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

Geographical Setting

Guatemala (see map) is located in Central America and is part of the geographical and cultural region called Mesoamerica, ³   a territory that has been inhabited since around 12,000 B.C. by several cultural groups. The Maya, one of the most important civilizations during Precolumbian times, developed into a highly complex society with interdependent city-states, ruling dynasties, long-distance trade, monumental art, architecture, writing, and an exact calendar.

Today in Guatemala, contemporary Maya make up more than 70% of the total population and are divided linguistically and geographically into more that twenty ethnic groups with more than twenty-four languages. Also, most of the country’s population is living on or next to important archaeological sites and remains that are still related to ancient religion and custom. In the highlands for example, native tradition, education, social roles, and daily life activities still follow patterns that can be traced back to Precolumbian times.

This study was conducted in the Maya Biosphere Reserve rainforest (Reserva de Biósfera Maya, RBM), located in the northern part of El Petén (at Parallel 17° 10’), the largest department of Guatemala, comprising 35% of the country’s territory and having more than half of the national forest cover. The RBM, which includes several National Parks and biotopes where flora, fauna, and hundreds of archaeological sites and remains, are supposed to be protected areas. South of the RBM’s boundaries is the "Zone of Multiple Use" where the population is involved primarily in non-timber activities such as the extraction of chicle (the base of chewing gum), xate (Chamaedorea oblongata & elegans, types of palm trees), ⁴   and allspice or pimienta gorda (Pimienta dioica).

NGO’s and government institutions are assisting several villages related to the RBM with environmental education and projects of sustainable use of the forest. Unfortunately, logging continues in certain areas as well as other illegal activities such as hunting and trading endangered animal species and the cultivation of marihuana.

This research focused mainly on the Uaxactún-Dos Lagunas Area (north of Tikal) and the northern area of Carmelita (El Tintal-El Mirador-Nakbé), with informants from San Miguel La Palotada, San Andrés and San Miguel; the last two located on the shoreline of Lake Petén Itzá. Valuable information has also been obtained in Flores, Santa Elena, and San Benito. Flores is the capital town of El Petén and is located on an island in Lake Petén Itzá. Most of the hotels and restaurants are located here as well as the richest petenero families. It is commonly known that there are several collections of Precolumbian objects, which are not yet legally registered by IDAEH.

Santa Elena and San Benito, on the other hand, are located next to the island of Flores and have residential areas, businesses, markets, churches and brothels, the latter located in the "red light district" of San Benito and important as places for the illegal dealing (and contacts) of drugs, Precolumbian art, and fauna. El Petén (Guatemala), Belize, Campeche and Quintana Roo (México) are the regions from whence most of the looted Precolumbian objects come. It is widely known that the networks of illicit exchange cross the borders constantly to supply the demands of each other and the foreign market. ⁵ 

In 1996-1997, Mexican and Guatemalan crews were working in both countries and also trading in both. Currently the trend is to loot in Campeche (México) around the Calakmul region. According to some Guatemalan informants who have made several trips to the Mexican side, there was a looting boom in Méxican-Maya sites, but looters of both nationalities preferred to sell in Guatemala because the prices were higher. To this date, major sites in the Petén are suffering severe sacking and armed robberies, followed by smuggling through the Belize border or across the Usumacinta River.

Drugs are also smuggled across the Petén-México-Belize borders, as well as illegal immigrants (from all of Central America) who want to go to the United States and México. They are usually taken through the Petén rainforest in very harsh conditions (personal observation) and several of them have suffered attacks by robbers and other criminals near the Ixcán Río area. ⁶ 

Endnotes

3. In the Social Sciences, Mesoamérica is the geographic and cultural region that ranges from northern México (from the Pánuco and Lerma Rivers) and the Yucatán Peninsula, to the lowlands of Honduras and El Salvador. The indigenous groups within these limits share several cultural traits.

4. Chicle is the latex or sap of the chicozapote tree (Manilkara zapota), while Xate is a palm leaf (Arecaceae family) used in flower arrangements in Europe, Japan, and the United States.

5. Dugelby (1995:154) in her research about the chicle latex extraction, became aware of the presence of Mexicans and Belizeans who cross the borders to exploit Guatemalan forests. In the area of El Mirador, Dos Lagunas and Ixcán Río, she estimated an average of 50 to 200 illegal people working during the 1992-1993 season.

6. Dugelby (1995:152-153) also noticed that because of the presence of marihuana dealers and tomb looters, some camps were abandoned in certain areas, due to the increase in violence caused by illegal activities.

Previous Page  |  Table of Contents  |  Next Page

Return to top of page