DEFENDER A WIRICUTA DE LA MINERIA CANADIENSE
DEFENDER A WIRICUTA DE LA MINERIA CANADIENSE
Consuelo Araiza Dávila
En San Luis Potosí ha iniciado desde hace un par de meses el activismo por parte de grupos ambientalistas de varias partes del país que están dispuestos a defender el sitio sagrado natural, la ruta de la peregrinación Wixárika de la recién llegada minera canadiense First Majestic Silver Corp.
Grupos como Conservación Humana A.C., Masacallis, La Tierra Respira, Alianza Cívica y Procuración de Justicia Étnica, Frente Huachichil en defensa de la tierra, Biodiversidad, A.C., Real de Catorce, Santa Catarina, de Totopica Robles, Colectivo Universitario Libre y Frente Amplio Opositor con Rurik Hernández al frente son los que ahora conforman “Salvemos Wiricuta” y su activismo consistirá en frenar a First Silver Majestic cuyos socios han comprado 6 mil 325.58 hectáreas de terreno para explotar 22 concesiones mineras en una zona que alcanza a afectar el área de amortiguamiento que impuso el gobierno federal, mismo que lastima a mil 287 hectáreas del mismo y que según el decreto de reserva se trata de terreno que sólo debe de estar destinado a uso tradicional.
FUNCIONARIOS NO DAN RESPUESTA
El activista Rurik Hernández señala que “Salvemos Wiricuta” se ha preocupado por solicitar información tanto a la Secretaria de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental “a dónde su titular Manuel Barrera Guillén nos ha negado la información y se muestra opaco a tratar el tema, lo mismo ha sucedido con la SEMARNAT cuyo titular Joel Milán Navarro expresa que desconoce la llegada de ésta minera canadiense, por lo cual aún no sabemos si va a explotar minerales a cielo a vierto, va a lixiviar y a contaminar, pues es una empresa muy agresiva, aunque diga que usará el método de túnel, sabemos que va a contaminar, va a afectar el ecosistema, los cortes geológicos, modificará el paisaje, la aplicación de cianuro aunque sea controlado es altamente contaminante”, dijo.
Si bien existe poca información de First Silver Majestic, el activista señala que es urgente la protección a Real de Catorce, considerado en la lista de los 35 pueblos Mágicos de éste programa federal destina a la promoción turística que lanzó la Secretaria de Turismo en el 2001 para ampliar las ofertas y promociones que poco han resultado en el beneficio de los caballerangos de Real de Catorce o los niños-guías conocidos como guardianes del Real, encargados de pasear al turismo al Cerro del Quemado, a las minas, al Cerro del Fraile, al Túnel de Ogarrio, el Templo de la Purísima Concepción, la antigua Alhóndiga y otros sitios de interés.
LA IMPORTANCIA DE LA RUTA
Según el autor Humberto Fernández Borja en su libro: “Patrimonio Cultural y natural de Iberamérica, Canadá y EU”, INAH 2003,editado por Preservación Humana , A.C. enmarca la importancia de la ruta huichol por los sitios sagrados naturales a Huiricuta, debido a que atraviesa uno de los diez sitios de México de los más grandes que existen por su biodiversidad cultural. Es un bello patrimonio intangible, ubicado dentro del inventario de los sitios sagrados de 1999 y dentro del Plan de Manejo de la Reserva Natural y Cultural de Huiricuta del 2001. Tal promoción para inscribir la ruta a Huiricuta en la lista de patrimonio mundial es parte de una iniciativa “que compartí con la red de colegas de Conservación Humana desde 1994, con acuerdos formales del INAH “, reza el autor quien con sensibilidad en su quehacer histórico narra que la ruta se creo con el propósito que tenían los huicholes para seguir a sus antepasados y además para pedir lluvia y bienestar, sus santuarios son de tipo espiritual, social, histórico y además bio geográfico ya que la ruta, a manera que transcurre va experimentando tal propósito.
Huiricuta converge con las grandes líneas de tierra adentro, “ésta última conocida como la ruta turquesa, o la ruta del maíz, tejieron vínculos importantes entre mesoamérica y el norte de México”. La palabra procede de huirima que significa, tocar, untar y se refiere al peyote que se unge antes de consumirlo en el sitio sagrado. Toda una cosmovisión que inicia desde el sur de la Sierra Madre Occidental, al norte de Jalisco y cruza Zacatecas, hasta la reserva natural que se halla en el desierto sureste de Chihuahua y al norte con San Luis Potosí.
EL GOBERNADOR, OMISO
A pesar de que en San Luis Potosí se encuentran varias mineras depredadoras como San Xavier en el municipio histórico Cerro de San Pedro, Cal Química en la zona protegida (por decreto presidencial) que es la Sierra de Álvarez, la minera de Villa de la Paz del Magnate José Cerrillo Chowell, IMMSA, de Germán Larrea y La Minera Las Cuevas o Mexichem ubicada también en la Sierra de Alvarez en el municipio de Villa de Zaragoza, el gobernador actual, Fernando Toranzo ni se inmuta ante la presencia de éstas depredadoras que han causado daños irreversible en la salud, como fue el caso de los niños con plomo en la sangre que se analizaron en las colonias aledañas a Industrial Minera México. Ya no se diga la agresión a una zona con decreto de protección como la Sierra de Alvarez o la ignorancia de las prohibiciones a su funcionamiento decretadas por jueces de distritos a la Minera San Xavier, ésta sigue operando impunemente sin que el gobierno intervenga .
LOS ANCESTROS DEL NAYAR
Herederos de sus antepasados mesoamericanos, fieles oradores de sus deidades y espíritus, los huicholes cruzan la Sierra Madre y el desierto de Chihuahua. Los sabios son los Cahuiteruxi y los jicareros son los que recorren caminos y oran a las deidades en sus centros ceremoniales de gran respeto y trascendencia , a su sitio sagrado natural.
La ruta ancestral no debe de ser dañada o afectada en ninguna de sus sustancias que la componen porque se arruinaría una cultura sbreviviente del periodo clásico mesoamericano y luego de la cnauista española. Los huicholes se han sabido adaptar y convivir con las poblaciones . De ello urge proteger las regiones por las que atraviesa la ruta y son tanto el Golfo de California con un 35 % de especies marinas y la Sierra cuya topografía es rica y muy variada en especies además de la tercera región que es el desierto con cactáceas para la conservación.
Consuelo Araiza Dávila
En San Luis Potosí ha iniciado desde hace un par de meses el activismo por parte de grupos ambientalistas de varias partes del país que están dispuestos a defender el sitio sagrado natural, la ruta de la peregrinación Wixárika de la recién llegada minera canadiense First Majestic Silver Corp.
Grupos como Conservación Humana A.C., Masacallis, La Tierra Respira, Alianza Cívica y Procuración de Justicia Étnica, Frente Huachichil en defensa de la tierra, Biodiversidad, A.C., Real de Catorce, Santa Catarina, de Totopica Robles, Colectivo Universitario Libre y Frente Amplio Opositor con Rurik Hernández al frente son los que ahora conforman “Salvemos Wiricuta” y su activismo consistirá en frenar a First Silver Majestic cuyos socios han comprado 6 mil 325.58 hectáreas de terreno para explotar 22 concesiones mineras en una zona que alcanza a afectar el área de amortiguamiento que impuso el gobierno federal, mismo que lastima a mil 287 hectáreas del mismo y que según el decreto de reserva se trata de terreno que sólo debe de estar destinado a uso tradicional.
FUNCIONARIOS NO DAN RESPUESTA
El activista Rurik Hernández señala que “Salvemos Wiricuta” se ha preocupado por solicitar información tanto a la Secretaria de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental “a dónde su titular Manuel Barrera Guillén nos ha negado la información y se muestra opaco a tratar el tema, lo mismo ha sucedido con la SEMARNAT cuyo titular Joel Milán Navarro expresa que desconoce la llegada de ésta minera canadiense, por lo cual aún no sabemos si va a explotar minerales a cielo a vierto, va a lixiviar y a contaminar, pues es una empresa muy agresiva, aunque diga que usará el método de túnel, sabemos que va a contaminar, va a afectar el ecosistema, los cortes geológicos, modificará el paisaje, la aplicación de cianuro aunque sea controlado es altamente contaminante”, dijo.
Si bien existe poca información de First Silver Majestic, el activista señala que es urgente la protección a Real de Catorce, considerado en la lista de los 35 pueblos Mágicos de éste programa federal destina a la promoción turística que lanzó la Secretaria de Turismo en el 2001 para ampliar las ofertas y promociones que poco han resultado en el beneficio de los caballerangos de Real de Catorce o los niños-guías conocidos como guardianes del Real, encargados de pasear al turismo al Cerro del Quemado, a las minas, al Cerro del Fraile, al Túnel de Ogarrio, el Templo de la Purísima Concepción, la antigua Alhóndiga y otros sitios de interés.
LA IMPORTANCIA DE LA RUTA
Según el autor Humberto Fernández Borja en su libro: “Patrimonio Cultural y natural de Iberamérica, Canadá y EU”, INAH 2003,editado por Preservación Humana , A.C. enmarca la importancia de la ruta huichol por los sitios sagrados naturales a Huiricuta, debido a que atraviesa uno de los diez sitios de México de los más grandes que existen por su biodiversidad cultural. Es un bello patrimonio intangible, ubicado dentro del inventario de los sitios sagrados de 1999 y dentro del Plan de Manejo de la Reserva Natural y Cultural de Huiricuta del 2001. Tal promoción para inscribir la ruta a Huiricuta en la lista de patrimonio mundial es parte de una iniciativa “que compartí con la red de colegas de Conservación Humana desde 1994, con acuerdos formales del INAH “, reza el autor quien con sensibilidad en su quehacer histórico narra que la ruta se creo con el propósito que tenían los huicholes para seguir a sus antepasados y además para pedir lluvia y bienestar, sus santuarios son de tipo espiritual, social, histórico y además bio geográfico ya que la ruta, a manera que transcurre va experimentando tal propósito.
Huiricuta converge con las grandes líneas de tierra adentro, “ésta última conocida como la ruta turquesa, o la ruta del maíz, tejieron vínculos importantes entre mesoamérica y el norte de México”. La palabra procede de huirima que significa, tocar, untar y se refiere al peyote que se unge antes de consumirlo en el sitio sagrado. Toda una cosmovisión que inicia desde el sur de la Sierra Madre Occidental, al norte de Jalisco y cruza Zacatecas, hasta la reserva natural que se halla en el desierto sureste de Chihuahua y al norte con San Luis Potosí.
EL GOBERNADOR, OMISO
A pesar de que en San Luis Potosí se encuentran varias mineras depredadoras como San Xavier en el municipio histórico Cerro de San Pedro, Cal Química en la zona protegida (por decreto presidencial) que es la Sierra de Álvarez, la minera de Villa de la Paz del Magnate José Cerrillo Chowell, IMMSA, de Germán Larrea y La Minera Las Cuevas o Mexichem ubicada también en la Sierra de Alvarez en el municipio de Villa de Zaragoza, el gobernador actual, Fernando Toranzo ni se inmuta ante la presencia de éstas depredadoras que han causado daños irreversible en la salud, como fue el caso de los niños con plomo en la sangre que se analizaron en las colonias aledañas a Industrial Minera México. Ya no se diga la agresión a una zona con decreto de protección como la Sierra de Alvarez o la ignorancia de las prohibiciones a su funcionamiento decretadas por jueces de distritos a la Minera San Xavier, ésta sigue operando impunemente sin que el gobierno intervenga .
LOS ANCESTROS DEL NAYAR
Herederos de sus antepasados mesoamericanos, fieles oradores de sus deidades y espíritus, los huicholes cruzan la Sierra Madre y el desierto de Chihuahua. Los sabios son los Cahuiteruxi y los jicareros son los que recorren caminos y oran a las deidades en sus centros ceremoniales de gran respeto y trascendencia , a su sitio sagrado natural.
La ruta ancestral no debe de ser dañada o afectada en ninguna de sus sustancias que la componen porque se arruinaría una cultura sbreviviente del periodo clásico mesoamericano y luego de la cnauista española. Los huicholes se han sabido adaptar y convivir con las poblaciones . De ello urge proteger las regiones por las que atraviesa la ruta y son tanto el Golfo de California con un 35 % de especies marinas y la Sierra cuya topografía es rica y muy variada en especies además de la tercera región que es el desierto con cactáceas para la conservación.
sábado, 28 de agosto de 2010
Huichol Route through the sacred sites to Huiricuta (Tatehuari Huajuye)
Huichol Route through the sacred sites to Huiricuta (Tatehuari Huajuye)
Property names are listed in the language in which they have been submitted by the State Party.
Mexico (Latin America and the Caribbean)
Date of Submission: 06/12/2004
Category: Mixed
Submitted by: World Heritage Office (INAH) Mexico's National Commission for UNESCO (CONALMEX) Puebla 95, Col. R
Coordinates: 104° 10' West and 22°09' North 100° 46' West and 23° 56' North
Ref.: 1959
Description
The Huicholes, heirs of Mesoamerican societies, make up one of the native groups that have survived with great vitality in America thanks to the rough topography of their territories, to its decentralized political organization and to their ability to adapt to the historical surroundings reflected by their active participation in the history of the West of Mexico.
Nevertheless, the main strength of their cultural reproduction is the collective resolve to keep their ancestral traditions. An essential part of their cosmogony and identity is the pilgrimage through dozens of natural sacred sites, spread along a corridor of more than 800 kilometers that runs from the coast of the State of Nayarit to Huiricuta. These pilgrimage routes are what remain of the pre-Hispanic trade routes that joined the Pacific coast with the Gulf of Mexico.
Among them the route to Huiricuta, to the west, stands out because of the role it has played in the cultural survival of the Huicholes, the frequency with which it is used and the number of users it has. Along the route, deities and the spirits of their ancestors (for example the cacallari) inhabit, certain species of wild fauna (wolves and reindeer) or natural phenomena like the wind or clouds (the tateima) are found.
The Huicholes also identify some of these elements as “older brothers” or “teachers” (the tamatsi), who anoint the pilgrims providing them with wisdom and spiritual guidance, or with penalties and punishments. Deities and spirits dwell precisely in the sacred places, where according to the Huicholes they “utter their voices”.
In certain areas there are concentrations of sacred sites that make up scenes like Huiricuta and the Huichol territory itself. Natural sacred sites are found on islets, moist soil, rivers, lagoons, springs, forests, mountains or rock formations. These show engravings, and have spiritual, bio-geographic, social or historical meanings. Pilgrimage routes run along a variety of ecosystems whose cultural attributes are linked to agricultural periods, crop gathering or hunting as part of a ritual cycle.
The constellation of sanctuaries and traditional routes constitute the Huichol scenery as the cultural resonance of a community that, together with the ritual cycle, manifests itself as a continuous, dynamic and complex system.
The fundamental purpose of their pilgrimage is to follow their ancestor’s steps to ask for rain and well-being. Along the route, the shamans recreate and transmit the tribal legacy to the young by means of chants, story-telling and complicated rituals.
This legacy, in addition to shamanic, religious, or medical knowledge, includes the diversified use of ecosystems or the conservation of the genetic variety of the species they cultivate. This is why and considering that the Huichol language has no written form, pilgrimages perform a very particular function identified as an “itinerant Mesoamerican university”, main axis of a knowledge system based on nature, that gives the Huixáritari (Huicholes) their identity.
This pilgrimage is the only way in which the Mesoamerican legacy of this ancestral culture can be kept. During the last five centuries, the pilgrimage has had the double purpose of establishing contact and trade with the mestizo and European cultures that have radically transformed the natural and cultural resources of the Huichol territory. Consequently, the ritual indigenous time that looks for a deep identification of the human being with the natural processes has been able to survive within a utilitarian environment of rapid changes and depredation.
The route runs through two regions that are important to the world because of their contribution to biodiversity: the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Chihuahua Desert. The complex topography and the spectacular altitude ranges of the south of the Sierra Madre Occidental, allow the existence of a wide range of habitats that include tropical forests of deciduous and subdeciduous trees, spiny forests, thickets and grasslands, gallery forests, and pine forests –oak trees.
The Chihuahua Desert is one of the three semi-desert areas biologically richer in the world. The habitats included in the southeast of this region such as xerophillus vegetation, thickets, grasslands and pine forests, lodge a notable wealth as far as diversity and endemicity.
Unesco (United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization) along with the State of San Luis Potosi´s Natural Protection act has recognized the area of this pilgrimage land of 450 by 173 kilometers as being a cultural route, with important flora and fauna and animal species which live exclusively in the area. It became protected land under Unesco on October 27th, 2000 and on June 9, 2001 was declared a National Sacred Site.
Although this land is under legal protection, a Canadian Mining Company called “First Majestic Silver Corp” has claimed to have purchased a concession of old mines, on November 13th, 2009 with 80% of their interest laying in protected land. Part of their land claim includes half of the Huichol Holy Mountain it`s self as well the town of Real de Catorce and La Luz as well as 11 other small villages. These towns are historic mining towns of Mexico that were abandoned in the early 1900`s and have now become recognized as historical monumental sites of the country. The ancient buildings, roads, churches as well as mine sites have been preserved and cared for by the local population for over 100 years and has provided the only industries in the area, tourism and film sets. Over the years Real de Catorce has become famous around the globe and has recently be given the title of “Magic Town of Mexico” for it`s preservation of historical infrastructures and it`s attraction to spiritual seekers as well artists, catholic pilgrims, geologists and tourists in general.
First Majestic Silver Corp. Lays claim to this land by purchasing “Normabec”, another Canadian Company who purchased the land prior to the protection laws being put in place. They have managed to get a permit for exploratory mining, and state they are planning to launch a program of aggressive exploration and excavation in the 2nd half of 2010”. The company uses a method of open pit mining and lixiviation through the flotation in cyanide. This chemical is highly polluting and deadly requiring only 0.2 of a gram to kill a person (this is what the Nazi`s used in the 2 World War genocide in the deadly showers in concentration camps). Mines such as that which First Majestic Silver Corp plan to open require tones of Cyanide each day to operate. The waste is either released into rivers or lakes or put into pits where it is allowed to dissolve through the soil.
In the case of this “Real de Catorce Project” (as it is called by First Majestic) the intention is to use the local water supply, which is the only source for the region, for it`s lixiviation process.
This will require the same quantity of water each hour which a family will use in 20 years. Additionally the waste toxins will be sent either down the river vein to the lower communities or through the soil taking directly to the Huichol Holy Mountain and seriously compromising the protected plant and animal species. It will dislodge contaminants into the soil and water systems, alter ecosystems, will interrupt, refill, dry, and divert hydraulic streams; will substantially alter the landscape and geologic cuts, and will provoke serious consequences for the local inhabitants.
While the Huichol people, inhabitants of Real de Catorce and surrounding communities as well as concerned people around the world are working to have the Mexican Government enforce the already existing laws which protect this land, it is also important as citizens of the world that we take a stand against this kind of blatant dis-respect not only for United Nations Protection Laws but also for that of Native Sacred Lands and Human Rights around the world. There are very few places left in this world with the rich and continuing history of Aboriginal traditions and we must do all within our power to protect and keep these areas for this and future generations. Thousands of years of history and tradition are on the brink of being stripped from the Huichol people in the name of a small foreign company who has never lived on or with this land, who wish to exploit and abuse it for the financial gain of a few.
Real de Catorce can be seen online at:
http://www.realdecatorce.net/ (also on google earth).
The President of First Majestic Silver Corporation is Keith Neumeyer and the Cheif Operating Officer is Ramon Davilla.
First Majestic Silver
925 West Georgia St.
Suite 1805
Vancouver, B.C.
Canada V6C 3L2
Phone: 604.688.3033
Toll Free: 1.866.529.2807
More information about the Real de Catorce project can be found at: http://www.firstmajestic.com/s/RealDeCatorce.asp
Further information about the impacts of cyanide:
http://www.serconline.org/mining/faq.html
Property names are listed in the language in which they have been submitted by the State Party.
Mexico (Latin America and the Caribbean)
Date of Submission: 06/12/2004
Category: Mixed
Submitted by: World Heritage Office (INAH) Mexico's National Commission for UNESCO (CONALMEX) Puebla 95, Col. R
Coordinates: 104° 10' West and 22°09' North 100° 46' West and 23° 56' North
Ref.: 1959
Description
The Huicholes, heirs of Mesoamerican societies, make up one of the native groups that have survived with great vitality in America thanks to the rough topography of their territories, to its decentralized political organization and to their ability to adapt to the historical surroundings reflected by their active participation in the history of the West of Mexico.
Nevertheless, the main strength of their cultural reproduction is the collective resolve to keep their ancestral traditions. An essential part of their cosmogony and identity is the pilgrimage through dozens of natural sacred sites, spread along a corridor of more than 800 kilometers that runs from the coast of the State of Nayarit to Huiricuta. These pilgrimage routes are what remain of the pre-Hispanic trade routes that joined the Pacific coast with the Gulf of Mexico.
Among them the route to Huiricuta, to the west, stands out because of the role it has played in the cultural survival of the Huicholes, the frequency with which it is used and the number of users it has. Along the route, deities and the spirits of their ancestors (for example the cacallari) inhabit, certain species of wild fauna (wolves and reindeer) or natural phenomena like the wind or clouds (the tateima) are found.
The Huicholes also identify some of these elements as “older brothers” or “teachers” (the tamatsi), who anoint the pilgrims providing them with wisdom and spiritual guidance, or with penalties and punishments. Deities and spirits dwell precisely in the sacred places, where according to the Huicholes they “utter their voices”.
In certain areas there are concentrations of sacred sites that make up scenes like Huiricuta and the Huichol territory itself. Natural sacred sites are found on islets, moist soil, rivers, lagoons, springs, forests, mountains or rock formations. These show engravings, and have spiritual, bio-geographic, social or historical meanings. Pilgrimage routes run along a variety of ecosystems whose cultural attributes are linked to agricultural periods, crop gathering or hunting as part of a ritual cycle.
The constellation of sanctuaries and traditional routes constitute the Huichol scenery as the cultural resonance of a community that, together with the ritual cycle, manifests itself as a continuous, dynamic and complex system.
The fundamental purpose of their pilgrimage is to follow their ancestor’s steps to ask for rain and well-being. Along the route, the shamans recreate and transmit the tribal legacy to the young by means of chants, story-telling and complicated rituals.
This legacy, in addition to shamanic, religious, or medical knowledge, includes the diversified use of ecosystems or the conservation of the genetic variety of the species they cultivate. This is why and considering that the Huichol language has no written form, pilgrimages perform a very particular function identified as an “itinerant Mesoamerican university”, main axis of a knowledge system based on nature, that gives the Huixáritari (Huicholes) their identity.
This pilgrimage is the only way in which the Mesoamerican legacy of this ancestral culture can be kept. During the last five centuries, the pilgrimage has had the double purpose of establishing contact and trade with the mestizo and European cultures that have radically transformed the natural and cultural resources of the Huichol territory. Consequently, the ritual indigenous time that looks for a deep identification of the human being with the natural processes has been able to survive within a utilitarian environment of rapid changes and depredation.
The route runs through two regions that are important to the world because of their contribution to biodiversity: the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Chihuahua Desert. The complex topography and the spectacular altitude ranges of the south of the Sierra Madre Occidental, allow the existence of a wide range of habitats that include tropical forests of deciduous and subdeciduous trees, spiny forests, thickets and grasslands, gallery forests, and pine forests –oak trees.
The Chihuahua Desert is one of the three semi-desert areas biologically richer in the world. The habitats included in the southeast of this region such as xerophillus vegetation, thickets, grasslands and pine forests, lodge a notable wealth as far as diversity and endemicity.
Unesco (United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization) along with the State of San Luis Potosi´s Natural Protection act has recognized the area of this pilgrimage land of 450 by 173 kilometers as being a cultural route, with important flora and fauna and animal species which live exclusively in the area. It became protected land under Unesco on October 27th, 2000 and on June 9, 2001 was declared a National Sacred Site.
Although this land is under legal protection, a Canadian Mining Company called “First Majestic Silver Corp” has claimed to have purchased a concession of old mines, on November 13th, 2009 with 80% of their interest laying in protected land. Part of their land claim includes half of the Huichol Holy Mountain it`s self as well the town of Real de Catorce and La Luz as well as 11 other small villages. These towns are historic mining towns of Mexico that were abandoned in the early 1900`s and have now become recognized as historical monumental sites of the country. The ancient buildings, roads, churches as well as mine sites have been preserved and cared for by the local population for over 100 years and has provided the only industries in the area, tourism and film sets. Over the years Real de Catorce has become famous around the globe and has recently be given the title of “Magic Town of Mexico” for it`s preservation of historical infrastructures and it`s attraction to spiritual seekers as well artists, catholic pilgrims, geologists and tourists in general.
First Majestic Silver Corp. Lays claim to this land by purchasing “Normabec”, another Canadian Company who purchased the land prior to the protection laws being put in place. They have managed to get a permit for exploratory mining, and state they are planning to launch a program of aggressive exploration and excavation in the 2nd half of 2010”. The company uses a method of open pit mining and lixiviation through the flotation in cyanide. This chemical is highly polluting and deadly requiring only 0.2 of a gram to kill a person (this is what the Nazi`s used in the 2 World War genocide in the deadly showers in concentration camps). Mines such as that which First Majestic Silver Corp plan to open require tones of Cyanide each day to operate. The waste is either released into rivers or lakes or put into pits where it is allowed to dissolve through the soil.
In the case of this “Real de Catorce Project” (as it is called by First Majestic) the intention is to use the local water supply, which is the only source for the region, for it`s lixiviation process.
This will require the same quantity of water each hour which a family will use in 20 years. Additionally the waste toxins will be sent either down the river vein to the lower communities or through the soil taking directly to the Huichol Holy Mountain and seriously compromising the protected plant and animal species. It will dislodge contaminants into the soil and water systems, alter ecosystems, will interrupt, refill, dry, and divert hydraulic streams; will substantially alter the landscape and geologic cuts, and will provoke serious consequences for the local inhabitants.
While the Huichol people, inhabitants of Real de Catorce and surrounding communities as well as concerned people around the world are working to have the Mexican Government enforce the already existing laws which protect this land, it is also important as citizens of the world that we take a stand against this kind of blatant dis-respect not only for United Nations Protection Laws but also for that of Native Sacred Lands and Human Rights around the world. There are very few places left in this world with the rich and continuing history of Aboriginal traditions and we must do all within our power to protect and keep these areas for this and future generations. Thousands of years of history and tradition are on the brink of being stripped from the Huichol people in the name of a small foreign company who has never lived on or with this land, who wish to exploit and abuse it for the financial gain of a few.
Real de Catorce can be seen online at:
http://www.realdecatorce.net/ (also on google earth).
The President of First Majestic Silver Corporation is Keith Neumeyer and the Cheif Operating Officer is Ramon Davilla.
First Majestic Silver
925 West Georgia St.
Suite 1805
Vancouver, B.C.
Canada V6C 3L2
Phone: 604.688.3033
Toll Free: 1.866.529.2807
More information about the Real de Catorce project can be found at: http://www.firstmajestic.com/s/RealDeCatorce.asp
Further information about the impacts of cyanide:
http://www.serconline.org/mining/faq.html
La montaña de los Dongria Kondh (Documental)
La montaña de los Dongria Kondh (Documental)
Los Dongria Kondh son uno de los pueblos indígenas más remotos de la India. Viven en las colinas de Niyamgiri, en el estado de Orissa, y veneran una montaña como a un dios. Mientras Vedanta Resources, una empresa con sede en Londres, se prepara para destruir sus bosques y su montaña sagrada con el fin de construir una enorme mina a cielo abierto.