Country: Guatemala
Group: Xinca
Date Finalized: 4-19-2020
Team: Sophia Agne (Lead), Giselle Chavez-Lopez, Aracely Esquer
During Spanish colonization, the Xinca were treated brutally by the colonizers (Britannica, 2006). The Spanish used tactics such as enslavement and branding to subdue and oppress the Xinca people (Britannica, 2006). Since then, the rights and self-determination of the Xinca have been consistently threatened. In 1996, Guatemalan government leaders signed a peace accord with the United Nations that outlined that the state must, “recognize and respect the identity and political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Maya, Garifuna, and Xinca peoples (United Nations, 1995). During the past 20 years, the Xinca have consistently protested foreign mining operations on their land (Cuffe, 2019). The Xinca are concerned that the mines will pollute the area and adversely affect their health and livelihood (Cuffe, 2019). During a 2019 protest, several Xinca protestors were shot at by the mine’s private security forces (Cuffe, 2019). The mining operations are actively threatening the Xinca’s way of life. The evidence indicates that this would be an example of ethnocide. The data rating was determined to be a 2. There was limited information regarding specific instances of ethnocide.
Sources
- Cuffe, Sandra (2019, February). Indigenous Xinka march over contested Guatemalan mine. Al Jazeera
- Encyclopedia Britannica (2006). Xinca.
- United Nations (1995). Agreement on Identity and Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Retrieved https://www.ucdp.uu.se/downloads/fullpeace/Gua%2019950331.pdf