This petition is in protest of Dr. Richard Hansen’s proposed Mirador-Calakmul Basin Maya Security and Conservation Partnership Act of 2019 (S.3131). As anthropologists, it is imperative to be conscious of the political, social, and economic impact this bill will have on El Mirador and its surrounding indigenous communities. Bill S.3131, drafted by Richard Hansen and introduced into the U.S Congress by Senators Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), Tom Udall (D-New Mexico), and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), will attempt to create a U.S law that would drastically alter current land management methods in the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala and that of Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in Mexico. This bill proposes, without the consent of local organizations, conservation groups and most importantly the communities, in and around the El Mirador-Calakmul basin, to create a sustainable tourism model designed to provide what is described as a low impact, controlled access to archaeological sites of the basin with the emphasis of securing economic opportunity. This bill seeks to convert El Mirador and about 3.5 thousand square kilometers of the jungle into a privately managed wilderness reserve, which would restrict human activity in the area, thus leaving the communities that have protected the Maya Biosphere Reserve without their livelihood. 

We are asking for your support by bringing this matter to the attention of the Society for American Archaeology, the American Anthropological Association and our California Senators for action against Dr. Hansen’s involvement. We believe his membership status should be removed as this type of political involvement is detrimental to the protection of this ancient Maya site. 

The terms used in this bill such as “conservation” and “sustainable tourism” are misleading as conservation efforts under the Forestry Concession System (operating since 1990) have successfully lowered deforestation attempts and protected the reserve prior to the introduction of this bill. Ecotourism is another facet that has also provided a source of income to the local Maya surrounding the Maya Biosphere Reserve where El Mirador is located. Agencies such as USAID and the Department of the Interior as well as the former Guatemalan government gave this current conservation system their support and it begs the question whether the addition of restaurants, hotels, and a new train system would promote the type “sustainable tourism” this bill suggests. The conservation efforts in place are already proving to be effective forms of protection. US involvement is unnecessary, and should this bill be passed, it will be detrimental to this sacred indigenous land. 

As anthropologists, we condemn any behavior that alters, disparages, and endangers communities and sacred spaces around the world. It should be stressed that when visiting sacred spaces for purposes of research, we must remember that we are guests on ancestral lands. Therefore, the anthropological community must continue to uphold an ethical understanding of our impact and position in and out of our borders. We are representatives of institutions that intend on ‘protecting’ the past for future generations.  Involving ourselves in political foreign affairs conflicts with this concept. We must be mindful of how this bill will impact communities in Guatemala. We must also reflect on the negative impacts U.S. involvement has caused on the Central American isthmus throughout the last century. The views of Dr. Richard Hansen to establish a tourist attraction to “create jobs” and deter illegal immigration to the United States are not supported by the anthropological community as they reflect colonial/neo-colonial efforts to enclose poverty and exploit the inhabitants of such communities. 

 As the future of this field, we do not stand behind the course of action Dr. Hansen has taken under the guise of conservation. We do not tolerate coercive actions that will perpetuate the exploitation of indigenous peoples and their lands. We demand respect for the autonomy of the people inhabiting the MBR and other regions of the world.