Surviving in the Rainforest:
The Realities of Looting in the Rural Villages of El Petén, Guatemala

Purpose, Methodology, and Logistics

This research doesn’t intend to investigate who the looters are as individuals, but why and how people are moved to participate in this illegal activity to obtain additional socio-economic benefits, which are not possible through other "legal" channels. Who is involved, and where or to whom they deliver, is usually known by most of the local population, even if they are not in the business themselves. However, meeting active looters and getting information about the role of intermediaries was still the result of months of investigation.

I based this study on direct behavioral observations, informal discussions and interviews with people from different backgrounds in El Petén. ¹   Most of them are men and women who work long seasons in the rainforest on the extraction of non-timber products. Others live in larger towns and have been, or have relatives who are involved in the art dealing business. The smallest number of participants, but not any less important, are actual and former workers of government institutions who have revealed information that, although widely known, was not admitted before this study. Therefore, personal verification can’t be presented as yet, since it would imply documented research not available to the public. However, personal testimonies have been double-checked, in some cases, to verify the stories or see how well they match the long-known activities of looters and government officials (including the police and Guardia de Hacienda). ²   Scholars in other fields, who have been concerned with the issue, have also shared important information.

The project included visits to some seasonal camps settled during the chicle gathering season in the depths of the rainforest. Visits to the camps required trips inside the Maya Biosphere Reserve using varied modes of transportation: 4-wheel-drive, canoe, walking, or riding mule-back. Muddy trails, mosquitoes, beds made of sticks (tapescos), hammocks, and bathing with one bucket of water, if available, are some of the adventures of doing research in this environment. Friendly people, though, made things a lot more comfortable.

I have had the advantage of making earlier contacts and friends, thanks to whom I have been able to have support and some facilities. Although I planned to spend three weeks in chiclero camps and another three weeks in the villages, gathering the information had proceeded slowly but successfully. This made it necessary to return several times, a few days at a time, until people could have the confidence necessary to share their experiences with me. Also, I had the opportunity to travel to Belize, where I saw looted sites and talked with local farmers (not chicleros) who engage in looting to support their homes. However, Brian Fagan’s opinion that "if there is a solution to the looting problem, it is changing public attitudes toward the collecting of antiquities," is, in my opinion, totally true. He is also right when he states that it should be the archaeologist’s responsibility to do so through public education and not leaving that enterprise only on the hands of teachers or bureaucrats (Fagan, 1993:15). Another viewpoint is to consider the private collector, who should be able to be part of that responsible community as well.

Endnotes

1. Observation was possible through direct contact with local people during my consulting activities in El Petén. Data was also obtained through informal discussions with confidantes. Even though I was able to use a notebook to record field-notes, people were not comfortable with formal surveys or tape recorders. Informants asked for the use of fictitious names for publication purposes.

2. Both the Policía Nacional and the Guardia de Hacienda belong to the Ministerio de Gobernación, the Ministry in charge of the social order and law enforcement. The latter is the force in charge of confiscating illegal merchandise such as drugs, endangered animal species, archaeological objects, and plants and timber from protected areas, among their other functions.

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