Marmato, Caldas
Encyclopedia
Marmato is a town and municipality in the Colombia
n Department
of Caldas
. Founded in 1540, Marmato has a population of 10,000 people. It is one of the historic gold-mining regions of the hemisphere.
The town used to be the home of a large population of Cornish
miners, who were drawn to this location from their native land to work the mines.
mining company Medoro Resources merged with a Colombian company to form the conglomerate
called "Gran Colombia Gold". This corporation proposed digging a massive strip mine on the site of the town, which would require the total demolition of the town and the relocation of its populace.
Naturally, the people of the town have resisted this, claiming that the government had violated its own rules in agreeing to this. On 1 September 2011, the local parish priest, the Reverend
José Reynal-Restrepo
was returning on his motorbike from a trip to Bogotá
, the nation's capital
, to clarify the company's claims that the local Archbishop had agreed to the sale of the Church's property in the town. He was stopped just outside the town and shot to death.
Opponents of the plans to move the town claim that it was agents of the mining company who murdered him, due to his opposition to the plans. Reynal himself had made a video just days before his death, in which he said that only his death would end his opposition to the move. Spokesmen for the mining company say that his death was a regrettable case of random banditry
.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n Department
Departments of Colombia
Colombia is an unitary republic formed by thirty-two departments and a Capital District . Each department has a Governor and a Department Assembly , elected by popular vote for a four-year period. The governor cannot be re-elected in consecutive periods...
of Caldas
Caldas Department
Caldas is a department of Colombia named after Colombian patriotic figure Francisco José de Caldas. It's part of the Paisa Region and its capital is Manizales. The population of Caldas is 1,030,062, and its area is 7,291 km²...
. Founded in 1540, Marmato has a population of 10,000 people. It is one of the historic gold-mining regions of the hemisphere.
The town used to be the home of a large population of Cornish
Cornish people
The Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...
miners, who were drawn to this location from their native land to work the mines.
Strip mining and the murder of a priest
In 1946, after various disputes about mining rights, the government established a zone in the hills where the town stands, which was to be the preserve for mining by the various small miners of the town. This was in effect until 2007, when the CanadianCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
mining company Medoro Resources merged with a Colombian company to form the conglomerate
Conglomerate (company)
A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...
called "Gran Colombia Gold". This corporation proposed digging a massive strip mine on the site of the town, which would require the total demolition of the town and the relocation of its populace.
Naturally, the people of the town have resisted this, claiming that the government had violated its own rules in agreeing to this. On 1 September 2011, the local parish priest, the Reverend
The Reverend
The Reverend is a style most often used as a prefix to the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. The Reverend is correctly called a style but is often and in some dictionaries called a...
José Reynal-Restrepo
José Reynal-Restrepo
The Reverend José Reynal-Restrepo was a priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manizales and the parish priest of the town of Marmato, Caldas in Colombia, South America. Founded in 1540, Marmato is one of the historic gold-mining regions of the hemisphere...
was returning on his motorbike from a trip to Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, the nation's capital
Capital
A capital city is the area of a country, province, region, or state considered to enjoy primary status; although there are exceptions, a capital is typically a city that physically encompasses the offices and meeting places of the seat of government and is usually fixed by law or by the constitution...
, to clarify the company's claims that the local Archbishop had agreed to the sale of the Church's property in the town. He was stopped just outside the town and shot to death.
Opponents of the plans to move the town claim that it was agents of the mining company who murdered him, due to his opposition to the plans. Reynal himself had made a video just days before his death, in which he said that only his death would end his opposition to the move. Spokesmen for the mining company say that his death was a regrettable case of random banditry
Banditry
Banditry refers to the life and practice of bandits which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as "one who is proscribed or outlawed; hence, a lawless desperate marauder, a brigand: usually applied to members of the organized gangs which infest the mountainous districts of Italy, Sicily, Spain,...
.
See also
- Cornish emigrationCornish emigrationThe Cornish diaspora consists of Cornish people and their descendants who emigrated from Cornwall. The diaspora is found in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and Brazil....