Communities of San Lucas Toliman
San Juan Mirador
In the year 1981 in a place named "Canal" 5 families came to live thanks to the help of Father John Goggin. These are the names of the first families: Jose Abaj, Antonio Chan, Oscar Martinaz, Pablo Lopez, and Jose Tun. This was during the time of the armed conflict, the time of the guerrillas, and the families built temporary housing there. This was the beginning of San Juan Mirador.
On September 18th 1991 an earthquake occured that devastated the plantations San Jorge, San Bernardino, y Sajbina. This affected many families and many lives were lost.
Many of the families from these plantations took refuge in the Quixaya community center. They stayed there until Father John, with compassion and human kindness donated land to 44 families. It is now called San Juan Mirador in honor of Father John (a mirador is a "scenic view"). This was coordinated with the Mission.
The present community has received many benefits from Father John in coordination with the Mission. The development of the San Juan community also continues with the help of its people who are hardworking and strive to work in a team. They do not have a lot of land for each owner and married children often have to live with their parents.
MISSION IMPACT:
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Construction: Since 2015, the Mission has built 25 block houses, 13 hybrid houses, 3 wood homes, and 61 fuel-efficient stoves in San Juan Mirador.
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Healthcare: In 2019, San Juan Mirador was served by 2 visiting medical groups who conducted a total of 95 consults. There were 69 children enrolled in the child nutrition program with 8 families receiving the supplement.
Community Leadership:
Each community in the municipality of San Lucas Toliman has elected leadership specific to that community. These groups of elected leaders are usually referred to as a COCODE. People from the community are elected and usually serve 1-2 years. The COCODE usually has about a dozen members.
