Currently, Guatemala is the stage for the exploitation of several natural resources which, in its form and method, is comparable to the plundering that started over 500 years ago.
A new phase of this began with the end of the internal armed conflict, marked by the signing of the Peace Accords in 1996. Five years ago, gold and silver mining started in the municipality of San Miguel Ixtahuacán, department of San Marcos.
The mining is carried out through the open-pit method, which generated social conflicts (between members of the same communities), environmental contamination (by chemical agents contaminating the water and air), as well as the destruction of nature on several levels (drying up of water sources, deforestation, topographic modifications).
Starting in 2008, this photographic project documents the reaction of the Mayan (Mam and Sipakapense) population when faced with the problems generated by the transnational company GoldCorp’s activities. Through community organisation, the Mayan population united in order to show its dissatisfaction, asserting their right to expression through community consultations and peaceful demonstrations.