The struggle for the land
Voices and images: Mayan Ixil women of Chajul
Chapter Three: Women and their daily life
14. The struggle for the land
The people of Chajul are showing their solidarity with the people of Nebaj for the defense of their lands. The people have the future of their children in mind, concerned for the time when they no longer have money or land. The people don’t want a section of the mountain to be designated as a protected area, that is, put under the law. They don’t want this because they go to this area to gather willow branches for baskets or sometimes to hunt animals so they can sell them and get a little money to support their families. They are worried not only about the protected area, but also about the lands in the villages that have been sold off and now no longer belong to the people of Chajul. This is the struggle that the people are engaged in to liberate their land and to guarantee their access to their work. They went to MINUGUA and to the National Civil Police in Nebaj.
Our hope is that the government does something and supports us in solving this problem we have regarding our land, because if it was sold by previous governments, then one day the new owners will come and push all the people out. Then what will become of us? We will become ranch hands on the fincas of others. For this reason we worry and we want other international institutions to support us in our struggle.
