MLA Says Myles Continues To Destroy Mayan Mound

So while the Santa Cruz Thirteen face new charges, Rupert Myles is yet to be charged. On Friday, Director of Archaeology, Doctor John Morris, confirmed that charges will be brought against Myles for the destruction of a sacred mound at the entrance of Uxbenka.  Following a recent damage assessment conducted by personnel from the Institute of Archaeology, it has been established that at least fifty percent of the mound has been denuded.  Myles is responsible for razing parts of the site, a section of which has been cleared for use as a driveway.  Despite a notice of eviction by the institute, development at the site remains in progress.  According to Pablo Mis, a site visit over the weekend indicated that work continues on the mound notwithstanding the threat of legal action.  But the motion to take Myles to court for repeated infractions brings a sense of relief to the Santa Cruz community.

Pablo Mis, Program Coordinator, MLA

“There is a sense of relief, there is a sense of encouragement given that it is this very request that they have been trying to make from the onset.  That the destruction, the desecration of a sacred site is a violation of the laws of Belize that needed urgent, urgent attention.  It might be a little bit late but we expect, and Santa Cruz unanimously expects that the Institute of Archaeology will bring forward all the relevant laws that can deal with the infractions that have occurred with respect to that mound at Uxbenka.”

Pablo Mis

Isani Cayetano

“In retrospect, if one were to look at the previous attempts made by these individuals, the residents of Santa Cruz, as well as the partner groups that were assisting them to try to get Mr. Myles off that property it would seem as though the relevant authorities are now acting after the fact, seeing as though it took an incident to transpire before an assessment was made as to the damage and now a move to try to evict Mr. Myles off the property.  What has been their sense, in terms of you discussing with them the latest developments?”

Pablo Mis

“The fact is that one of the things that the Institute of Archaeology and perhaps all of us in general need to appreciate is that for the Maya People, Ubxbenka, and for Santa Cruz in particular, Uxbenka is a living part of them.  It would be similar to building your house at the cemetery in Belize City.  One would want to see the urgency of dealing with that.  I point that out because Uxbenka is much more than an economic opportunity for Santa Cruz, it is a part of their living heritage and it is something that in their mind needed urgent attention.  The second part to that was that it is unfortunate that it had to reach this point because the attempts by the village of Santa Cruz really was to get Mr. Myles to admit that he was wrong and he was to, on good grounds, move out of that spot.”