Scratched into history

How many of our kids have lost parents or relatives during the civil war? (1960 to 1996) The indigenous Mayan populations were targets of genocide.

I'm showing my Spanish vocabulary list to a young Ixil man in Chajul. He spots the term, "Ixil triangle" which I had seen in history books. It refers to the predominantly Mayan region demarcated by three important towns.

He tells me that it is an offensive word and that it was coined during the period of genocide. He scratches the word out with a ballpoint pen, eventually vigorous enough to rip through the paper.

I know words personally that I would like to scratch out of history. I get it.