Mayan people’s battle with big companies for land ‘like fighting a monster’

The Mayan people’s struggle to keep their ancestral land has been described as “the fourth conquest” and like “fighting a monster”.

The indigenous community has been through continuous displacement, starting with the Spanish conquests in the 16th century.

Now private investors are promising poor and marginalised indigenous communities development and jobs for land in the resource-rich nation.

Mayans have shown “remarkable” resilience in response, said policy adviser with the Irish charity Trocaire Chris O’Connell.

“Some Mayans I’ve read would talk about what’s happening now in the country as the fourth conquest,” the Corkman said.

“There was the original conquest, or what they would call the Spanish invasion; there was the land reforms of the 19th century that displaced huge amounts of Mayan populations from their land; there was the 20th century genocide and armed conflict that saw thousands massacred; and now this current situation with mining, palm oil, hydro power – and rare earth minerals as possibly the next phase of this.

“I think when you live in Ireland, when you live in rich countries, you can close your eyes to your understanding of how wealth is acquired and the cost at which it is acquired.

“It can be quite different when you come to somewhere like this.”

In the Qʼeqchi village of Chinebal Palestina, in a region dense with looming palm oil plantations, children chant in Spanish “the people united will never be defeated”.

At a Catholic-Mayan infused ceremony – involving flowers and burning candles representing the earth, air, fire, sun, night and life – a spiritual leader waves a stack of legal documents over the smoke to bless them as they pray for Mother Earth.

These documents are described as a “bombshell” that prove their ancestral land is rightfully theirs, said Esteban Hermelindo Cux Choc, a lawyer with the Committee of Peasant Unity (CUC).

The 47-year-old said he began campaigning to keep their land when he was just 17.

He has become a national representative for indigenous land rights and said he has come under pressure several times to give up the cause.

“Our slogan is for the big companies to get out of here – sugar cane and palm trees. It’s not true that they bring development, they just try to exploit our people.”

One of the community leaders Domingo Choc Tiul, 54, said the big companies are affecting their food, water, and animals.

Asked what message he would have for people in different countries about palm oil production, he asked them to do their research on the damage they cause.

“If they want palm oil, they can harvest it themselves in their countries.”

Just outside the main village stands a white cross surrounded by painted stones bearing the name of Jose Chaman Caal who “died on October 31, 2020 for Mother Earth”.

Locals said the 35-year-old was shot dead at the site of the cross, not far from where his wife and six children live, the youngest of whom was 6 months old when he was killed.

His death sparked fear and intimidation among the community.

“If we try to do something, they put us in jail, they burn our houses, we get evicted from our places,” Mr Cux Choc said, describing their battle as “like fighting a monster”.

But they have hope that a legal opinion will clarify that they own their ancestral land.

“We now have papers that state this land is ours. They don’t know we have papers like that.

“It’s going to be a bombshell for them to know that this land is under our name, not the state.”

The Polochic Valley in east Guatemala is home to extremely fertile lands on either side of the Polochic River and Lake Izabal, and where the Mayan Q’eqchi people have lived for centuries.

In El Estor, local Mayans are concerned about the effects of mining on their farms, health and Lake Izabal.

Mayans who spoke to the PA news agency feel strongly that no US company should be allowed to operate in their area while US President Donald Trump deports Guatemalans.

Local Gabriel Xi Pochan said they are “angry” at the thought of a US company taking minerals out of their area and damaging the environment.

“We worry about our kids, they are suffering from so many diseases because of the water. They’re contaminating our waters, our rivers, and the state doesn’t pay attention.”

Sylvia Patricia Caal, 35, from Rubal Pec said that protecting the water supply was particularly important for her.

She asked for authorities to listen to their “indigenous request” not to mine in the area.

“I worry a lot because a lot of lives will disappear. Not only the forest, not only animals, but water.

“What really concerns me is water. Lately, in our community, it feels fresh, fresh air, we have water. But if they start operations, we’ll have problems because of the dust discharge when they are operating.

“Our crops won’t grow well and we won’t be able to feed our animals,” she said.

Gilberto Ichich Quiix of Rio Sauce said they don’t want their territory to be “invaded”.

He said that the companies are allowed to “do whatever they want in our land” and called on the Guatemalan government to consult with Mayans on whether to grant these permissions.

“We don’t want any mining, we don’t want any palm tree oil palms here, we want them out. We don’t want any more damage, we just want to be (left) in peace.”