‘We had not mobilized like this before’: Guatemalan activist shares powerful story of Indigenous resistance

Amilvar Urías Sanchez brought his formidable experience of Indigenous activism to Fredericton on Oct. 22.

Jeremías Tecú, a representative of the Fredericton Chapter of the Breaking the Silence Maritimes Guatemala Solidarity Network (BTS), welcomed Urías Sanchez, calling him part of his extended family. Tecú came to Canada as a refugee from Guatemala. In 2021, he published a harrowing account of his journey, In the Arms of Inup.

BTS Coordinator Arturo Ezquerro-Cañete introduced Urías Sanchez who is the spokesperson and president of the Xinka Parliament. The Xinka Parliament achieved a court ruling in 2018 to stop mining in their community. They received the 40th Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights award for their work. However, Urías Sánchez confirmed the community still suffers “ongoing pressure” from various powerful actors in their own country.

Urías Sanchez stated that members of the Xinka Parliament have been persecuted, intimidated and murdered in Guatemala for opposing the mining project. The Xinka Parliament is located in a territory that was originally divided by the Guatemalan government in order to control it.

The Xinka Parliament went up against Pan American Silver, a company mining operating in one of the largest silver reserves in the world. Pan American Silver is a Canadian mining company based out of Vancouver.

Pan American Silver’s Escobal silver mine is located in San Rafael Las Flores. The Guatemalan government gave the company the right to mine in the area but without consulting the people living in the area.

When the mine was opened, 30,000 people organized and went there to deposit a flower in the area and organized a march called “The March of the Rose.” This was the moment when the Xinka people in the surrounding communities started to get organized to oppose the mine. They managed to have their voice heard and, eventually, their community’s identity officially recognized.

Community members started a 24-hour daily vigil at the Guatemalan Court of Justice to make sure that plans for mining were not going forward. They put their lives on the line and installed roadblocks to make sure that no trucks were going into the mines.

Because of this resistance, 200 people were criminalized through trumped up charges and fled their communities because they were accused of various crimes. Most have defended themselves successfully.

Unfortunately, there have been fatalities linked to activism against the mine. Sixteen-year old Topacio Reynoso Pacheco was shot and killed in an attack that wounded her father in 2014 when the mining operation was owned by Vancouver-based Tahoe Resources. Another young man, Luis Fernando Garcia Monroy, was shot in the face while protesting. He is now studying to be a lawyer.

Despite the hardships, the Xinka managed to get the mining work suspended since the Xinka people had not been consulted prior to the mining license.

The pre-consultation process started but the company tried to keep Xinka participation superficial. The company had already done things unlawfully in El Estor, in a different province of the country, so the Xinka were well aware of their rights.

The pre-consultation process was flawed, according to Urías Sanchez. A Colombian company was hired to do the water testing and found huge levels of lead and other metals from the mine.

Many community members are suffering from unusual illnesses, including lots of cancers that might be linked to the mining operation. Urías Sanchez worries that things will get worse if the mining continues.

There have been landslides and other issues since the mining company has been in operation. The Xinka hope that there will be reparations for these damages.

At the moment, the community consultation is ongoing, and Urías Sanchez hopes it will be finished by November of 2024. Most communities have given an emphatic “no” to the mining company.

The company has gone to the President of Guatemala three times. He finally received them the third time. The President told the company that he would respect the Xinka people’s decision. Urías Sanchez is optimistic the mine will be stopped.

President Arevalo was elected in Guatemala in 2023. Shortly after, Leocadio Juracán visited Fredericton and other Maritime venues as part of a BTS speaking tour. He described Guatemala’s fragile democracy and the upheaval following the elections.

During the time Arevalo’s electoral win was contested, the Guatemalan people organized a National Strike which lasted 106 days. This was peaceful resistance by the Indigenous groups in Guatemala allied to other groups like students, NGOs, etc.

Protesters set up a camp in front of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the different Indigenous groups took turns protesting. They received collaboration from the international community and NGOs present in Guatemala.

Urías Sanchez said this was important: “we had not mobilized like this before.” This was the first time all the Indigenous groups in Guatemala rose up against the corrupt state in an organized manner. The country had suffered a terrible genocide from 1960-1996 and Indigenous people had been the first victims.

This organizational movement has empowered Indigenous groups to get more directly involved in the politics in the country. They have monthly meetings with the President. Unfortunately, there remains in the country some of the “old guard,” corrupt but powerful groups.

Two dozen people attended Amilvar Urías Sanchez’s talk in Fredericton, which was part of a tour taking place in the Maritimes to five communities.

Sophie M. Lavoie is a member of the Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network.