Indigenous Mobilization and Resource Extraction in Guatemala

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the indigenous response to extractive projects in Guatemala. The first section presents a synthesis of the history of the indigenous movement in Guatemala, including the struggle and mobilization for recognition through different instruments of political action. In the mid-90s, in the context of the peace negotiations between the government and the guerrilla, the country recognized itself as a multi-ethnic and pluri-cultural nation, while acknowledging the existence of Maya, Xinca, and Garifuna peoples. Despite this formal recognition, since the end of the twentieth century the communities face the threat of extractive projects, which include hydroelectric plants, metal mining, infrastructure megaprojects, and the expansion of biofuels. Transnational firms, relying on local partners, generally drive these projects. These projects pose a threat to the strategic resources that allow the reproduction of life of indigenous peoples (e.g., water, forests, earth). This has contributed to the unification of communities and the use of various strategies to counteract these threats. The indigenous communities have resorted to various forms of protest like the use of ancestral knowledge and resources, the political use of ethnic identity, community consultations, peaceful resistance, and strategic litigations, the latter allowing courts to rule in their favor.