The Public Ministry (MP) reported that it has not been able to carry out the processing of the scene where the riots occurred on Wednesday in Santiago Atitlán, Sololá, because a group of people continues to organize in the area and prevent the entry of security forces.
The Sololá District Prosecutor’s Office indicated that the proceedings at the Chuk Muk Ecomuseum remain pending because the security conditions do not yet exist for prosecutors and experts to enter the place.
As part of the investigation, the MP requested support from the Specialized Criminal Investigation Division (DEIC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (Dicri).
In addition, he said that he requested reports from the National Civil Police (PNC), took statements from the aggrieved people and requested the corresponding medical-legal evaluations from the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif).
How the events occurred
According to the preliminary report of the MP, on Wednesday a group of people broke into a meeting of the Municipal Council that was taking place in the hall of the Chuk Muk Ecomuseum to demand the resignation of the mayor of Santiago Atitlán, Francisco Coché Pablo.
During the afternoon, representatives of the Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office (PDH) tried to mediate between the parties; However, the dialogue was suspended because no agreements were reached.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, after the PDH tried to mediate, a group of people violently entered the building, physically attacked the mayor and other people, set fire to the building and took the mayor out to where the crowd remained.
The MP added that the mayor continued to be attacked and that, preliminarily, it is being investigated that he was allegedly doused with gasoline with the intention of setting him on fire.
The PNC said Special Forces intervened to rescue the mayor and disperse the protesters.
He added that the injured people were taken to a health center outside Sololá to receive medical attention.
Riots continued through the night
The Public Ministry reported that, after the events that occurred at the museum, riots continued in Santiago Atitlán during the night.
The Prosecutor’s Office indicated that the residents burned tires, attacks were recorded against the National Civil Police substation and a police unit was also set on fire.
In addition, the MP confirmed that one of the people who remained hospitalized died.
Conflict keeps investigations open
The riots occurred in the midst of the conflict that has kept Santiago Atitlán divided since September 2025, when a community assembly requested the resignation of Mayor Francisco Coché Pablo.
Subsequently, the Supreme Court of Justice granted provisional protection that allowed him to continue in office, a decision that revived the protests of a sector of the population.