2006-12. Eviction Day at Barrio La Revolución
December 27, 2006.
Issue: Land / Mining / Indigenous and Community Rights
Community leaders from Barrio La Revolucion were informed by government officials that a second mass eviction would take place on December 27th, 2006.
As a result, most women and children were evacuated from the community as a precautionary measure while the men congregated in the meeting hut.
Barrio La Revolucion is affiliated with CONIC, a non-government organization which counsels rural communities on their land rights as well as lobbying in their favor. Translated into English, CONIC stands for Indigenous and Peasant National Coordination. The back of the sign reads: “Property of the Guatemalan Nickel Company (CGN).”
Federico Caal, a member of CONIC, informs the community of a last minute postponement for the date of the eviction.
Despite the slight relief of not facing an eviction on that day, a number of community members expressed their thoughts and feelings. Francisco Tiul Tut states his irritation towards the so-called development brought by the mining project, based on evicting them from their homes and destroying the area’s natural resources. “If we die, it will be as a result of our struggle, not from turning into thieves or drug traffickers. It will be because of our land.”
“We want our children to be able to have their own families and grow their own food”, states an older gentleman.
Currently, a number of subsistence crops are being cultivated in Barrio La Revolucion such as corn, beans, banana, yucca and pineapple, among others.
Like their forefathers before them did for thousands of years, young Mayas clean the corn stalks manually from pests.
Versión en Español aquí.
In Japanese: 日本語で。