· December, 2012

Stories about Indigenous from December, 2012

Mexico: Federal Court Halts Controversial Wind Park

The largely indigenous opposition to wind farms in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec of Oaxaca, Mexico won a tremendous victory when a District Seven Federal Court judge granted an injunction temporarily halting the construction of a controversial wind park in San Dioniosio del Mar in the southern state of Oaxaca. While the indigenous Ikojts (Huave) peoples of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec celebrated and called for government and industry to comply with the decision, their grassroots struggle continues.

27 December 2012

Mayan Priests Denied Access to Ceremonial Places in Guatemala

Guatemala, the heart of Mayan culture, has started their festivities for the 13 Baktun - the last cycle of the Mayan calendar, due to end on December 21, 2012. But sadly the celebrations were dominated by staged government shows which were neither lead nor shared by indigenous communities or spiritual leaders. Mayan elders are the keepers of the 'long count of the days', however Guatemalan authorities imposed restrictions on them to practice their ceremonies.

22 December 2012

Ecuador Launches Oil Auction Amid Indigenous Protests

On Wednesday November 28, 2012, Ecuador began an international licensing round for 13 oil blocks - nearly ten million acres - of untouched south-central Amazonian territory as indigenous leaders took to the streets in Quito to protest petroleum concessions on their lands.

7 December 2012