Photographer Steven Heyvaert was in Guatemala and Honduras this summer to shoot photos and make a film about our cases. He's participating now with some of his beautiful pictures in the Viewbook PhotoStory 2009 competition. His photo story No tengo oro is about gold mining in Guatemala (San Marcos) and Honduras (Santa Rosa de Copan and San Miguel).

You can vot here on Steven's pics: http://www.viewbookphotostory.com/2009/09/no-tengo-oro/ (under the photos you'll find a voting button)

Through a series of aggressive mergers, Goldcorp has transformed itself into one of the world’s largest gold miners. Its operations are all in the Western Hemisphere, including northern Ontario, parts of the western United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Argentina. Like other big mining companies, Goldcorp has been criticized by human rights groups for mistreatment of indigenous communities. It has also faced labor and environmental controversies in numerous countries.

By François Guindon (Rights Action)

In May 2009, Goldcorp Inc. (via its wholly owned subsidiary in Guatemala “Montana Exploradora”) claims that they “legally” bought land in the community of Saqmuj, part of the villages of Ágel and San José Nueva Esperanza, in the municipality of San Miguel Ixtahuacán (department of San Marcos, Guatemala).  This is where Goldcorp operates its “Marlin” mine.

The International Conference on Mining in Antigua Guatemala was closed by the Antigua Declaration, in which the international civil society alerts for the enormous consequences of industrial mining. It also proposes 5 challenges to face the mining problem. We call on everyone to sign the Antigua Declaration.

GUATEMALA CITY, Jul 21 (IPS) - The new draft law on mining before the Guatemalan parliament does not strictly regulate water use and environmental protection, does not provide for community consultation, and sets royalties payable to the state at too low a level, say environmental and social organisations.

source: IPSNews

As prices for raw materials, and especially gold, have reasen through the roof in these last few years, Guatemala has again become the focal point for new mining projects.

In the past companies there were companies like EXMIBAL, controversial for its part in the violence during Guatemala's civil war. Now more and more it is multinational corporations that are keen on the gold that lies beneath the land of local Mayan communities.