Maya Leaders Alliance Says Villager Was Trespassing on Sacred Grounds

Pablo Mis

As we mentioned earlier, the Maya Leaders Alliance and the Toledo Alcaldes Association has issued a release in the wake of the incident.  Their account of what transpired in Santa Cruz differs greatly from what Myles told Maheia.  The statement, accompanied by supporting documents requesting Myles’ eviction from Uxbenka, has been made public.  In one of those letters, Dr. Keith Prufer, Director of Uxbenka Archaeological Project, wrote to the National Institute of Culture and History stating that there was ongoing damage to the sacred Maya site.  Furthermore, the TAA, in the release, says that Myles threatened residents at the meeting on Saturday that he was armed with a gun inside his vehicle.

On the phone: Pablo Mis, Maya Leaders Alliance/Toledo Alcaldes Association

“The Alcalde, when they began discussing the matter, Mr. Myles began moving towards the door as if he is going to the vehicle.  The Alcalde then, concerned that Mr. Myles might be going for what he already said was a gun that was inside the vehicle, ordered his village police to restrain him.  It was until then that the village police acted on the order of the Alcalde but Mr. Myles fought them off so it took several other villagers to help restrain Mr. Myles, hence the reason he had to be handcuffed.  Once he was handcuffed he was put to sit and the discussion then began and a negotiation began between the leaders and Mr. Myles and his common-law wife to find an amicable solution.  Eventually, Mr. Myles agreed that if he is given two more weeks he will bring down the structure and that agreement then was put in writing and signed by the different parties.  So that, the only reason he was detained was because he moved toward the vehicle and, as I said earlier, there is already a documented trail of Mr. Myles’ behavior of threatening villagers by use of a firearm which he has upon them.  He at no point was brutalized or physically abused, physically tortured.  None of that ever, ever happened other than to ensure that he was restrained.”

Isani Cayetano

“There is a rumor that is floating around on the airwaves that to an extent this may have also been racially motivated.  If I’m not mistaken I heard that racial slurs or epithets were used during the detention of Mr. Myles.  Can you confirm or can you speak on this matter if this is indeed so?”

On the phone: Pablo Mis

“Not at all.  This has nothing to do with any racial factor.  It has nothing to do with race.  This, as you will see, it is properly documented.  It has to do with a person that thinks they can bully the villagers and disregard village rules and the village obviously felt that it was important that the rules in the village is protected.  And so it has nothing to do with or in relation to race and you will recall recently in San Pedro, Columbia a similar situation where a Maya person was the culprit.  When the villagers saw that the authorities are not acting sufficiently then the villagers and the Alcalde, on the instruction of their village, acted to ensure that the situation was dealt with.  So in this context, it is really almost a similar situation here.”