On October 1, 2014, 34 years after the deadly fire that killed 37 protesters, diplomats, and others, Guatemalan judges for the first time convened to consider the culpability of a state actor in the notorious 1980 siege of the Spanish… Read More ›
Indigenous peoples
Mayan Communities use Democracy as a Tool to Safeguard their Territory
The image above comes from an article by James Rodríguez (MiMundo.org) and refers to a consultation in Santa Maria Chiquimula, Totonicapán, Guatemala. The ballot reads: “Are you in favor of metal mining exploitation, the installation of geothermal energy generators, construction… Read More ›
Voices of the Resistance – Tahoe on Trial
OYOW: VOICES OF THE RESISTANCE MOVEMENT IN GUATEMALA (Special Assignment) from Maggie Padlewska on Vimeo. Maggie Padlewska shot the above film about the affect of the Tahoe Resources Escobal Mine in San Rafael Las Flores and the community resistance to… Read More ›
Remembering Adolfo Ich Chaman
It is now five years since Adolfo Ich Chaman was brutally murdered during a violent eviction carried out on Q’eqchi’ Mayan communities on the 27thSeptember 2009. Mynor Padilla, former head of security for Hudbay Minerals/CGN, and former Colonel in Guatemala… Read More ›
To Move Forward
A piece by Simone Dalmasso accompanies some great photographs and was published recently in Plaza Pública. In 1957, the mayor of Nebaj described the socioeconomic situation of the people in the area, “..the majority of the indigenous people of this… Read More ›
Defense of Indigenous and Land Rights in Guatemala – Aura Lolita Chávez
Aura Lolita Chávez is a leader of the Council of K’iche’ People for the Defense of Life, Mother Nature, Land and Territory (CPK) of Guatemala. The CPK coordinates processes of dialogue, good faith community consultations and collective actions against the… Read More ›
They return, 32 years later
They await them at the entrance to the village, in the rain. Some cover themselves with torn umbrellas while others prefer to feel the water. They were waiting for those absent for 32 years. The army took 80 men alive… Read More ›
Chixoy Dam – thirty year wait
On May 14th, 1982, Carmen Sanchez Chen left her three-year-old son Manuel with a neighbour as she went to bathe in the Chixoy River, never to see him alive again. Thirty years later she buried him. James Rodríguez (MiMundo) has… Read More ›
Guatemala’s growing mining sector brings violence against indigenous communities with it
Guatemala’s metal mining sector has grown seven-fold since 2006, and the administration of President Otto Pérez Molina has granted more than 100 mining licenses during its first 18 months in power. There are also more than 50 hydroelectric projects at… Read More ›
Defensora – the film
Defensora_PreviewTrailer from 6kidsProductions on Vimeo. Defensora is a documentary about a Mayan Q’eqchi’ resistance against mining in Guatemala. The story is set along the shores of Lake Izabal in the community of El Estor where a nickel mining company has… Read More ›
Guatemala Solidarity Network 