THE NORTH RIDING PROJECT

Although Rogelia was one of many Guatemalan women killed for their real or suspected opposition to the government, it was she alone who galvanized the interest of her contemporaries, even though she left no material traces of her existence.  The Plaza de Rogelia Cruz and its mural have long since disappeared, there are no biographies or studies about Rogelia, and she has not left her words in print.  Yet it is possible that this very lack of documentable information adds to Rogelia’s reputation, transforming her into a protean image that can be projected at will.  For Rogelia had little space in which to be her intimate or individual self: she was always a reflection of a utopian or dystopian ideal.  After her death, this image has become what Pierre Nora calls a “lieu de mémoire,” a site that is used to reconstruct memory once it has begun to fade from everyday life.

Treacy/Queen