Escobal mine

Last updated
Escobal mine
Location
Santa Rosa Department
Country Guatemala
Production
Products silver, lead and gold

The Escobal mine is a large silver mine located east of San Rafael Las Flores in the south of Guatemala in Santa Rosa Department. Escobal represents one of the largest silver reserve not just in Guatemala but in the world, having estimated reserves of 367.5 million oz of silver. [1] Exploration was by Goldcorp beginning in 2007. The mine was sold to Tahoe Resources in 2011. In April 2013 the mine was granted a 25 year license. The local Xinca people have led protests opposing the Escobal mine, raising issues of environmental risks and land sovereignty rights, but the protests have been suppressed by the Guatemalan government. [2]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Escobal mine protests</span> Escobal mine protests

The Escobal mine protests are a series of political protests opposing the Escobal mine, a large silver mine developed by Canadian mining company Tahoe Resources in San Rafael Las Flores, Guatemala. Since 2009 various community groups have advocated against the mine, citing risks of environmental damage and the land sovereignty rights of the indigenous Xinca people. These groups have employed nonviolent protest tactics such as blockading mine property and voting in municipal referendums, which found that over 95% of residents in surrounding communities opposed the Escobal mine.

References

  1. "Escobal gold mine". tahoeresourcesinc.com. 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-08-13. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
  2. "Guatemalan region militarized following dispute around Canadian-owned mine". FoxNews. Associated Press. June 1, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2015.