Presenter(s)

Yeimi Bartolon Perez, Joseph Guagenti, Norah Hess, Maya Pelshaw

Comments

10:45-12:00, Kennedy Union Ballroom

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Description

The Lenca people are the largest indigenous population in Honduras, with around two thousand villages and around 116,000 people; they also represent a large population in eastern El Salvador of around 37,000 people. They inhabit remote, mountainous regions with limited access to infrastructure and economic opportunities. Their livelihoods primarily depend on agriculture, weaving, and pottery. Recent developments, such as hydroelectric projects and mining operations, have infringed upon their ancestral lands, leading to significant environmental and cultural challenges. For the residents of a northern village, Guapinol, their problems began in 2014, when the Honduran government granted a mining concession with the Carlos Escaleras National Park (Global Witness). Consequences such as unreliable source of drinking water due to the mine, intimidation, and arrests for those who dared to defend their environment against the authorities began to rise. Looking towards the future, the Lenca people have resolutely decided that there is no other option but to fight for their rights and the protection of their land, a movement that can be seen to this day.

Publication Date

4-23-2025

Project Designation

Course Project - SPN 387 01

Primary Advisor

Francisco J. Penas-Bermejo

Primary Advisor's Department

Global Languages and Cultures

Keywords

Stander Symposium, College of Arts and Sciences

Institutional Learning Goals

Critical Evaluation of Our Times

Climate Change Impacts on The Central American Lenca Tribe

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