07/27/2026
The Fénix Mine (also known as the El Estor mine) is one of Guatemala’s largest nickel mining projects. Located in El Estor, Izabal, it produces nickel used in products such as electric vehicle batteries, electronics, and industrial machinery.
The project dates back to the 1960s and has long been at the center of land conflicts involving Indigenous Q’eqchi’ communities. During the decades that followed, the mine underwent periods of closure and changes in ownership, while communities continued to raise concerns about land rights, environmental impacts, and violence linked to mining operations. The conflict gained renewed international attention in 2019 when Guatemala’s Constitutional Court suspended the mine’s license, ruling that affected Indigenous communities had not been properly consulted.
Following a contested consultation process in 2021, U.S. sanctions against executives connected to the mine in 2022, and a three-year suspension of operations, the mine resumed production in 2026.
For many Q’eqchi’ communities, the reopening has renewed concerns about Indigenous rights, environmental protection, and meaningful consultation.
Sources: EL PAÍS, The Washington Post, and public reporting on the Fénix Mine.
