In 1982 the repression against the communities in Ixcan rises massively in scale due to the new counterinsurgency policy implemented by the military. Known as the Scorched Earth campaign, the new strategy dictates the complete extermination and destruction of entire communities so as to defeat the guerrilla .
“En 1982 la represión contra las comunidades del Ixcán adquiere carácter masivo y forma parte de una política contrainsurgente que utiliza el exterminio y la destrucción de poblaciones enteras como arma para derrotar a la guerrilla.