Laws that Continue Depriving Indigenous Peoples of Their Cultural Heritage in Guatemala: Lesson for Archaeologists

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Politics of Heritage Values: How Archaeologists Deal with Place, Social Memories, Identities, and Socioeconomics" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In Guatemala, the Law for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage of the Nation establishes that archaeological sites are the property of the nation and are under the exclusive protection of the state. From the point of view of Indigenous Peoples, this law is racist, exclusionary, and violates their rights since it legalizes the dispossession of Indigenous Peoples over their cultural heritage. In 2022, Bill 5923, called “Rescue of Prehispanic Heritage,” was proposed with the objective of rescuing the prehispanic cultural heritage and promoting its conservation and restoration. The regulation of these tasks would be in charge of a National Council for the Rescue of Prehispanic Heritage formed by state entities with private and public financing. Once again, Indigenous peoples were not consulted about this bill, and their participation was not included in the so-called National Council despite the fact that this initiative directly affects their rights over their cultural heritage. The rejection of this bill provides with important lessons about the Indigenous peoples’ valorization of their cultural heritage, especially on sacred sites (archaeological sites). This case offers archaeologists reflections on the efforts Indigenous peoples have made to recover their past despite the legal and structural violence in Guatemala.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)   •
• Politics of Heritage Values: How Archaeologists Deal with Place, Social Memories, Identities, and Socioeconomics

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 40316.0