Escobal

Project Phase / Fase del proyecto: 

Operations suspended pending completion of consultations with affected Xinka indigenous communities, as per Constitutional Court decision released in September 2018.

Exploration Start Date / Fecha de inicio de la exploración: 
1997 (Entre Mares/Glamis Gold); 2007 (Entre Mares/Goldcorp)
Exploitation Start Date / Fecha de inicio de la explotación: 
Exploitation licence granted in 2013, but suspended in 2017
Extraction Type / Método de extracción: 
Subterranean
Country / País: 
Guatemala
Company / Empresa: 
Parent Company: Pan American Silver: (2019- )
Parent Company: Tahoe Resources Inc. (Canada): (2010-2019)
Parent Company: Goldcorp Inc. (Canada): (2006-2010)
Parent Company: Glamis Gold Ltd. (Canada): (1998-2006)
Subsidiary: Minera San Rafael, S.A. (MINERASA) (subsidiary of Tahoe Resources Inc.)
Subsidiary: Entre Mares de Guatemala, S.A. (subsidiary of Goldcorp Inc. and later Bluestone Resources Inc.)
Natural Resource / Recurso natural: 
Silver
Gold
Lead
Zinc
Municipality, Department / Municipio, Departamento: 
San Rafael Las Flores and Jalapa, Santa Rosa
Region: 
Central America

Legal Actions / Acciones Legales:

1997-2015 Guatemalan Mining Laws and Amendments [Escobal]
2005- Community Consultations Processes [Escobal]
2008-2013 Moratoriums on Metallic Mining [Escobal]
2008-2018 Constitutional Challenges against Guatemalan Mining Laws [Escobal]
2010 ILO Criticizes Guatemala on Mining and Indigenous Communities [Escobal]
2010– Petition filed to oppose approval of Environmental Impact Assessment
2011-2018 Constitutional Challenge of Draft Regulation on Indigenous Consultation Processes [Escobal]
2011– Criminalization of community leaders opposed to Escobal mine
2012-2013 Tahoe Lawsuit against Guatemalan Government
2013 IACHR Petition filed by Council of Mayan and Xinka Peoples [Escobal]
2013 Injunction filed against granting of Escobal exploitation licence
2013 State of Siege and Criminalization of Protestors and Community Leaders
2013- Criminal prosecution of Former Head of Security and other security guards at Escobal mine and compensation claim against Tahoe Resources
2013-2019 Complaints to Canadian Securities Regulators
2014 Permanent Peoples' Tribunal hearing on Canadian mining in Latin America
2014-2019 Canadian Lawsuit against Tahoe Resources
2016 Complaint to U.S. Securities Regulators
2017- Judicial Suspension of Tahoe's Mining Licences
2019- IACHR issues precautionary measures on behalf of Xinka Parliament lawyer
2020- Guatemalan Government and the Xinka Parliament initiate pre-consultation over Escobal
2021 Civil action by local families against Escobal mining licence
Political Actions / Acciones Políticas: 
2009 Protest marches against Goldcorp
2009- Central American environmentalists join forces against extractive projects
2011 March from San Rafael Las Flores to Guatemala City
2011 Demonstration against attempts to legislate community consultations
2011 March against Mining Licences for Escobal organized by Catholic Parish
2012 Bishop holds Large Mass Rejecting Mining near San Rafael Las Flores
2012 Campesina March for Mother Earth
2012 Protest Blocking Road Access to the Escobal Mining Area
2012 Health Tribunal Guilty Verdict Delivered to Canadian and Guatemalan Authorities
2014 International Seminar on Public Finances and the Extractive Industry
2015 Maya Q'eqchi' Encampment in front of the National Palace
2015 Demonstration Outside Goldcorp's Toronto Office
2015 Research Institute states EITI is Ineffective
2015 Letter Condemning Armed Attack against Mining Opponents in Mataquescuintla
2015 Speaking Tour on Militarization of Communities in area of the Escobal mine
2016 Discussion Group on Implementation of EITI in Guatemala
2017 UDEFEGUA Denounces Threats against CALAS Director
2017 Protestors Block Access to the Escobal Mine
2017 Xinka Demand Permanent Closure of Escobal
2017 Forum on Extractivism and Human Rights in Guatemala
2017 Tahoe Reportedly Lobbies U.S. and Canadian Embassies to Intervene in Licence Suspension Case
2018 Xinka Parliament holds Press Conference on Escobal
2018 Indigenous Xinka March against Escobal
2018 Call to Reject Proposed Law on Indigenous Consultation Procedures
2019 Xinka Parliament publicly denounces MEM and MARN for non-compliance with the 2018 Constitutional Court ruling confirming suspension of mining licence
2020 Organizations Pen an Open Letter in Solidarity with Xinka Communities
2020 Letter of Concern at Impunity for Human Rights Violations against Xinka Defenders
2020 Citizen's complaint to Xinka Parliament regarding conduct of Minera San Rafael during Covid-19 crisis
2020 Call to investigate attacks on members of Xinka Parliament
Reports / Informes: 
2012 Mining in Guatemala (The Case of Goldcorp: From the Marlin Mine to Escobal)
2013 Preliminary Report on Human Rights Violations in the State of Siege in in Jalapa and Santa Rosa (Spanish)
2013 The Myths and Reality of Gold Mining in Central America
2014 Guatemala - Mining in Guatemala - Rights at Risk
2014 The Impact of Canadian Mining in Latin America and Canada's Responsibility: Executive Summary of the Report Submitted to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
2014 Mining in Guatemala: Realities and Challenges faced by Democracy and Development (Spanish)
2015 Sustainable Development and Multi-National Companies: A Study of Land Grabbing and Key Responsibility (Spanish)
2015 Guatemala - 'Smaller than David': The Struggle of Human Rights Defenders - International Fact Finding Mission Report
2015 Let's Talk about Mining in Guatemala (Spanish)
2015 Under Siege: Peaceful Resistance to Tahoe Resources and Militarization in Guatemala
2015 Tahoe Resources Inc.’s Response to Recent Baseless and Irresponsible Accusations in 'Tahoe on Trial'
2016 Systematization of the Implementation Process of the Right to Consultation of Indigenous Peoples established by the International Labour Organization Convention No. 169 in Guatemala (Spanish)
2016 The Resolutions of the Supreme Court: Suspension or cancellation of exploitation licences (Spanish)
2016 Metallic Mining in Central America: An Assessment of Impacts, Transparency, and Taxation (Spanish)
2016 The 'Canada Brand': Violence and Canadian Mining Companies in Latin America
2017 The Human Rights Situation in Guatemala (Spanish)
2018 Prior Consultation with Indigenous Communities in Guatemala; Context and Actors Surrounding Legal Regulation (Spanish)
2019 Guatemalan government discriminates against Xinka, puts Escobal mine consultation at risk
2019 Inequality, Extractivism and Development in Santa Rosa and Jalapa (Spanish)
References / Referencias: 

Environmental Justice Atlas (EJAtlas), "Proyecto Minero El Escobal, Guatemala", online:  https://ejatlas.org/conflict/el-escobal, accessed on 22 August 2018a. 

Pan American Silver, "Escobal, Santa Rosa Guatemala - Polymetallic Silver Mine", online: https://www.panamericansilver.com/operations/north-and-central-america/e..., accessed on 16 December 2020. 

NACLA, "Hablar Como una Minera: La Mina Escobal en Guatemala", dated 15 October 2019, online: https://nacla.org/news/2020/03/03/hablar-como-una-minera-la-mina-escobal..., accessed 15 September 2021.

Tahoe Resources Inc, "This Management’s Discussion & Analysis of Tahoe Resources Inc. and its subsidiaries", dated 6 August 2012, online: https://fintel.io/doc/sec-taho-tahoe-resources-ex992-2012-august-06-1859..., accessed 16 December 2020.

Tahoe Resources Inc., “Management’s Discussion and Analysis for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013", dated 11 March 2015, online: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1510400/000106299315001291/exhib..., accessed 16 December 2020.

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