EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — In a newly released memoir, local author Christian Nill tells the story of his time in the Peace Corps spent in Guatemala amid a raging civil war.
Nill’s memoir Walking with Evaristo: A Memoir of Celebration and Tragedy in the Land of the Achi Maya has been in the works for over 20 years and started as a novel.
As he put his experiences down on paper, Nill decided he wanted to tell his experiences in non-fiction form and write it as a memoir.
“I believe it was Mark Twain who once said travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrowmindedness and I think the same goes for overseas service,” said Nill.
Photo from Rabinal from Nill’s archive
Photo from Rabinal from Nill’s archive
He joined the Peace Corps and was sent to the town of Rabinal to work with Achi Mayas.
Achi Mayas are one of two dozen groups of native Mayans that reside in Guatemala.
During his time in the late 1970s and early 80s in Rabinal, Nill helped with the reforestation of the area, which remains a problem to this day.
“I have arrived in Guatemala at the very cusp of the darkest chapter of the civil war in the country,” Nills recalled while speaking of the Guatemalan civil war that lasted over 30 years.
He was ultimately evacuated from the area but was left with many stories to tell about Achi Mayas and the town of Rabinal.
Nill explained, with his book, that he wanted to bring Guatemalan history closer to the people of the U.S.
Nill explained, with his book, that he wanted to bring Guatemalan history closer to the people of the U.S.
The memoir is currently available on Amazon, but Nill hopes to get it into local bookstores soon as well.
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