San Pedro Columbia Village Councilor: “What are our rights?”

During Sunday’s meeting with the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs, Santiago Coh, Councilor for the San Pedro Columbia Village Council, asked about the process for acquiring lands for community expansion under the Maya communal land rights tenure.  Land, he says, was given away due to politics.

Santiago Coh

Santiago Coh, Councilor, San Pedro Columbia V.C.

“We have a lot of community members within San Pedro Columbia and their cry is “land.” We have elected leaders, the Village Council and the Alcalde. We hear the cries of the people but our hands are tied. What can we do? We want to ensure that we satisfy them. We want to ensure that we give them, fulfill their request. And so, how do we begin the process of acquiring back lands that we have traditionally owned, traditionally used. Problem is, it was given because of party politics. It was granted to a sole owner, even though people have been using the land. So, they have been displaced. A lot of the articles in the C.C.J. consent order are all technical terms and I am no lawyer here to say this is what I understand. I am here learning at the same time, and so here is my thing, what do we do. The people here plea they want this piece of land. We need it for community expansion. Now, we have to understand, as indigenous people we are entitled to this land. At least that is my understanding, I could be wrong, I don’t know.”