ISSN: 1054-8890
LADB Article ID:
78622
Category/Department:
Mexico
Date: 2012-05-30
By:
Carlos Navarro
Indigenous-rights and environmental activists scored a major victory
when the Mexican government denied a permit for Canada’s First Majestic
Silver Corporation to develop a mine in the ancestral lands of the
Huichol Indians, also known as the Wixárika. The decision was symbolic
because the Canadian company had already announced its intention not to
proceed with the mining project. The move opened the door for the
Secretaría de Gobernación (SEGOB) to declare the area known as Wirikuta
in San Luis Potosí part of a wider protected area for the Huichol. The
specific location designated for protection is known as Cerro Quemado, a
mountain where the Huichol believe the sun was born. The Huichol, who
are scattered across several states in central Mexico, still conduct
ceremonies and make an annual pilgrimage to the Wirikuta reserve near
the town of Real de Catorce.
First Majestic Silver's plan to develop a silver-mining complex in
the Real de Catorce desert had met with strong opposition from the
start, with Huichol activists objecting to the project because of
concerns about the impact on the land that has been part of their
cultural patrimony. A declaration signed by 10 Huichol leaders from
Jalisco, Nayarit, and Durango states in the fall of 2010 demanded
immediate cancellation of First Majestic’s mining concession and
application of a moratorium on exploration or exploitation in the Real
de Catorce desert or any other area sacred to the Huichol peyote
pilgrimage that traverses several states
(SourceMex, May 4, 2011).
Canadian mining company cedes land back to government
First Majestic—which operates mines in Coahuila, Durango, and Jalisco
states—had lobbied the Mexican government to allow the company to
proceed with the project. As part of its argument, the Canadian company
had pointed to its awards for safe mines, clean industry, and socially
responsible business practices. Furthermore, the company had promised
that its operations at Real de Catorce would be "totally undetectable by
human settlements on surface" and that all work carried out would
follow "strict standards that will be eco-friendly and subject to all
environmental rules and regulations."
In the end, First Majestic heeded the objections of indigenous-rights
and environment activists and agreed to abandon efforts to develop
mining projects in 22 of the properties in San Luis Potosí in areas that
are sacred to the Huichol. The Canadian company then ceded those
concessions to the Mexican government so it could declare them a
protected area. Juan Carlos González, an attorney for First Majestic’s
Mexican subsidiary Minera Real Bonanza, said the Canadian company was
not asking for any compensation for the land it was ceding to the
Mexican government. "We are very happy that we are able to reach this
agreement," González said in a radio interview. "We ceded 761 hectares
in this area, by which we can guarantee the protection of these sacred
sites."
The decision by the Canadian company to surrender its concessions and
the government’s announcement that the area will be protected came just
days before a planned protest concert in Mexico City urging the
preservation of the Huichol’s sacred lands.
The Huichol have faced other violations of their ancestral lands,
including the construction of hydroelectric dams on their territory
(SourceMex, Sept. 14, 2005).
"Rather than attribute the move to the social sensibility of the
Canadian government or the good intention and commitment of federal
authorities to cancel mining concessions in Wirikuta, the move is a
reflection of the power of pressure, mobilization, and public opinion
[to effect change]," the Mexico City daily newspaper
La Jornada said in an editorial.
Wide area to be protected
The Wirikuta is part of a wider area of 140,000 ha that the
government has declared a protected region (Reserva Ecológica Natural y
Cultural). The area includes the municipalities of Catorce, Charcas,
Matehuala, Villa de Guadalupe, Villa de La Paz, and Villa de Ramos.
Interior Secretary Alejandro Poiré Romero said the decision
guarantees that the entire region will be protected from any future
mining. "This is a historic and significant step in the effort to
defend the rights of the Wixárika communities of our country and, at the
broader level, all indigenous peoples in Mexico," said Poiré. He said
there are 15.7 million people who belong to indigenous communities in
Mexico.
The government formalized the designation of Wirikuta with a document
presented to Eleuterio de la Cruz and Rodolfo Salvador López,
representatives of the Huichol communities in Jalisco, Zacatecas,
Durango, and Nayarit.
The Secretaría de Gobernación (SEGOB) will continue to oversee the
process, coordinating efforts by all federal, state, and municipal
agencies to maintain protections for the sacred land of the Huichol
Indians. But other government ministries, such as the Secretaría de la
Reforma Agraria (SRA) and the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos
Naturales (SEMARNAT), are contributing to the preservation efforts. The
SRA has conducted extensive mapping studies that support the area’s
historic and cultural patrimony, while SEMARNAT will monitor
environmental protection and preservation of the region’s natural
habitat.
While lauding the move by First Majestic and the government,
La Jornada
called for authorities to go a step further and examine the policies
that allowed concessions of these lands in the first place. "We cannot
delay a review of the legal framework that made it possible to turn over
millions of hectares of national territory, in return for almost
nothing, to the predatory mining companies," said the newspaper. "We
need to prevent a repeat of situations like Wirikuta."
