Laguna Village sits about 20 minutes outside of Punta Gorda Town and has a population of about 500 residents. And while those outside Toledo may not have heard of the village before, they've been in the news over the past two and half months due to a contention with their neighbors over land.
We've taken you down south before where you heard from both sides. Yemeri Grove believes that the Laguna villagers are surveying lands that belong to them, whereas those in Laguna say that's their communal land.
But the issue came to a head last month when Yemeri residents allegedly went into Laguna to destroy the concrete survey posts that were erected by the villagers. Shortly after that, the Minister of Indigenous People's Affairs announced that Laguna had illegally put up those survey markers.
Well, today, Laguna held their own press conference to clarify their side. Courtney Menzies traveled down south and has this story.
Cayetano Ico, Village Elder
"We lived in peace in those days, you go hunt, you could catch your game, "hamadilly," gibnut, peccary, just name it, it was very excellent. In those days, nobody disturbed us."
But fast forward fifty years later, and the residents of Laguna Village are fighting for what they refer to as their communal land, granted to them by the CCJ in 2015.
The neighboring village of Yemeri Grove is attempting to claim the northern section of the village, parallel to the highway, which also includes Laguna's burying ground. But the Laguna villagers say they've been there long enough to know where their land begins and ends.
Sebastian Itch, Chairman, Laguna Village
"We the villagers know where are lands are, we use, we have farmed, we have been occupying the area in question for ever since, from generation to generation so there is no doubt in our mind as to where we are."
And as is their custom, they've divided the lots by planting cacao madre trees - but after the trees began dying, they switched to concrete as the village expanded.
But during a press conference held on May 3rd by the Ministry of Indigenous People's Affairs, it was announced that their reports found that those markers were illegally placed, since it was done so without the consent of the Ministry of Natural Resources.
But today, the Laguna villagers clarified that, according to the CCJ ruling, they don't need consent from anyone but their own residents.
Sebastian Itch, Chairman, Laguna Village
"Of course there is a process for the government to issue land. When someone requests for land, you have to put in your request through the Lands Department. The Lands Department commissions a surveyor to survey the land, but that is on national land for the government. We are on our communal land and we have established a process through multiple meetings with the community right in this community center. We have established a way how we can share the land equally, fairly, and transparently."
Courtney Menzies:
"When it comes down to it, how do you prove or how do you show that yes, this is part of Laguna?"
Monica Coc, Deputy Alcalde
"That's an interesting question that you're asking and I think it goes back to the fact that we don't understand custom, we don't understand tradition, and I think it's important to understand that we as Maya people, we collectively own our land, we have systems and traditions in place that allow us to know the extent of our areas, it's where we walk, what we use, what we occupy and these areas we have known to be ours because we've worked there for centuries, our ancestors before us, our forefathers before us, our grandmothers, we collect medicinal plants, we use that area and the areas around here for our houses, we use it for farming, we're intricately connected to the lands and resources that you see here in Laguna."
And they all they want is to continue using their lands and avoid conflicts as they have since the village was established. However, they claim that their neighbors have brought the conflict to their front yards - literally.
Sebastian Itch, Chairman, Laguna Village
"We have tried to hold respectful discussion with the Yemeri Grove Council but this has not been easy. We have faced human right abuses and criminal threats from persons of Yemeri Grove. To share a bit, they have illegally arrested one of our villagers who, while working in his farm, they have burned several pumpkin and corn farms."
"In the area they claim, they have vandalized our village entrance sign by the highway. They have been to the home of leaders, armed and threatening. Recently, on April 20th, 2023, certain persons from Yemeri Grove trespassed on our land. They are on record on national TV saying that they will destroy "this junk," referring to the house lot markers. True to their words, more than 34 house lot markers belonging to Laguna Village were destroyed and stolen."
And while they feel that Minister Dolores Balderamos Garcia added fuel to those flames, they say they're still willing to meet with the government and chart a peaceful way forward.
Sebastian Itch, Chairman, Laguna Village
"We also want to point out that the government has taken some actions and made remarks that are absolutely not helpful. For example, Minister Dolores Balderamos has labelled us as expansionists. In her recent press conference, she basically said that we want all the lands and everything on it. And that giving out house lots to every village of Laguna is illegal. a lot of people listen to the minister and when she makes these misleading and untrue remarks, people act on it."
"We have reminded the government that we have the CCJ consent order that we must follow in resolving this issue with Yemeri Grove. Today we say again that Laguna and its leaders are committed to working with the government in resolving this matter."
And while they're ready to present their proposal to the government, they won't wait around for that meeting since they say they need to continue using that land for their very survival.
Monica Coc, Deputy Alcalde
"If you understand and appreciate how we indigenous people, Maya people, Kekchi people in Belize, our lives and our livelihoods are intricately tied to the lands that we use and occupy, if we don't toil, if we don't wake up in the morning to go to our milpas, if we don't go look for our bush sticks, if we don't go hunt and gather, we're going to die, so them asking us to stop what we're doing, is like asking us to stop breathing, stop living, stop eating. So absolutely, we want to continue to live and thrive, we will continue to manage the lands that we know to be ours and that have been affirmed as ours by the Caribbean Court of Justice."
And eight years after that ruling, the Mayas of Laguna, and surrounding villages, are hoping that this will speed along the process for the Maya Land Tenure Policy. In the meantime though, the villagers fear for their safety as they continue to live and work on what they claim as communal land.
The villagers say they've met with the ministry only once, but that is not enough. Following the press conference on May 3rd, the Toledo Alcalde Association was to again meet with the government, but because of what they said were untrue and dangerous statements made by the minister, they had walked out of that meeting.
We will continue to follow this story.
