Guatemala · Country record

The mining record of Guatemala

accident on the ministry's record

ⓘ

Ministerio de Energía y Minas, the ministry that grants mining licences and inspects mines.

press-reported deaths (a floor)

ⓘ

Counted from press headlines only; Guatemala publishes no official per-fatality mining record, so the true number is undoubtedly higher.

1,913

programmed inspections

ⓘ

A visit on the ministry's yearly plan, with a month or day range and a report number. The ministry delivered no findings.

341

mining licences in force (2025 list)

ⓘ

Every licence the ministry listed as in force in its 2025 list: 323 to mine and sell minerals (exploitation; the list does not say open pit or underground) and 18 to explore. Quarries, sand pits and metal mines alike. Not inspection permits.

Guatemala's mining ministry keeps almost no safety record, and publishes none. So we asked it, under the public-records law, for its inspections, its accident reports and its fines. This page is what came back: one accident on file since 2014, about 180 programmed mine inspections a year with no findings written down, 1,255 fine resolutions with no amounts, and 24 licences cancelled. Deaths come from the press, which reports more than the ministry records. How we got this record, with dates, is at the bottom of the page.

Looking for US mine enforcement instead? See MSHA violations by operator. · Honduras's record · Mexico's record · Panama's record

Inspections the ministry programmed

1,913

programmed inspections

A visit on the ministry's yearly plan, with a month or day range and a report number. The ministry delivered no findings.

between 2016 and 2026, on 405

licence numbers

The licence's registration number at the ministry, such as LEXT-541. LEXT is an exploitation licence, LEXR exploration, CT and ET-CT older quarry and concession numbers.

. Delivered by

MEM

Ministerio de Energía y Minas, the ministry that grants mining licences and inspects mines.

as the yearly plan and a report number for each one, with no findings written down.

Year	Inspections	Distinct licence numbers	Exploration A licence to look for minerals, up to three years; no production.
2016	178	132	0
2017	179	132	1
2018	120	87	0
2019	249	226	0
2020	138	134	0
2021	169	156	1
2022	170	155	4
2023	154	145	1
2024	149	144	2
2025	244	227	2
2026	163	159	0

The ministry delivered the plan and a report number for each inspection, and nothing on what the inspector found. Each date is the month or day range on the plan, not the day of the visit.

The ten most inspected licences

Licence no. The licence's registration number at the ministry, such as LEXT-541. LEXT is an exploitation licence, LEXR exploration, CT and ET-CT older quarry and concession numbers.	Mine (as printed)	Holder	Inspections	Years
LEXT-541	MARLIN I	MONTANA EXPLORADORA DE GUATEMALA	59	2016 to 2026
LEXT-054	Progreso VII Derivada	Exploraciones Mineras de Guatemala, S.A.	40	2016 to 2018
LEXT-015-11	ESCOBAL	MINERA SAN RAFAEL, S.A.	18	2016 to 2026
LEXT-049-05	EXTRACCION MINERA FENIX	CGN, S.A.	18	2016 to 2026
LEXT-031-05	PROYECTO MINERO CERRO BLANCO	Entre Mares de Guatemala, S.A.	16	2016 to 2026
LEXT-533	ROCAS DE XELAZUL	ERICK ALEJANDRO MORALES BATHEN	14	2016 to 2026
LEXT-001-10	PLANTA TRITURADORA DE MATERIALES DE CONSTRUCCIAN REAL MADRID UNO	Cantera y Minerales de America, S.A.	13	2016 to 2026
LEXT-022-05	Explotación Minera El Faro	AGROPECUARIA EL ANONO, S.A.	13	2016 to 2026
LEXT-054-08	PROGRESO VII DERIVADA	EXPLOTACIONES MINERAS DE GUATEMALA, S.A	12	2016 to 2025
LEXT-493	ZACARIAS	SERGIO ANTONIO VARGAS RODRIGUEZ	12	2016 to 2024

Counted over every yearly plan, out of 405 licence numbers planned at least once. The holder links where the licence number is on the yearly list.

Resolutions the ministry lists as fines

1,255

resolutions listed as fines

A ministerial decision on a case file. The ministry sent these lists as its record of fines, but no row carries an amount.

on 327

case files

The ministry's case file for a licence or an illegal-mining investigation; the number the ministry prints on a resolution.

, from the yearly lists of the

Dirección General de Minería

Dirección General de Minería, the ministry's mining directorate; its Departamento de Control Minero runs the inspections.

for 2021 to 2026, delivered as its record of fines. No row carries an amount, a date, a holder or an outcome.

Year	Production report omitted The yearly production statement every exploitation licence must file; a missing one draws a resolution.	Surface fee (canon) The yearly fee a licence holder pays per unit of licensed area; the most common reason for a listed resolution.	Inspection	Safety regulation	Illegal mining	Property registry inscription	Export credential	Audit	Other	Total
2021	53	15	7	9	4				16	104
2022	113	43	21	2	1			2	8	190
2023	85	151	26		3	12			2	279
2024	18	88	14	1	2	30			2	155
2025	90	87	18	19	12	31	4			261
2026	128	72	8	25	14	1	16	2		266

A listed resolution is not a proven fine. The class comes from a keyword in the case type as the list prints it.

Cancelled and suspended licences

24 licences

cancelled

The licence was declared lapsed by ministerial resolution, usually for unpaid fees or missing reports.

and 2

suspended

Work under the licence was ordered stopped by resolution; the licence itself stands.

, on the two registers the ministry's Departamento de Control Minero keeps (pages 6 and 7 of the answer).

Status	Licence no. The licence's registration number at the ministry, such as LEXT-541. LEXT is an exploitation licence, LEXR exploration, CT and ET-CT older quarry and concession numbers.	Licence	Holder	Kind	Resolution	Date	Department
Cancelled	CT-103	LA MESILLA	MINAS DE GUATEMALA, S.A.	exploitation	278	Jan 20, 2015	HUEHUETENANGO
Cancelled	MT-1509	LA MARUCA	MINAS DE GUATEMALA, S.A.	exploitation	4950	Nov 12, 2015	HUEHUETENANGO
Cancelled	LEXT-594	PIEDRINERA LA COLINA	REYNERIO SANDOVAL MAZARIEGOS	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-1616-2018	Jan 10, 2018	JALAPA
Cancelled	ET-CT-118	EL CARPINTERO	RODOLFO EDUARDO DE LA CERDA WYLD	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-1116-2019	Jul 18, 2019	BAJA VERAPAZ
Cancelled	LEXT-565	PROYECTO MINERO SOLANO	LUIS FERNANDO ORTIZ VALENZUELA	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-1143-2019	Jul 22, 2019	GUATEMALA
Cancelled	LEXT-195	PIEDRAS NEGRAS	PIEDRAS NEGRAS, S.A.	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-1277-2019	May 8, 2019	IZABAL
Cancelled	LEXT-579	EFRAIN MORALES	EFRAIN ENRIQUE MORALES MORALES	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-1700-2019	Nov 11, 2019	SANTA ROSA
Cancelled	CT-026	CATA SANTA MARIA	QUETZAL, S.A.	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-1739-2019	Dec 11, 2019	HUEHUETENANGO
Cancelled	LEXT-208	ARENERA MONTE ALTO	JUAN CARLOS AVENDAÑO LOPEZ	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-1756-2019	Nov 18, 2019	GUATEMALA
Cancelled	CF-1504	LA NANNIE	MINAS DE GUATEMALA, S.A.	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-0857-2020	Aug 6, 2020	HUEHUETENANGO
Cancelled	MT-0222	SAN CRISTOBAL	JORGE RAUL, JUAN MARCO ANTONIO, LUIS ROBERTO Y FRANCISCO RICARDO TODOS APELLIDO DIAZ ALBA Y MARTA JULIA DIAZ ALVA DE ARMENDARIZ	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-978-2020	Aug 27, 2020	HUEHUETENANGO
Cancelled	MT-2809	SANTO DOMINGO	DOMINGO Y ENRIQUE OVALLE, JOSE Y JULIAN AGUIRRE	exploitation	SG-PROVI-2799-2020	Dec 10, 2020
Cancelled	LEXT-575	ARENERA EL MANGUITO	DANIEL STUARDO ESTRADA CASEROS	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-1211-2022	Jul 25, 2022	GUATEMALA
Cancelled	LEXT-381	GENERETICA	CONSTRUCTORA DE OBRAS DE ELECTRIFICACION Y URBANIZACION,	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-1022-2023	Oct 2, 2023	GUATEMALA
Cancelled	LEXT-248	CONSTRUCTORA EL PLAYON, S. A.	COMPAÑIA CONSTRUCTORA EL PLAYON, S.A.	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-1135-2023	Nov 7, 2023	GUATEMALA
Cancelled	LEXT-001-12	FABRICA DE ARTICULOS DE CEMENTO BLOCK DE ROSA	PEDRO CHAN GARCIA	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-1187-2022	Jul 19, 2022	QUETZALTENANGO
Cancelled	ET-CT-128	MARIA JOSE	MINERALES DE EXPLOTACIÓN, SOCIEDAD ANÓNIMA	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-1092-2023	Oct 24, 2023	BAJA VERAPAZ
Cancelled	LEXT-034-05	EXPLOTACION MINERA EL PROFE	JULIO RODOLFO SOLARES SOLARES	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-686-2024	23/7/2024	SANTA ROSA
Cancelled	CT-110	LA MECA-I	JUAN MARCO ANTONIO DIAZ ALVA	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-902-2025	Sep 5, 2025	ALTA VERAPAZ
Cancelled	ET-CT-129	IRIS	CONTRATISTAS DE GUATEMALA, S.A.	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-1017-2024	Oct 2, 2024	BAJA VERAPAZ
Cancelled	CT-041	XOAXAN	MINERA QUETZAL, S.A.	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-511-2025	Jun 16, 2025	BAJA VERAPAZ
Cancelled	LEXT-581	EXPLOTACION MINERA LA CAMPANA	OSCAR GERMAN PLATERO TRABANINO	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-853-2025	Sep 5, 2026	GUATEMALA
Cancelled	LEXT-389	LA LIBERTAD I	COOPERATIVA DE PRODUCCINN INTEGRAL LA LIBERTAD, R.L.	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-996-2025	Oct 21, 2025	BAJA VERAPAZ
Cancelled	LEXT-008-14	EL VADO	JADE GT, S.A.	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-697-2026	Jul 8, 2026	EL PROGESO Y ZACAPA
Suspended	LEXR-067-08	LAS LAJITAS	ESPERANZA ELIZABETH PICON CASTRO	exploration	465	Dec 27, 2016	SANTA ROSA
Suspended	LEXT-033-07	CANTERA LOS MANANTIALES	GUILLERMINA ESPERANZA GUZMAN LANDAVERRY	exploitation	MEM-RESOL-1841-2019	Nov 28, 2019	CHIQUIMULA

Typed by hand from the scanned letter. A date we could not read is shown as the letter prints it.

Accidents on the ministry's record

One accident on the ministry's record since 2014, listed in its control department's letter DCM-OFI-332-2026.

Apr 14, 2016 LEXT-541 Report SCDM-INF-INS-EXT-20-2016

Marlin I · San Miguel Ixtahuacán, San Marcos

Montana Exploradora de Guatemala, S.A.

1 killed body recovered on Apr 17, 2016

El 14 de abril de 2016, a las 04:45 horas, se registró en la mina subterránea Marlin I, área West Vero, entre los niveles 1625 (cámara 10) y 1600, una caída de persona en cámara vertical en la que desapareció el trabajador Jaime Pérez mientras cargaba explosivos en el nivel 1625. Las labores de rescate concluyeron el 17 de abril de 2016 con la recuperación del cuerpo, trasladado al INACIF (SCDM-INF-INS-EXT-20-2016, conclusiones).

The

press floor

Deaths counted from newspaper headlines; the true number is undoubtedly higher.

at the top of this page counts more deaths, most of them outside any licence.

What the ministry did not send

The answer (Resolución UIP 1761-2026, October 1, 2026) did not include the licence base with each holder's

NIT

Número de Identificación Tributaria, Guatemala's tax ID for a company or person. The ministry's 2022 spreadsheet is the only official file that names it.

(the unit that holds it sent it to the ministry's own mailboxes), what the inspections found, the amount of any fine, inspections before 2016 or resolutions before 2021. We have written back for the licence base.

Latest press-reported accidents

Aug 14, 2016 explosion operation not stated

El Estor, Izabal

5 killed

“Explosión en caldera de mina en El Estor, Izabal, deja cinco fallecidos, según la PNC”

Publinews → · Soy502 · prensa.com · Prensa Libre

Aug 14, 2016 explosion operation not stated

Guatemala

“Muertos y heridos tras explosión en mina en Guatemala”

Telemetro →

Apr 17, 2016 collapse company operation

Marlin

1 killed

“Aparece cuerpo de trabajador soterrado en la mina Marlín”

Soy502 → · Prensa Libre

Apr 14, 2016 collapse company operation

Marlin

“Buscan a empleado que habría quedado soterrado en la Mina Marlin”

Soy502 →

Apr 14, 2016 collapse operation not stated

“Colaborador de la Mina estaría soterrado bajo 50 toneladas de tierra”

soy502.com →

Nov 26, 2015 other company operation

Puerto Barrios

1 killed

“Empleado de minera muere baleado en Puerto Barrios”

Prensa Libre →

Every event is one press item read by a language model: the sentence shown is the headline's own words, the holder link exists only where the headline names a holder on the register, and the count is a floor. Most are in sand pits and

piedrín

Crushed stone or gravel, the commonest product of Guatemala's small quarries.

quarries, which the licence register barely covers.

The register by kind of licence

Kind	Licences	Holders	km²
exploitation	323	277	661.69
exploration	18	15	459.25

Kind as the newest list prints it. Guatemala's mining law grants reconnaissance licences (6 months), exploration licences (3 years) and

exploitation licences

A licence to mine and sell minerals, granted for up to 25 years.

(25 years); the yearly list carries only exploration and exploitation.

By department

Department	Licences	Holders	Deaths (floor) Deaths counted from newspaper headlines; the true number is undoubtedly higher.
Guatemala	68	61	0
El Progreso	63	58	0
Zacapa	28	27	0
Izabal	23	20	5
Alta Verapaz	21	20	0
Huehuetenango	20	15	0
Santa Rosa	18	18	0
Chiquimula	16	15	0
Escuintla	16	14	0
Baja Verapaz	14	13	0
Quetzaltenango	13	10	0
Jutiapa	12	12	0
Suchitepequez	10	10	0
San Marcos	9	6	0
Retalhuleu	8	7	0
Jalapa	7	7	0
Quiche	7	7	0
Chimaltenango	6	6	0
Peten	4	4	0
Quiché	4	4	0
Sacatepequez	4	4	0
Totonicapan	2	2	0
Alta Vepapaz	1	1	0
Alta Verapaz E Izabal	1	1	0

Licences on the newest list by department (a licence spanning two departments counts under each) and press deaths by the department the headline names; the press deaths are mostly outside any licence.

Minerals on the register

Commodity	Licences	Holders
Grava	65	60
Arena	47	45
Caliza	41	39
Cantos Rodados	40	36
Arena De Rio	32	29
Plomo	26	21
Plata	24	19
Oro	18	13
Basalto	17	17
Yeso	15	13
Caliza Marmolizada	14	13
Zinc	14	11
Ceniza Volcanica	13	13
Cobre	12	9
Cuarzo	12	11
Marmol	12	12

Each mineral the newest list names on a licence, counted once per licence; a licence naming ten minerals counts under each.

Holders with the most on record

Holder	Newest list	2022 base	Minerals	Departments
GUATEMARMOL, S.A NIT	6	6	Carbonato De Calcio Y Rocas Sedimentarias Para Ornamentacion; Marmol; Marmol (Colores: Blanco Y Gris); Serpentinita; Serpentinita (Marmol Verde)	Baja Verapaz; Baja Verapaz Y Guatemala; Guatemala; Izabal; Peten; Zacapa
JOSE NERY ESTRADA MAYEN NIT	6	6	Arena, Grava Y Cantos Rodados; Arena, Grava, Cantos Rodados, Bloques De Toba Riolitica, Riolita, Cuarzo, Caliz Y Arenisca; Arena, Grava, Cantos Rodados, Bloques De Toba Riolitica, Riolita, Cuarzo, Caliza Y Arenisca; Caliza Y Caliza Dolomitica; Cenizas Volcanicas Y Rocas Pomaceas; Pomez, Cenizas Volcanicas Y Arcillas Rojas	El Progreso; Escuintla; Guatemala
PRODUCTOS MINEROS DE GUATEMALA, S.A NIT	6	0	Arena De Rio Y Grava; Basalto,Andesita,Riolit A; Cantos Rodados, Gravas, Arenas De Rio Bernardino; Grava Y Arena De Rio; Rocas Volcanicas, Pomez Y Ceniza Volcanica	Escuintla Y Guatemala; Quetzaltenango; San Marcos; San Marcos Y Quetzaltenango; Suchitepequez
MINAS DE GUATEMALA, S.A NIT	5	4	Antimonio, Plomo, Plata Y Arsenopirita Aurífera; Antimonio, Tungsteno Y Arsenopirita Aurifera; Plomo; Polimetalicos	Huehuetenango
EXPLORACIONES MINERAS DE GUATEMALA, S.A NIT	4	3	Cobre, Plomo, Zinc, Plata Y Oro; Cobre,Plomo,Zinc,Plata Y Oro; Oro Y Plata; Oro, Plata, Cobre, Plomo Y Zinc	Guatemala
COMPAÑIA GUATEMALTECA DE NIQUEL, S.A NIT	3	4	Arena Silicea Y Piedra Dolomitica; Niquel Y Hierro; Niquel, Cromo, Cobalto, Hierro Y Magnesio	Izabal
RICARDO SOLIS MACHORRO NIT	3	4	Caliza Marmolizada; Marmol	El Progreso; Zacapa
INDACO, S.A NIT	3	3	Arena Pomez; Arena Pomez (Blanca Y Amarilla); Arena Pomez Y Selecto Villa Nueva Y	Guatemala
JORGE MARIO ESTRADA MAYEN NIT	3	3	Area, Grava Y Cantos Rodados; Caliza Y Caliza Dolomitica; Cantos Rodados, Gravas Y Arena De Rio	El Progreso; Escuintla
LOS CHOCOYOS, S.A NIT	3	3	Caliza Marmolizada; Piedra Caliza Y Marmol; Piedra Caliza Y Mármol	El Progreso; Guatemala
GUATEMALTECA DE SUMINISTROS, S.A NIT	3	2	Bentonita; Caliza Marmolizada	Chiquimula; El Progreso; Jalapa Y Chiquimula
MAYANIQUEL, S.A NIT	3	2	Niquel, Cobalto, Cromo, Platinoides, Magnesio, Oro, Plata, Cobre, Plomo, Cinc Y Tierras Raras; Niquel, Cobalto, Hierro, Cromo Y Magnesio.; Níquel, Cobalto, Platino, Cadmio, Cromo, Oro, Plata, Cobre, Cinc, Plomo, Molibdeno, Magnesio Y Minerales Del Grupo Del Platino	Alta Verapaz; Alta Verapaz E Izabal; Izabal
MINERA QUETZAL, S.A NIT	3	2	Calcopirita Y Sulfuros Polimetalicos De Cobre, Hierro Y Zinc; Galena, Smithsonita, Cerusita, Plomo, Plata Y Zinc; Psilomelano, Pirolusita Y Hematita	Alta Verapaz; Baja Verapaz; Huehuetenango
HIGINIO NAPOLEON RODRIGUEZ RODRIGUEZ NIT	2	3	Yeso	Huehuetenango
CABAN, S.A NIT	2	2	Arcilla (Grupo: Caolinita, Illita Y Montmorillonita); Lutita Ferruginosa	El Progreso; Elprogreso
COMUNIDAD SANTA ELENA NIT	2	2	Yeso	Alta Verapaz; Alta Verapaz Y Quiché
INVERPIT DE GUATEMALA, S.A NIT	2	2	Magnesita, Atapulguita; Yeso	Izabal; Quiche
JAIME ARMANDO GARCIA CURLEY NIT	2	2	Caliza	Izabal
JORGE GUTIERREZ NIT	2	2	Arena De Aluvion, Cantos Rodados Y Grava.; Arena Y Grava	San Marcos; Suchitepequez
JOYAS SILVIA, S.A NIT	2	2	Jade (Jadeita Y Nefrita); Jadeita Y Nefrita	El Progreso Y Zacapa; Zacapa
MINERALES EFESO, S.A NIT	2	2	Arcillas (Grupos De Caolinita, Illita Y Montmorillonita); Minerales De Arcilla (Grupos De La Caolinita, Illita, Montmorillonita)	Chiquimula; Izabal
PEDRO GREGORIO VICENTE TORRES NIT	2	2	Arena Blanca; Piedra Pomez	Quetzaltenango
SAMBOMAR, S.A NIT	2	2	Serpentinita	El Progreso; Zacapa
SIERRA NEGRA, S.A NIT	2	2	Arena,Grava,Pomez,Bas Alto,Andecita Y Arena Volcanica; Piedra Caliza, Dolomita. Darcita, Riolita Y Arcilla	Chimaltenango; Guatemala
MONTANA EXPLORADORA DE GUATEMALA, S.A NIT	2	1	Oro Y Plata; Oro Y Plata, Zinc, Plomo, Hierro, Cobre Y Mercurio	San Marcos
INGENIO TULULA, S. A	2	0	Arena De Rio, Grava Y Cantos Rodados; Arena De Rio, Grava, Cantos Rodados Y Ceniza Volcanica	Retalhuleu; Retalhuleu Y Suchitepequez
PEÑA RUBIA, S.A NIT	2	0	Caliza, Dolomita Y Arena Silicea; Piedra Dolomitica, Piedra Caliza, Arena Volcanica Y Esquisto	El Progreso; Guatemala
PRODUCTOS MINEROS DE GUATEMALA, S. A NIT	2	0	Cantos Rodados, Gravas Y Arenas De Rio; Toba, Basalto, Pomez Y Piedra Caliza.	Guatemala; Suchitepequez
PRODUCTOS MINEROS DE GUATEMALA, S.A. (PROMINAS) NIT	2	0	Arena Y Grava; Rocas Vocanicas, Andesiticas Y Basalticas	Escuintla Y Guatemala; Guatemala Y Escuintla
JOHN GLADDEN CLEARY NIT	1	2	Jade	Jalapa

Ranked by press events, licences on the newest list, licences across every list and 2022 base rows. Every holder has a page; this table shows the top of the ranking.

NIT

Número de Identificación Tributaria, Guatemala's tax ID for a company or person. The ministry's 2022 spreadsheet is the only official file that names it.

marks a holder the 2022 base identifies by tax ID.

How we got this record

Guatemala publishes a yearly list of licences and little else. In September 2026 we wrote to the ministry for its records and, perhaps surprisingly, depending on what you expect of a Central American ministry, it sent what it had inside the two weeks its own rulebook, the Ley de Acceso a la Información Pública (Decreto 57-2008), allows. This page reads that yearly list, a 2022 spreadsheet that carries tax IDs, the press, and the ministry's answer to our public-records request. The four cards say what each one holds; the tables below say what we asked, when, and what came back.

Mining ministry · licence register (2025 list)

323

exploitation

ⓘ

Kind as the register prints it: explotación (a mining licence, up to 25 years) or exploración (up to 3 years, renewable); the register lists both as in force.

exploration

287

holders

131

expiry date past

ⓘ

Licences the list carries whose printed expiry date is earlier than the list's capture date. The register keeps them, so "in force" here means only that the licence is on the list.

1,120.93 km²

area on the list

341 licences held by 287 named holders on the 2025 list, archived copy captured Jul 27, 2025; 2 yearly lists read so far, 353 distinct licences across them, the oldest granted in 1901. A licence that drops off a later list keeps its row, marked with the last list that carried it.

Mining ministry · licence spreadsheet with tax IDs (January 2022)

303

licences in the base

ⓘ

Rows of the BASE ACTUALIZADO DE LICENCIAS MINERAS spreadsheet the mining ministry posted in January 2022, exploitation and exploration sheets; a one-off file the ministry has not refreshed.

289

with a tax ID

ⓘ

The tax ID (NIT) is Guatemala's taxpayer number. It appears only in the 2022 base; the yearly register prints none, so a holder's tax ID is filled where a base row for the same licence or the same licence name names the same holder.

291

exploitation

exploration

245 named holders with their tax ID (NIT), legal representative and the environmental resolution (EIA) behind each licence, read once (Sep 17, 2026). It is joined to the register on the licence code or the licence name plus the holder's name, never on the code alone: the base repeats one code across two licences.

Press · mining deaths, a floor

deaths, press floor

ⓘ

Counted from press headlines only; Guatemala publishes no official per-fatality mining record, so the true number is undoubtedly higher.

press-reported accidents

artisanal or informal

ⓘ

Events the headline itself places in a sand pit, quarry, bank of material, informal or illegal working, as against a named company's mine.

435

headlines read

Spanish-language headlines naming Guatemalan mines and places from 2015 to Aug 14, 2016, read daily through Google News (last pull Oct 10, 2026) and classified by a language model against the headline's own words. Most Guatemalan mining deaths are in sand and gravel extraction, which the licence register barely covers.

Mining ministry · answer to our records request (October 2026)

accident on the ministry's record

1,913

programmed inspections

1,255

resolutions listed as fines

licences cancelled or suspended

The ministry inspects licences and publishes nothing per licence. These figures come from its answer to our public-records request; each links to the section that reads it.

The request, step by step

Step	Date	Detail
Request filed	September 17, 2026	By email to the ministry's Unidad de Información Pública, under Decreto 57-2008 Guatemala's public-records law. A ministry must answer within ten business days or say what it does not hold. .
Registered		The ministry filed it as request UIPMEM-1513-2026.
Answered	October 1, 2026	Resolución UIP 1761-2026, with 19 files. Fourteen days after the request: ten business days, the most the law allows.
Unit letters		Four letters inside the answer: DGM-UIP-OFI-532-2026, DCM-OFI-332-2026, DDM-OFI-211-2026 and OFI-UF-M-216/2026.
Archived	October 5, 2026	The 19 files kept as received, unmodified, each with its sha256 hash.
Follow-up		We have written back to the ministry for the licence base.

What we asked for, item by item

We asked for	What came back
1. Every licence on the register, with the holder's NIT Número de Identificación Tributaria, Guatemala's tax ID for a company or person. The ministry's 2022 spreadsheet is the only official file that names it.	Not delivered. The unit that holds it sent it to the ministry's own mailboxes. We have written back for it.
2. Every inspection per licence, 2014 to 2026	The yearly plans for 2016 to 2026: licence, month or day range, report number. No findings column. Nothing for 2014 and 2015.
3. Every accident report, 2014 to 2026	One: Marlin I, 2016.
4. Every sanction per licence, 2014 to 2026	Lists of resolutions for 2021 to 2026, with no amounts, plus the registers of cancelled and suspended licences.

Sources

Ministerio de Energía y Minas, Dirección General de Minería (archived copy), BASE ACTUALIZADO DE LICENCIAS MINERAS (XLSX, January 2022): 303 records, fetched Sep 17, 2026. →

Ministerio de Energía y Minas (MEM), Dirección General de Minería, Registro de licencias mineras con caducidad y suspensión, Departamento de Control Minero (solicitud de información pública): 26 records, fetched Oct 1, 2026. →

Ministerio de Energía y Minas (MEM), Dirección General de Minería, Programación de inspecciones a derechos mineros, Departamento de Control Minero, 2016 a 2026 (entregada por solicitud de información pública): 1,913 records, fetched Oct 1, 2026. →

Ministerio de Energía y Minas (MEM), Dirección General de Minería, Listado de resoluciones por año, 2021 a 2026, entregado como registro de multas (solicitud de información pública): 1,255 records, fetched Oct 1, 2026. →

Ministerio de Energía y Minas, Dirección General de Minería (archived copy), LICENCIAS MINERAS <year> (PDF), every capture: 353 records, fetched Sep 17, 2026. →

The yearly licence list is read from an archived copy of the ministry's site; a new list is added here when we fetch it.