This post is also available in: Spanish
By Rebekah Sears, Policy Analyst and Educator for MCC Colombia
In July and August of 2013, I took a break from my regular work in Colombia to study Spanish in Guatemala. While there, I learned a lot about the political context of this country from my classes, presentations, conferences and weekend trips.
On one of the trips, we traveled with CALAS (Centre of Legal Action: Environmental and Social of Guatemala) to visit the GoldCorp Marlin Mine (a Canadian company). This site is located near San Miguel in the Department of San Marcos, in the western part of the country, near the Mexican border.
My first impression was one of total shock. I have seen a few mines in Colombia, but nothing like this. There were hectares and hectares of land for the mine, with residential communities scattered in and around the site.
We were not able to visit the site of the open pit mine but we could see it far off in the distance, surrounded by houses and a community. We drove alongside an artificial lake where water from the mine flows, which had a distinct color of white and turquoise. They told us this was evidence of cyanide. On our way into the mine, we passed many houses and other buildings with substantial damage caused by explosions in search of gold and other materials.
But the most profound moments for me were the visits with people living within the mine. They told us of their struggle for a better life and their efforts to remain on their land.
Within the many hectares of the mine, we arrived within the community of Siete Platos to meet with leaders of a resistance movement. The three leaders told us the history of the mine. In 2004 representatives from the mine arrived in the community with promises of significant development and more opportunities for a better life with the mine. They believed it and the mine was established.
According to the community leaders, however, after almost ten years there have been hardly any changes—other than negative ones. For example, the water in the community is very dirty, with many more reported illnesses as a result of the water and other environmental contamination. Promises were made by the company for a clean water project, but the people are still waiting. Three days before our visit, the community completed a two-week blockade of the main road in protest of the unfulfilled water project. And the work of the mine goes on.
Later we visited a Mam woman and her family in their home. Currently, there are no other houses close to their house, because the company has already bought all the homes and property around them. She also received an offer from the mine to sell her house, but she did not want to leave the land of her family, which had been in the family for multiple generations.
As a result, the company told her that her own security was no longer the responsibility of the company. The company did not have the right to her house, but thanks to the Guatemalan Government, they had the rights to the land underneath it. Almost every day she and her family feel tremors from the mine. They do not feel safe in their home knowing that the next tremor could knock down the house, but yet they remain in their home.
MCC Guatemala has worked much in this region by supporting development projects, peaceful resistance movements, and by providing resources. Those who are interested in the topic can research the situation, talk/write about it and contact the Guatemalan and Canadian governments.
I have learned a lot about resistance movements in Guatemala. There is much to think about and share with other communities that are experiencing the effects of exploitative mining, including Colombia, Haiti, Mexico, and many other countries in the region.
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For more information on the Marlin Mine, check out this post by Adrienne Weibe: Goldcorp & Me
Or check out this MCC video: