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

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. (FAMSI, Crystal River, FL) for the necessary funds to complete this preliminary research, which may become a larger study in the future. My thanks also, to Barbara and Justin Kerr for their comments and suggestions, editing, and web preparation.

I also thank all the people who have supported me with information and suggestions throughout my life as an archaeology student, especially to those who have shared with me their knowledge about Guatemalan archaeology and its prime issues. Among them Dr. Marion Hatch, professor and Director of the Archaeology Department at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, and Dr. Juan Antonio Valdés, archaeologist, professor, and Director of the Instituto de Antropología e Historia de Guatemala (IDAEH), Lic.Rolando Rubio and Dr. Dorie Reents-Budet.

Others also shared their personal opinions about looting and looters. Among many others, I thank Fernando Paniagua, Registration Officer of IDAEH; Norberto Tesucún, Museum Coordinator of Tikal National Park; Lic. Mario Mancilla and Lic. Joel Ajxup, attorneys at law; and Lic. Leopoldo Colom Molina, former director of both IDAEH and the Ministry of Culture. Nature conservation scientists Roan Balas McNab, Nidia Alvarez, Julio Morales, Mike Lara, and archaeologist-environmental educator Korina Castellanos; all helped me with important data and personal experiences related to local economic activities and the natural and cultural patrimonies of El Petén.

A special acknowledgment also goes to teacher Neria Herrera and her late husband Antonio Aldecoa, for their confidence and their decision to create the first privately-owned Precolumbian collection open to the general public, at Posada Campamento El Chiclero, in Uaxactún. Finally special thanks to all the local men, women and children who shared their world-views and knowledge about nature and the Maya culture.

Some learning opportunities for me were facilitated through the Instituto Guatemalteco de Turismo (INGUAT), PROPETEN and CATIE-Olafo (NGO’s) who hired me for two weeks each to give classes at Carmelita and San Miguel La Palotada, both of which I had visited before. Prior to this, ARCAS invited me to give a course to the Group of Ecotourism in Uaxactún. Being able to teach and share with the local people opened more doors to communication and confidence. This also meant knowing more about related issues and certain aspects of social behavior. The research process for this study has been very important in the evaluation of the role of the authorities in the conservation of the archaeological heritage. Several preconceptions about the rural looters have been strengthened or "dropped" after getting to know and interview the various people involved.

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