Land tenure delegitimation and social mobility in tropical Peten, Guatemala

Lack of legitimacy of land tenure institutions in the tropical Peten, Guatemala, contributes to tenure insecurity that encourages rapid colonization, deforestation, and forest conversion to agriculture. The author identifies social, political, and property rights trends that reduced the effectiveness of property rights in the Peten. Three case studies present the complexities of land tenure institutions. The first analyzes unregulated land invasions by small farmers, the second discusses land tenure barriers to protection of indigenous cooperatives, and the third analyzes attempts by the government and nongovernmental organizations to restrict settlements within the Maya Biosphere Reserve through negotiations. In the absence of operative legal land institutions, campesinos create land law by their invasions, presence, and practices. Unless campesinos are given a role within policy-making management decisions, there may be no means to restore legitimacy to land tenure in the Peten.