birth.

Maria and her sister continued to care for their two younger brothers, insisting that they study and become educated. The two girls, however, felt totally controlled by their oldest brother and eventually could bear it no longer. They decided to escape to Lima, Peru’s capital.

It was there they found work in a shantytown east of the city, and Maria was able to continue her studies. Maria’s two younger brothers later joined the girls in Lima. They all graduated from high school, but another problem arose: her youngest brother, at age 18, began to suffer from schizophrenia and became quite a burden. Happily, he now is in treatment at the Noguchi Mental Health Institute.

Maria was determined to continue her studies and become a professional. She knew her parents believed in education just as much as she herself saw education as her only way forward. She worked hard to prepare for the entrance exam to the University of Huamanga and succeeded in being accepted into the School of Nursing.

Keeping up with her studies has been a constant financial struggle; she spent seven years completing the five-year program because she took time off to pay her fees and other expenses. When I spoke with her, she was working on her thesis and looking forward to working in a hospital.

As she recalled her history, she was aware that she continues to carry the weight of not knowing what happened to her parents. She has experienced a raw deal in life, and she has withdrawn herself from other students.

I suggested some coping techniques to help her, but I am aware her sense of loss runs very deep. There is much Maria will never know, even though she will leave no stone unturned in her search for the truth. She says that only when she knows the truth can she hope to reach reconciliation.