Ejidatarios accuse the head of INAH Yucatán of selling land in Dzibilchaltún

Merida Yucatan; July 09, 2021 (ACOM) .- Chablekal ejidatarios accused the delegate of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Yucatán, Eduardo López Calzada, of maintaining personal interests around his inaction to request payment for the expropriation of several hectares that belong to this ejido and that today are part of the archaeological zone of Dzibilchaltún.

After closing this site again, the ejidatarios affirmed that they have been asking INAH for several years to make the corresponding payment for the expropriation of just over 50 hectares of land that belongs to them, to which the agency and its current delegate in the state would have been delayed, apparently, for being involved in the delivery of land to individuals that adjoin the archaeological site, according to a document they presented dated in December 2018.

“We began to investigate and we found a usufruct contract for 390 hectares that would have been signed through a simulated ejido assembly,” explained José Kú Chalé, secretary of the Chablekal ejido.

The natives of Chablekal accused López Calzada of authorizing the parceling of lands located within the national park that is part of the Dzibilchaltun historic site, based on alleged documents they obtained in the Public Property Registry, although the INAH official said he did not know what they are talking about when questioned a few days ago.

They insisted that this and other alleged interests are holding back the process that they have been with the INAH for years and that it has not been able to attend, despite the fact that dialogue tables have been set up.

They assure that the INAH has informed them that it will be difficult to pay them for their land because the trusts for it were eliminated, although they insisted that there are ways to solve the conflict.

It was reported that the ejidatarios will keep the facilities of Dzibilchaltún taken over until the central offices of the INAH respond to their requests, regarding the farmers receiving the remuneration that corresponds to them for the occupation of their lands, otherwise, they warned that they will initiate an administrative proceeding against Eduardo López Calzada for his alleged inactivity on the issue that forced them to leave the dialogue table a few days ago.

“While the expropriation procedure ends, we are only asking for the prior occupation agreement that they have because they have had the occupation for more than 60 years and the ejido has not received anything,” explained Wilberth Saucedo, legal advisor for the people of Chablekal.

“We know that the case is already being attended by the INAH central office, although if there is no action, we will ask that the officials be removed from office, it’s that easy. If they do not comply, we will report it to the internal comptroller of the institute and they must define what it is going to proceed to resolve our complaint, ” he said.

The ejidatarios set up a permanent camp at the gates of the archaeological site, which will remain closed to the public and workers, until the negotiations with the INAH and the Agrarian Procurator, a body that also participates in the dialogue, come to fruition.

Source: Reporteros Hoy