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Article

23 Jun 2019

Author:
The Intercept

She defended her land against a mine in Guatemala. Then she fled in fear for her life

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…Teresa Muñoz was riding her motorbike along her regular delivery route on a winding Guatemala road…when she saw in her rearview mirror one of the white sedans that employees of the Escobal silver mine drove. Mining company cars had followed her before, but this time, the vehicle swerved. The driver rammed her motorbike, pitching her into the street, and then sped off…For years, she had been a leader in the fight against the silver mine, the project of Tahoe Resources, a U.S.-headquartered Canadian company. Located in…San Rafael las Flores, Escobal was on its way to becoming one of the largest silver mines in the world. Muñoz and her family helped organize community votes on the mine…and educated people about the mine’s potential harms…Mines like Escobal use massive quantities of water and divert flows in ways that can disrupt communities’ access. Such projects have also been known to leach heavy metals into drinking water sources. The mountains are part of the territory of the Xinca people…For years, Tahoe Resources argued that there were no Xinca people left in the communities surrounding the mine who would require any consultation…[T]he mine’s denial of the Xincas’ existence fueled a regional reclamation of the identity…