Resumen

ALBUREZ-GUTIERREZ, Diego. A demographic profile of the genocide linked to the Chixoy Hydroelectric Project in Guatemala (1982-2015). Estud. demogr. urbanos [online]. 2026, vol.41, e2495.  Epub 20-Abr-2026. ISSN 2448-6515.  https://doi.org/10.24201/edu.v41.e2495.

The construction of the Chixoy Hydroelectric Dam in Guatemala-a major infrastructure project intended to reduce the country’s dependence on external energy sources-was accompanied by acts of genocide against Indigenous communities in the surrounding area. This article reconstructs its demographic consequences for the population of Río Negro between 1982 and 2015. I argue that adopting a kinship perspective to study the Guatemalan genocide yields valuable insights into (1) how excess mortality shapes individuals’ exposure to kin loss, and (2) how widespread bereavement may contribute to the long-term reproduction of historical memory. I examine both processes using a unique genealogical database that records the complete demographic history of Río Negro. The analysis shows that deaths in the 1982 genocide were evenly distributed by age, sex, and socioeconomic status. One third of the population was killed, but two thirds experienced the loss of at least one relative (the 10% most affected individuals lost 30% of their nuclear family and 23% of their extended kin). Notably, the share of the population related to a victim did not change between 1983 and 2015. The legacy of the genocide associated with the Chixoy Dam continues to shape the lives of survivors and their descendants and today constitutes an essential component of national historical memory.

Palabras llave : excess mortality; armed conflict; kinship; demographic change; memory.

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