The hills of Sanjon, which have harvested coffee for many years, will soon become home for 25 families from San Lucas Tolimán as part of the parish’s land distribution program.  The parish is developing a community on the land to provide individuals with lots where they can live and which they can call their own.

 

The land of Sanjon (pronounced San-hon) was purchased by the parish fifteen years ago and has been used for growing coffee during these years.  The parish is now developing a community in the area to offer families a chance to own their own land.  The land will be distributed – free of charge – to families who currently do not own land, who express the most need, and who are most likely living in a rented house in San Lucas.  The hope is that with their own terrain, the people living in Sanjon in a few months or years will become more free and dignified individuals. 

 

In Guatemala, the Maya have been suffering for centuries; the problem of land inequality is systematic throughout the country and has affected the people since the arrival of the Spanish.  However, thanks to parish projects like the development of Sanjon, families are able to reclaim land and work to live a dignified, full, and better life.  The social doctrine of the Catholic church of San Lucas, rooted in the teachings of Jesus and liberation theology, strives towards these goals and for the dignity of the individual. 

 

There is still much work to be done in Sanjon: the land must be cleared, terraces built on some lots, water distributed, electricity installed, roads to be constructed, and houses to be built.  All this may be done without the help of large machinery or the government.  But the end product will hopefully mean better treatment of the individuals in their work and private lives, affordable education, a greater sense of community, and more dignity – all of which equates to social justice for the people of San Lucas.