Laao Aj Ral Ch’och’
We are children of the earth.
Born of the Maya land-rights movement, the Julian Cho Society works alongside the Maya villages of southern Belize to secure their lands and rights and build the future they dream.
The Maya people of southern Belize, and the institutions that serve them
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Alcaldes
Traditional village leaders in the assembly
2015
CCJ Consent Order
The Caribbean Court of Justice affirms Maya customary land rights
How we count: we only publish a figure after JCS and the Maya institutions have confirmed it.
Carrying forward the legacy of Julian Cho
The Julian Cho Society was born out of the Maya land-rights movement in southern Belize and carries forward the legacy of Julian Cho. Today, alongside the Toledo Alcaldes Association and the Maya Leaders Alliance, JCS supports the Maya villages of Toledo and Stann Creek to secure their rights and lands, strengthen Maya governance, build climate resilience and sustainable Maya economies, and prepare the next generation.
“Aj Ral ch’och’ is central to who we are, to how we see ourselves, how we see the world, and how we relate to it. Ral ch’och’ means we are people of the land, who live on the land, depend on the land, and work and care for the land.”
Five areas of work, one Maya future
Our work follows the vision the Maya people set out in The Future We Dream. Each area carries one part of that vision, from rights affirmed in court and secure Maya lands to healthy forests and the next generation of Maya leaders.
- 01Indigenous Rights & JusticeChampioning Indigenous Peoples' rights in Belize, in the courts and beyond.Explore
- 02Maya Land & GovernanceSecuring Maya land tenure and strengthening the Alcalde system.Explore
- 03Mapping, Research & Indigenous KnowledgeCommunity mapping and boundary harmonisation, from the Maya Atlas to today.Explore
Guardians of a Greener Belize
Maya stewardship is climate action
Maya communities are climate leaders and environmental guardians. Their knowledge, land stewardship, governance systems and sustainable livelihoods contribute directly to Belize’s climate resilience and sustainable development.
For Maya communities in southern Belize, stronger hurricane seasons, prolonged drought and irregular rainfall that disrupts farming are lived realities, not projections. Villages are answering with knowledge passed down through generations, and with work they lead themselves.
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Villages regenerating copal
San Lucas and Corazon
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New potable water system
San Lucas village
How Maya communities lead on climate
Four ways Maya knowledge and stewardship are helping build a more climate-resilient Belize.
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Climate leadership
Maya women of San Lucas and Corazon are regenerating their copal groves after forest fires, and San Lucas village is now connected to a potable water system.
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Ancient knowledge, modern solutions
Knowledge of forests, rivers, farmland and seasons, held by Q’eqchi’ and Mopan communities and passed between generations, is a foundation for adapting to a changing climate.
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Guardians of the ecological backbone
The 2015 Consent Order of the Caribbean Court of Justice affirmed Maya rights to their lands and resources. Secure land rights and strong stewardship go hand in hand.
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Communities sustaining the future
From women-led copal regeneration and cacao farming to youth leadership and decisions made together at the Ab’ink, the village meeting.
Listen to Maya voices. Learn from Maya knowledge. Protect Belize together.
In development
A Maya-led climate-resilience initiative
Building on this work, JCS and its partners are preparing a Maya-led climate-resilience initiative. It is in development and is being developed toward a funding proposal to the Green Climate Fund. It has not been approved for Green Climate Fund financing; we will share its progress here as each stage is confirmed.
From a movement to a lasting institution
1995
Julian Cho leads the TMCC
Elected chairman of the Toledo Maya Cultural Council, he leads a peaceful march against logging concessions on Maya lands.
2007
Aurelio Cal et al v Attorney General
Santa Cruz and Conejo villages bring their land-rights claim to the Supreme Court of Belize, with support from JCS.
2015
CCJ Consent Order
The Caribbean Court of Justice affirms that the Maya people of southern Belize have rights to their lands and resources.
Shared work, shared victories
The Maya land-rights journey is the work of the Maya people and their institutions. Each organisation plays its own part.
Maya Leaders Alliance
An alliance of Maya organisations and leaders advancing Maya land rights in Belize and internationally.
About the MLAJulian Cho Society
The fiduciary organisation of the movement, providing technical, legal and secretariat support to the TAA and the Maya villages.
About JCSToledo Alcaldes Association
The body of traditional village leaders, the alcaldes, who represent the Maya villages and uphold Maya governance.
About the TAAAllies and supporters
The Future We Dream
“A peaceful, hardworking, self-determining people, rooted in our culture, open to the world and new technologies, living in community, and collectively stewarding the wellbeing of our people and lands.”