Between 1,500 and 2,500 Chorti Mayans took control of the Copan Ruins, a Maya archaeological park in western Honduras, from September 10-15 demanding that the government comply with a 1997 agreement to hand over 14,000 acres of arable land to the Chorti. The Chortis also demanded that the government use a part of the earnings from the archaeological park for social work in their communities. Cristobal Pineda, spokesperson for the National Indigenous Council, explained, "The government has violated our agreements ... and we are living in poverty and without hope of escaping from it," Prensa Latina reported.
According to the Indigenous Network, the protesters reached an agreement with the government on September 15, promising to allocate approximately one million dollars to buy land for the Chorti. The minister of Tourism, Theirry de Pierrefeu, estimated that the government lost $263,157 during the five days the park was closed, as reported by the Indigenous Network.
