Acción Cultural Guatemalteca

Acción Cultural Guatemalteca, ACG (Guatemalan Cultural Action) is a Mayan community organization which was founded on August 8th. 1989 in Guatemala. It was born out of the desire of families and communities displaced and shattered by the war to return to their lands and rebuild their lives, communities and histories. During this initial period the activities of ACG were directed towards humanizing the war, in organizing the return of the refugee population in México, helping the displaced communities within Guatemala to survive and attain legal recognition as civilian non-combatant population, active involvement in the peace process and in the defense of the rights of the poor.

After the signing of the Peace Agreements on December 29th. 1996 the activities of ACG became more geared towards integral community development, inter-cultural/religious dialogue and human rights work.

On May 12th. 1999 ACG was legally recognized as a non-profit civic society by the municipal authorities in Santa Cruz del Quiché, department of El Quiché, as a non-profit civic society legalized in Book No. 4 of legal entities, pages 153-157, Act no.14, Civil Register legal document No.10 of the Civil Register of the City of Santa Cruz del Quiché, Guatemala, C.A.

Census figures prior to the 8th. General Assembly of ACG in April 2001showed a total of 936 families in 25 communities in the departments of El Quiché, Alta Verapaz y Huehuetenango to be members of ACG. A new census taken up prior to the 9th. General Assembly from 6-8 August 2003 showed a total of 2,050 families in 36 communities in ACG, an increase of over 50% in the number of families participating in the organization.

The families are of 7 Mayan ethnic groups – Mam, Poptí, K´iche´, K’ekchi’, Kanjobal, Chuj and Ixil.