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Most of the people who live around Lake Atitlan in the western highlands of Guatemala are indigenous people.

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There are 350 million indigenous people worldwide,

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and they are to be found in a large number of countries and in all continents.

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The United Nations has declared 2004-2014 as a second decade for indigenous peoples.

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The aim is to further international cooperation in promoting the rights of indigenous people everywhere.

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In Guatemala, most of the indigenous people are of Mayan descent,

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and their lifestyle has changed little over the centuries.

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This is the reality the tourists come to see.

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But it's not the only reality for the indigenous peoples of Guatemala.

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It's not an accident that the local history is painted on a cemetery wall.

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In common with indigenous peoples all over the world,

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Guatemala's indigenous peoples have a history of injustice and persecution.

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The great achievements of Mayan civilization came to a brutal end with the invasion of the conquistadors.

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Under colonialism and later independence, Mayan people were effectively excluded as citizens.

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Recent decades brought 36 years of civil war that killed an estimated 200,000 people.

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Peace accords were signed in December 1996,

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and despite the celebration of 10 years of peace,

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the indigenous peoples of Guatemala are still marginalized and struggling to assert their human rights.

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The mass executions in remote indigenous villages will not be forgotten.

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Reconciliation is an important theme in the peace accords,

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and uncovering the truth about the past is considered essential

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if indigenous peoples are to join in a viable democracy for the future.

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This mass gravesite at Camalapa was exhumed over the last two years.

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184 bodies were uncovered.

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The scientists clarify the identity and gather forensic evidence about the killings.

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They hope to secure convictions and challenge any impunity from crimes of genocide.

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While this is important from a human rights perspective,

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indigenous communities say that they just want to give their dead a dignified burial.

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The main problem we face is the legacy of the armed conflict.

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It has left an imprint. It left scars on the people.

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People are left to think that the only way to solve their problems is to fight.

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But I don't think that way.

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I believe that by helping each other, trying to understand each other, we can resolve our problems.

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Official figures suggest that at least 5 million people, about 40% of the population,

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are indigenous Guatemalans.

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74% of them live in poverty,

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and they continue to suffer from racial, social, economic and cultural discrimination.

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Like most indigenous people worldwide, their human rights are often not respected.

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Guatemala appears to be a modern, developing country.

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Ten years of peace has brought stability and prosperity, for some.

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On the other side of town, you'll find a predictable pattern of social disadvantage.

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Indigenous people are overrepresented in statistics for illiteracy, unemployment, life expectancy.

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A quarter of indigenous children don't go to school and work to support their families.

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Some indigenous children are not even registered at birth,

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contributing further to their marginalization and vulnerability.

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Go into a prison anywhere in the world and you'll find the marginalized people of that society.

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In the women's penitentiary in Guatemala City,

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human rights workers come to visit prisoners from indigenous communities.

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They report on the situation and liaise with the prison authorities on behalf of the women.

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The major problem for indigenous people and the judicial system is the matter of communication.

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These women have no Spanish.

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At the time of their arrest, trial and imprisonment, they could not understand what was going on.

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Some claim they never understood the charges put against them and protest their innocence.

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One way of highlighting political and civil rights issues

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is through the network of over 200 local community radio stations in Guatemala.

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Big Shell Stereo broadcasts in indigenous languages and is run on a voluntary basis.

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Discussion and information programs form a large part of the station's output,

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along with language classes and programs celebrating traditional culture.

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It claims an audience of 25,000 people.

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The radio station is one of dozens of projects funded by the European Union.

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This school project is a type of after-work education program.

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It's designed for children who either are working or may be sent out to work.

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Other funding is directed at economic development programs, such as this organic coffee cooperative.

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The European Union is the largest contributor to development aid in Guatemala.

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Our presence here in Guatemala presents lots of other issues.

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But indigenous people are part of the population that is not included in the development of this country.

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This country lately has been developing a little bit,

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but this part of the population is being somehow forgotten and we would like to help.

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You cannot fight against poverty when a big part of the population is out of this development,

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so we have to include them.

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The Cholladj family live on a small holding and, like their neighbours, farm maize and beans.

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They also have chickens.

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There are five children in the family and today the eldest is working in the fields.

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Everyone helps with the chores.

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But this year, William is going to secondary school.

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No previous generation has had this opportunity.

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Funding from the European Union has enabled the Katoki Farmers Cooperative

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to develop an educational program for 12 to 15-year-olds.

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Importantly for this community, it doesn't cost money to come to school here.

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There's a strong vocational dimension to the education, along with academic work.

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Bilingual education is practiced and the pupils also learn English.

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They study computer science.

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They get a rounded education that includes health and civic studies.

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Locals say they used to see children around here carrying firewood on their backs.

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Now they carry school bags.

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The students who come to this school come from the immediate and the surrounding areas.

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They come from very poor families.

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Even though they can contribute to the family income at home,

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they come here to the school because they value an education.

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And here they get a very good education and very good food.

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The facilities here are a very high standard and the environment is very suitable for learning.

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Increasingly, indigenous groups are working together

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to campaign for a better deal internationally.

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EU support is also helping in giving a voice to indigenous representatives internationally.