A day of riots and violence left several people injured, a building burned down and new criminal investigations in Santiago Atitlán, Sololáafter a group of protesters interrupted a session of the Municipal Council in which Mayor Francisco Coché Pablo was participating. The mayor was evacuated from the municipality and transferred to a care center after being injured during the clashes.
The Public Ministry (MP) opened a new investigation into the riots recorded on Wednesday, July 1 in Santiago Atitlán, Sololá, while the defense of Mayor Coché Pablo announced that it will file complaints against ancestral authorities, councilors and trustees.
According to the Sololá District Prosecutor’s Office, an investigation was initiated for the crimes of incitement to commit a crime and serious injuries. He added that, depending on the medical reports of the mayor and the other injured people, the file could include the crime of attempted homicide.
The Prosecutor’s Office added that it continues to compile statements, reports and other evidence to establish criminal responsibilities.
The mayor’s lawyer, Marlon Dennis García García, reported that they will file a new complaint against four ancestral authorities, five councilors and two trustees of the Municipal Council of Santiago Atitlán, for the crimes of attempted murder, illicit association and plagiarism or kidnapping.
According to the lawyer, those accused will be:
Ancestral authorities
- Juan Mendoza Damian
- Diego Petzey Quiejú
- Pedro Chiquival Mendoza
- Miguel Pablo Sicay
Councilors
- Andrés Ajuchan Coo
- Salvador Coche Damian
- Antonio Samuel Tacaxoy Mesía
- Diego David Sosof Ramírez
- Salvador Sapalu Mendoza
Trustees
- José Quiejú Quic
- Antonio Ixbalan Boron
You could read: Mayor of Santiago Atitlán denounces attempted murder and accuses community leaders of inciting violence
A conflict that began in 2025
Wednesday’s violent day is the most recent episode of a political and social conflict that began in September 2025, when a community assembly called for the resignation of Mayor Francisco Coché Pablo. for alleged irregularities in the municipal administration, including the authorization of motorcycle taxi lines.
The next day, residents occupied the municipality and delivered more than seven thousand signatures to support that petition.
The City Council subsequently declared the position vacant; However, the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) granted a provisional protection that annulled that decision and confirmed Coché Pablo as mayor, ordering his continuity in office. The CSJ resolution reactivated the protests and the rejection of a sector of neighbors.
Sources from the Public Ministry indicated that, in addition to the file opened due to the riots, There have been investigations since 2023 against community leaders from Santiago Atitlán for their alleged participation in the blockades registered during the protests against the actions of the MP directed by María Consuelo Porras, related to the general elections.
According to MP prosecutors, some of these leaders also They were later denounced for allegedly preventing the mayor’s inauguration.
In addition, the investigating entity confirmed that there are also complaints filed by ancestral authorities against Coché Pablo, which is why both parties maintain open processes.
The session ended with riots
The incidents occurred during an extraordinary meeting of the Municipal Council held at the Chuk Muk Ecomuseum, where administrative matters of the municipality were to be discussed. At the end of the session, dozens of neighbors began to gather demanding the mayor’s resignation, which led to hours of tension, riots, and the burning of the building.
The governor of Sololá, Edgar Tuy, explained that on Wednesday an extraordinary meeting of the Municipal Council was held at the Chuk Muk Ecomuseum to discuss administrative matters in Santiago Atitlán.
“In the afternoon, people began to arrive at the scene demanding the resignation of the mayor. As a result, a technical table was established where an agreement was sought. Since there was no consensus, more people gathered and order had to be restored,” he said.
Asked who caused the riots, he responded that “there is no particular group to point to, but the population in general.”
Government says it is a political and social issue
The Minister of the Interior, Marco Antonio Villeda, commented that this is a social and political issue, in which a group of neighbors opposes the tenure of the current municipal mayor.
“In Santiago Atitlán, more than a security issue, it is a social and political issue. A group of neighbors opposes the tenure of the current municipal mayor,” said the official.
According to the official, the mayor was detained for several hours after the Municipal Council session concluded.
“The municipality was surrounded and they did not let the mayor leave; they had him detained. A judge tried to make a personal exhibition, but she could not do it because they did not allow her,” said Villeda.
He added that representatives of the Presidential Commission for Attention to Conflict (Coprecom) tried to mediate for several hours.
“It was necessary to fire tear gas to disperse the crowd. The mayor was evacuated; however, he was also attacked during that evacuation by several neighbors,” he said.
The defense version
García García maintained that the mayor and the people who accompanied him were detained for several hours.
“We were detained for approximately nine hours. People entered the place where we were holding the meeting, broke windows, threw stones with sticks and set the place on fire,” he explained.
He added that during the evacuation the mayor was attacked. “In front of me they hit the mayor in the face, they made him faint, they continued hitting him with sticks and stones and they dragged him out,” he said.
He also assured that the attackers tried to pour gasoline on him to burn the mayor alive. The lawyer stated that the personal appearance was requested at 12:16 p.m. and that Judge Patricia del Rosario García Ortiz arrived at the scene, but did not enter.
Given this, García García affirmed that they will file a complaint against the judge because, in his opinion, she did not act in a timely manner regarding the personal exhibition requested on behalf of the mayor.
“Judge Patricia del Rosario García Ortiz informed us that she had appeared and that they had not allowed her to enter,” said the lawyer.
According to García García, the defense warned the judge that the situation was serious and that there was a risk to the mayor’s life.
“She was negligent. She is responsible for what happened to us, because we anticipated it in advance,” he commented.
The lawyer added that he has audio and text messages of the communication with the judge, which, as he indicated, will be incorporated into the legal actions they will present.
Injured during the riots
The mayor was evacuated by boat across Lake Atitlán to Panajachel and later transferred to a care center.
The authorities also confirmed that at least three civilians were injured by gunshots and were taken to the Sololá Departmental Hospital.
The National Civil Police reported that two agents were transferred to the Guatemalan Social Security Institute and remain stable.