Villagers in a remote indigenous community of western Guatemala have laid to rest the eight-year-old migrant boy who died in US custody on Christmas Eve.
A candlelight vigil was held Sunday for Felipe Gomez Alonzo as Yalambojoch villagers draped his small white coffin with flowers and then carried him to his final resting place.
His mother Catarina scratched Felipe's name with a stick into a simple concrete headstone, while Guatemalan women dressed in traditional embroidered shirts called huipils, oversaw the last rites since many of the men in the village left for the US long ago.
Felipe was the second Guatemalan migrant child to die while in US custody in December, sparking concerns of inadequate conditions at detention facilities.
Family members pay their final respects to Felipe Gomez Alonzo, an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy who died in US custody on Christmas Eve
Villagers are seen lowering the coffin of Felipe into his tomb at the cemetery in Yalambojoch, Guatemala, Sunday
The name of Felipe Gomez Alonzo is hand written in the cement on his tombstone, after his burial at a cemetery in Yalambojoch, Sunday
Felipe died on Christmas Eve while in US Custody after suffering a cough, vomiting and fever, authorities said. The cause is believed to be the flu
The small village, set on a plain and surrounded by misty, pine-covered mountains, is a place of crushing poverty and lack of opportunity.
It's home to a single small school, dirt roads that become impassible during the rainy season and rudimentary homes without insulation, proper flooring, water or electricity.
The community is populated by families who fled to Mexico during the bloodiest years of Guatemala's 1960-1996 civil war but returned after the signing of peace accords.
There are no jobs, and people live off meager subsistence farming and local commerce. Residents say the Guatemalan government has turned a blind eye to their plight, a complaint that can be heard in other impoverished villages in the country.
It was extreme poverty and lack of opportunity that drove Felipe's father, Agustin Gomez, to set off for the U.S. with the boy, the family has said.
Others from the community had been able to cross the U.S. border with children, so he figured they would have the same luck.
Felipe was chosen because he was the oldest son.
On Christmas Eve, the eight-year-old boy became the second Guatemalan child to die while in custody near the Mexican border
Maria, Felipe's aunt, is pictured mourning the death of her nephew at his coffin
elipe came from a rural community with extreme poverty. He was taken to the border by his father and detained by the U.S. Border Patrol before he fell ill on December 2018 and died
Catarina Alonzo Perez, left, is the mother of Felipe. The 32-year-old attended the funeral of her son Felipe Sunday
Relatives, neighbors and friends take part in the funeral of the eight-year-old boy
A woman is seen etching words onto Felipe's tombstone Sunday, as the boy is laid to rest
The name of Felipe is handwritten on his tombstone with his date and place of death
Felipe and Agustin were apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol 3.29 miles from the port of entry in El Paso, Texas, on December 18.
After nearly a week in custody, the boy developed a cough, fever and began to vomit.
On the morning of the 24th, Felipe was transported to a local hospital after showing possible signs of influenza. He was given Tylenol and developed a 103 degree fever.
The boy was released at 2.50pm and removed from the detention facility at 10pm to be taken back to the hospital after he appeared weak and nauseous. He got to the medical center at 11pm and was declared dead 48 minutes later.
New Mexico authorities said an autopsy showed Felipe had the flu.
His mother, 32, said the last time she spoke with Felipe, he was in Mexico at the U.S. border and said he was healthy and eating chicken.
Elderly women and children hold flowers before the memorial service for Felipe
Women travel in a pick-up truck during the funeral procession to the cemetery in Yalambojoch, Guatemala, Sunday
A man holds a book that reads, 'Wake 2019' during the wake of Felipe
Catarina Alonzo, mother of Felipe looks into the coffin with the remains of her son during his funeral at home village
A Guatemalan Foreign Ministry official inspects the coffin containing the remains of Felipe after arriving to La Aurora International airport in Guatemala City, Friday, January 25, 2019
Jakelin Caal was the first Guatemalan child to die in US cutody.
She was pronounced dead on December 8 in a hospital in El Paso, Texas, in the early hours of the morning.
Jakelin was detained along with her father Nery at 9.15pm on December 6th as they crossed into the US in New Mexico illegally.
The child died of dehydration two days after being arrested at the border. She stopped breathing on a US government bus and was not taken to hospital for more than an hour later.
The Border Patrol agency previously said she 'had not eaten or drank any water' for days but they did not indicate how they knew that.
Jakelin was laid to rest in an open casket ceremony in her native Guatemala on Christmas Eve, the same day it was announced that eight-year-old Felipe died.
Catarina Gomez Alonzo writes into the cement of her son's tombstone after his burial at the cemetery in Yalambojoch
Friends of Felipe eat during his funeral Sunday
Maria Domingo Lopez, center, accompanied by neighbors, prays as she accompanies the remains of Felipe after arriving to their village on Saturday
Neighbors hold flowers near a Catholic church as they wait for the remains of Felipe on Saturday
https://hienalouca.com/2019/01/28/guatemalan-boy-who-died-in-us-custody-is-laid-to-rest-in-his-village/
Main photo article Villagers in a remote indigenous community of western Guatemala have laid to rest the eight-year-old migrant boy who died in US custody on Christmas Eve.
A candlelight vigil was held Sunday for Felipe Gomez Alonzo as Yalambojoch villagers draped his small white coffin with flowers and then c...
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Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
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