Despite the Supreme Court of Belize’s landmark 2007 decision “affirming the rights of the indigenous Maya communities of Belize to their traditional lands and resources and declaring those rights protected by the Constitution of Belize in light of relevant international law” (also called “the most far-reaching application of international law by a domestic court to recognize the rights of indigenous groups to their traditional landsâ€), the Maya of Toledo District continue to have to fight to uphold these rights.
The Rogers College of Law at The University of Arizona’s Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program offers the best overall info on the case that I’ve found, with a wealth of information on southern Belize and the issue of who was there first. This documents page is particularly informative … appeals are pending.
