The Rama-Kriol Territorial Government (GTRK), based in Bluefields, is responsible for administering a territorial bloc that broadly corresponds to ancient Rama ancestral lands. As a local authority, it provides political representation to both indigenous and Afro-descendant communities. Interamericana talked to the GTRK’s President, Mr Santiago Thomas, about Law 445, the demarcation process and recent acts of violence that have occurred in Rama lands.
After the passing of Nicaragua’s progressive Law 445 in 2003, which demands the official demarcation of all indigenous and Afro-descendant territories, The National Commission for Demarcation and Titling (CONADETI) was created. Interamericana talked to CONADETI about law 445, the challenges of demarcation, and the problematic nature of Nicaraguan politics. This post features nearly 30 minutes of interview footage.
Mr Edgar ‘Rasta’ Coulsen is a native of the Caribbean town of San of Juan del Norte – an end of the world settlement perched at the mouth of the Rio San Juan. In this short video interview, Interamericana talked to him about the changes that have taken place in the region since his childhood.
Nicaragua’s Caribbean Coast followed a very different course of development from its Pacific cousin. It was the English, not the Spanish, who made colonial strides here, drawing together the region’s indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples under the banner of the Miskito Kingdom. This article gives a brief history of the region and its on-going dream of autonomy, 1710-2003.
Nicaragua’s Caribbean provinces have been engaged in a struggle for greater autonomy ever since they were annexed in 1860. Finally, in 2003, a new law was passed demanding the demarcation and titling of all Nicaragua’s indigenous and Afro-descedant lands. That law is law 445, defined, explored and explained in this article.
Frederick Catherwood was the first 19th century artist to record the splendours of some of the most inaccessible Central American ruins. His images, published in books that changed the way academics viewed the region’s indigenous peoples, were created under appalling conditions. They remain some of the most vibrant and beautiful illustrations of the ancient Mexican world ever rendered…
The Aztec transformation from humble nomadic warriors into one of Mesoamerica’s most complex civilisations is a story as fantastic as it is legendary. This comprehensive feature explores traces the rise of Mexico’s last great imperial force.
Dense, exuberant rainforest shrouds this immense metropolis, abandoned for unknown reasons over a millennia ago. A sense of the lost, grandiose world of the ancient Mayans lingers in this city’s ruined plazas. Palenque is a testament to Mesoamerican civilisation at its height.
The darkly beautiful world of ancient Mexico was dominated by a complex pantheon of gods who presided over all facets of human existence. Feathered snakes, were-jaguars and serpent-skirted goddesses are all depicted in this collection.
A collection of images gathered in the early morning light of Palenque ruins, southern Mexico. This quintessential site features both heavily restored monumental architecture – pyramids, temples and observatories – and far less coherent structures barely recovered from the rainforest environs.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
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