Prensa Comunitaria Kilómetro 169

We are the Prensa Comunitaria Kilómetro 169 news agency based in Guatemala, composed of a diverse team with backgrounds in social sciences, journalism, art, feminism, and media activism. Our work spans from local communities to national and international levels. Prensa Comunitaria was officially recognized as an alternative press agency on December 20, 2012. Our organization originated as an academic research initiative led by Dr. Santiago Bastos, focusing on community consultations that have been occurring in Guatemala since 2005. This research also addressed the community crises triggered by the imposition of extractive industries, which led to violent evictions in the Polochic Valley in 2011, the establishment of the San Gabriel cement plant affecting twelve Kaqchikel communities in San Juan Sacatepéquez, and the declaration of a State of Siege in Barillas, Huehuetenango in 2012. Our primary focus lies in promoting community mobilization within social, cultural, and political contexts. We also emphasize the importance of memory and history, along with addressing violence against women and various forms of feminism. Our research and documentation efforts center around individuals, particularly women and indigenous communities. We highlight their struggles and the challenges they face in their surroundings through a project titled "Dynamics of Dispossession in Neoliberal Guatemala: Struggles and Resistance." We are a collective of women and men from various ethnic backgrounds, including Mayan Q'anjob'al, K'iche', Q'eqchi', Pocomchi', Kaqchikel, Chuj, and mestizo. Our team is spread across different regions of the country, each bringing unique experiences but united by a shared vision. We conduct our activities in areas such as Huehuetenango, Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, San Juan Sacatepéquez, San Marcos, Quetzaltenango, Chimaltenango, Totonicapán, Petén, Izabal, and the capital city.