Indigenous rights activists across Mexico and the world are celebrating the news that a federal court suspended 38 mining concessions in the sacred Wirikuta Reserve in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The court prohibited the granting of any further permits within the municipality of Real de Catorce, San Luis Potosí, as long as the core issues of the conflict between the Huichol (Wixarika) people and mining companies remain unresolved.
Last year, the Huichol people presented an injunction to the courtfor legal protection, demanding respect for the rights that the Mexican government authorized for its Indigenous peoples at national and international levels. The court ruled that the Huichol people had not been allowed Free, Prior, and Informed Consent on the mining projects in their traditional land, as is required according to Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization, to which Mexico is a signee.
This comes as a major victory for the Huichol people, who have struggled for over a year and a half for the cancellation of these mining concessions. Mining in Wirikuta would desecrate the sacred site in the Real de Catroce mountains where the Huichol people believe the sun was born, and threaten the fragile desert ecosystem of the Chihuahua desert, important sources of water within the area, and the health and well-being of the Huichol people.
Cultural Survival celebrates the court ruling, but we will remain vigilant because the suspension is conditional until issues have been further investigated. The Huichol people ask the international community to continue supporting their cause against mining in their sacred territories.
See a press release from the Wirikuta Defense Front, available in English and Spanish.
See an article by La Jornada (Spanish only)
See our original action alert to protect Wirikuta, and send emails to the Mexican government here.
