{"id":10854,"date":"2021-12-06T01:43:46","date_gmt":"2021-12-06T01:43:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/estela-casanto-una-historia-de-impunidad-sobre-la-muerte-de-lideresa-indigena-en-la-selva-central\/"},"modified":"2022-04-05T13:02:01","modified_gmt":"2022-04-05T13:02:01","slug":"estela-casanto-the-traditional-healer-who-died-defending-her-territory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/en\/estela-casanto-the-traditional-healer-who-died-defending-her-territory\/","title":{"rendered":"Estela Casanto: the traditional healer who died defending her territory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"10854\" class=\"elementor elementor-10854\">\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-289f9f2 elementor-section-content-middle elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"289f9f2\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-535c99f\" data-id=\"535c99f\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-59db0c2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"59db0c2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Baloo 2', sans-serif; font-size: 32px; font-weight: 800; letter-spacing: 1.8px; text-transform: uppercase; white-space: pre-wrap; color: #006d55;\"><span style=\"font-size: 35px;\">anthony quispe<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #006d55; font-family: 'Baloo 2', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 800; letter-spacing: 1.8px; text-transform: uppercase; white-space: pre-wrap;\">(per\u00fa)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f189d16 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"f189d16\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/anthony-quispe\/\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Antony-Peru-150x150.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-image-9348\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Antony-Peru-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Antony-Peru-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Antony-Peru.png 550w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a2b513c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"a2b513c\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1bdce67\" data-id=\"1bdce67\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-00b8373 animated-fast elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"00b8373\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_animation&quot;:&quot;fadeInUp&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<b style=\"font-size: 20px;\">An indigenous Peruvian Ash\u00e1ninka died in March of this year. Although her body, beaten and hidden in a cave was found a long way from her home, the autopsy determined that she died from choking on coca leaves. Decades ago, this woman saved several indigenous people from death during the civil war. But for the past few months, she was unable to escape the constant harassment of her neighbors. According to her family, Estela Casanto was murdered, whereas according to the authorities, her death is still under investigation. <\/b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-f57d7ed elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"f57d7ed\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-bc084cd\" data-id=\"bc084cd\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8f5ecf8 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"8f5ecf8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_animation&quot;:&quot;lightSpeedIn&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e1dcb5c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"e1dcb5c\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-43e8718\" data-id=\"43e8718\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3d5e413 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3d5e413\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>On the morning of Wednesday, March 10, 2021, Estela Casanto, 56 had run out of tears. The interpretation of a nightmare she had had two nights earlier triggered the sobs of her last days.<\/p>\n<p>Elea Morales (43), Estela\u2019s eldest daughter, says her mother predicted her death. \u201cShe told me she had dreamed of a plank, [&#8230;] and that she had sat on it. I asked her what that meant and she told me that it was \u2018bad to sit on a plank.\u2019 My mother dreamed she was going to die,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n<p>For Estela, the plank symbolized her mother\u2019s coffin.<\/p>\n<p>That day, Estela Casanto Mauricio\u2014the tiny woman who had snatched Ash\u00e1ninka lives from death\u2014said goodbye to her grandchildren, children and, finally, to her sons- and daughters-in-law, to walk towards her own death. My mother never hugged us, but that day, she hugged everyone as though she was saying goodbye,\u201d says Elea Morales.<\/p>\n<p>The founder of Shankivironi \u2014an indigenous community in the central rainforest of Peru\u2014left her daughter\u2019s house that morning. She walked for an hour along the gullies of the Shirarini River, following the ancient route her ancestors had traveled, yet which had been forbidden for some years, and to which she would never return. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fa17861 elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"fa17861\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_animation&quot;:&quot;fadeIn&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/5.1-Elea-Morales-43-683x1024.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-7923\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/5.1-Elea-Morales-43-683x1024.png 683w, https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/5.1-Elea-Morales-43-200x300.png 200w, https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/5.1-Elea-Morales-43-768x1152.png 768w, https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/5.1-Elea-Morales-43.png 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4234a83 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4234a83\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><b><i>Elea Morales, the eldest daughter of Estela Casanto, poses at the door of her home. She remembers that her mother learned about ancestral medicine and healed members of her community. Photo: Anthony Quispe\/Convoca.<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5f8d6b6 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"5f8d6b6\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d58160d\" data-id=\"d58160d\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dbc9dca animated-slow elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"dbc9dca\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_animation&quot;:&quot;bounceIn&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1b4aea2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1b4aea2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 40px; font-family: 'Baloo 2'; font-weight: bold; color: #006d55;\">A DEPRIVED CHILDHOOD<\/h5>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a372fee elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"a372fee\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-12f0a56\" data-id=\"12f0a56\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-86ba446 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"86ba446\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>On August 28, 1964, as a child, Estela, together with her parents Carlos Casanto and Rosa Mauricio, walked along the path to the vast plot of land they had inherited.<\/p>\n<p>As a young girl, she learned to help her mother, clean house, cook cassava, prepare masato (a traditional beverage) and look after her siblings. She was the fourth of seven surviving children. Getting an education was not an option. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-795c3ee elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"795c3ee\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_animation&quot;:&quot;none&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>\u201c[&#8230;] <br \/>\u201cMy grandfather used to punish her. [&#8230;] Sometimes when he couldn\u2019t bear it any more, her little brother would cry. Once, my grandfather found out, grabbed her, and threw her into an orange grove,\u201d Elea recalls that her mother told her. Estela had a difficult childhood. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8fdc9c5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8fdc9c5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Her strict father Carlos, bound by custom, betrothed the 13-year-old Estela to Julio Morales, aged 17. \u201cMy grandfather forcibly handed her over. Before, it was customary to give daughters away. A man\u2019s son used to come and say: \u2018I love your daughter\u2019 and that\u2019s how my grandfather gave her away,\u201d explains Elea. <\/p>\n<p>The young Estela made the transition from girlhood to womanhood and was a mother before she was 15. She had my sister, the second child, at 16, and Irma (the third) at 17,\u201d recalls her first-born, Elea.<\/p>\n<p>Estela\u2019s last two children Hernelio (28) and Edith (24) were born much later, when her body was fully mature. By then, her dreams and medicinal herbs had already saved the lives of dozens of indigenous people, during the defense of the Ash\u00e1ninka territories against two terrorist groups in 1989. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9ea575d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"9ea575d\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-05ba5be\" data-id=\"05ba5be\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1e76f70 animated-slow elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"1e76f70\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_animation&quot;:&quot;bounceIn&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-19f4460 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"19f4460\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 40px; font-family: 'Baloo 2'; font-weight: bold; color: #006d55;\">THE DREAMS<\/h5>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4fd3a63 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"4fd3a63\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-15bac92\" data-id=\"15bac92\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9150659 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9150659\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>At the end of the 1980s, the T\u00fapac Amaru Revolutionary Movement and the Shining Path armed group wanted to settle in the Central Rainforest. \u201cThey came to the territory in search of new spaces to extend the armed struggle, [&#8230;],\u201d explains anthropologist Hanne Veber, in Yotantsi Ashi Otsipanki (Stories for our Future).<\/p>\n<p>By 1988, according to the article Las Rondas Ash\u00e1ninkas y la Violencia en la Selva Central (The Ash\u00e1ninka Rounds and Violence in the Central Rainforest) by anthropologist Oscar Espinoza, the armed forces of terror controlled the valleys of Peren\u00e9, Ene and Tambo (Satipo and Chanchamayo), in the central region of Peru. There they looted communities and assassinated indigenous leaders.<\/p>\n<p>Early one morning in 1989, Elea Morales remembers her mother had had to wake up at five in the morning to treat the wounded. The defense of the Ash\u00e1ninka Army in Yaviridoni (a conflict zone) had not been successful, and her uncles and father had nearly been killed. \u201cI don\u2019t know how they managed to hide. [&#8230;]. My mother\u2019s cousin was seriously ill. [&#8230;] A bullet went through my father\u2019s head,\u201d says Elea.<\/p>\n<p>The Ash\u00e1ninka Army was formed that year in response to the assassination of the leader, Alejandro Calder\u00f3n, by the MRTA. \u201cThey armed themselves with shotguns, bows and arrows, [\u2026] to expel the MRTA and other armed groups,\u201d explains anthropologist Veber.<\/p>\n<p>The 2003 Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Report detailed the consequences: \u201c[\u2026] some ten thousand Ash\u00e1ninkas were forcibly displaced, six thousand were killed and five thousand were captured by the Shining Path.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Estela Casanto, from Shankivironi, formed part of the group of traditional healers who treated the deadly wounds inflicted by that army.<\/p>\n<p>At that time, at the age of 24, Estela used to dream of traditional treatments for her patients. It all began with a pain in her body. At first, she looked to the healers for a cure for her hernia, but it was in her dreams that she heard: &#8216;That herb will do you good,\u2019\u201d recalls her daughter Elea. From that day onwards, Estela\u2019s dreams saved lives.<\/p>\n<p>She gradually became acquainted with the effects of plants, the secrets of the womb and new life, and learned how to manipulate a fetus months before delivery. She helped indigenous women and settlers who wanted to have a natural birth.<\/p>\n<p>The healer charged a flat fee for the sessions: the patient\u2019s desire to be cured. \u201cHe is going to heal you as soon as I put my hand on you,\u201d she used to say. Elvis Jayunga, the current lieutenant governor of the community, told the police of Estela\u2019s role \u201cas the head of indigenous women.\u201d In the end, Estela\u2019s reward was her recognition.<\/p>\n<p>Estela once tried to pass her traditional knowledge on to her daughters, but as the rebellious teenagers they were at the time, Elea, Erlinda and Irma refused to be taught. \u201cThat weighs on me. My mom used to explain things to us, but we pretended we didn\u2019t care. We ignored her,\u201d Elea is ashamed to admit.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a1413f0 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"a1413f0\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-24a6c49\" data-id=\"24a6c49\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f10ca2e animated-slow elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"f10ca2e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_animation&quot;:&quot;bounceIn&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-acfb7ef elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"acfb7ef\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 40px; font-family: 'Baloo 2'; font-weight: bold; color: #006d55;\">THE SETTLER NEIGHBOR<\/h5>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-eba1904 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"eba1904\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-abb9de6\" data-id=\"abb9de6\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73f7051 elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"73f7051\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_animation&quot;:&quot;fadeIn&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/WhatsApp-Image-2021-09-17-at-4.39.40-PM-1-1024x536.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-7925\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/WhatsApp-Image-2021-09-17-at-4.39.40-PM-1-1024x536.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/WhatsApp-Image-2021-09-17-at-4.39.40-PM-1-300x157.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/WhatsApp-Image-2021-09-17-at-4.39.40-PM-1-768x402.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/WhatsApp-Image-2021-09-17-at-4.39.40-PM-1.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d737f3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6d737f3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><b><i>Elea and Erlinda Morales, daughters of Estela Casanto. For her relatives, she was murdered, for the authorities, her death is still under investigation. Photo: Anthony Quispe\/Convoca<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9e113db elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9e113db\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>By the 1980s, the first settlers\u2014peasants from Andean lands\u2014were occupying native lands. They bought the lands of the sons-in-law and sons of the elders, the indigenous people who had founded Shankivironi. Carhuallanqui, Taype, Huaraca, Montes, Huaman\u00ed, Poma and Machuca were the first foreign surnames that came to the community in 1985.<\/p>\n<p>The first to sell were \u201cthe Machari Ma\u00f1uri (a predecessor of the current chief, Alfonso Machari). They sold their land, despite being indigenous people,\u201d declares Anila. The property adjacent to Estela Casanto\u2019s, about 100 meters away from her house, underwent a similar transition. \u201cIt belonged to my great-uncle,\u201d explains Elea.<\/p>\n<p>After the death of an indigenous person, farms would immediately be handed over to their sons or sons-in-law, but these ones were left ownerless. As the land had not been reclaimed, its rent or sale became the responsibility of the community\u2019s governing board.<\/p>\n<p>Accordingly, between 1983 and 1985, the property was transferred to Gregorio Cueva, Estela\u2019s first settler neighbor. \u201cA settler arrived; [\u2026] Through the community, he asked for the plot of land for farming,\u201d recalls Anila Boliviano, a former deputy community leader.<\/p>\n<p>Over time, Cueva settled down and had daughters and sons-in-law, who subsequently sold the lands they had inherited. This is how the current owners, the family of Mildred Vargas, arrived.<\/p>\n<p>Based on Anila Boliviano\u2019s description, of the five sectors comprising Shankivironi, two underwent colonial territorial expansion: Alto Shankivironi and 7 de junio. Estela did not welcome this foreign invasion and was dubious about it. \u201cWhen I was little, my mother told me [&#8230;] not to consider selling my farm, [&#8230;] You never know what kind of person will turn up,\u201d explains Elea.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018Sell me your land\u2019 (the neighbor asked her) but she refused, so he said: \u2018Someday, that land will be mine,\u2019 as if it were a threat,\u2019\u2019 recalls Erlinda Morales, Estela\u2019s second daughter. They even offered her the sum of \u201c40,000 soles,\u201d says Elea. The land Mildred and her family wanted is on the border between the Bajo Shankivironi and San Carlos sectors, about 100 meters away. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b459d55 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"b459d55\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9ed44cc\" data-id=\"9ed44cc\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6646029 animated-slow elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"6646029\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_animation&quot;:&quot;bounceIn&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1e26f1c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1e26f1c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 40px; font-family: 'Baloo 2'; font-weight: bold; color: #006d55;\">THE CONFLICT<\/h5>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4fffbef elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"4fffbef\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-58d1231\" data-id=\"58d1231\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5c5752d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"5c5752d\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1aa1367\" data-id=\"1aa1367\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b0c3a11 elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"b0c3a11\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_animation&quot;:&quot;fadeIn&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Estela-Casanto-Comunidad.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-7918\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Estela-Casanto-Comunidad.png 900w, https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Estela-Casanto-Comunidad-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Estela-Casanto-Comunidad-768x512.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-577371a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"577371a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><b><i>Entrance to the community of Shankivironi, in the Jun\u00edn region, where the indigenous population lives with the settlers. Photography: Anthony Quispe.<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-86d8c98 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"86d8c98\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>On the afternoon of December 22, 2020, Estela went to Bajo Shankivironi to share her troubles with Anila Boliviano. She felt uncomfortable, but it was not the first time she had recounted her frustration.<\/p>\n<p>The neighboring settlers who lived on the other hill harassed her. They prevented her from walking along the ancestral path, stopped her from fishing on the banks of the Shirarini River and she was not allowed to drink the water from a supply point they shared. \u201cI have problems with the woman (Mildred),\u201d Anila remembers her saying.<\/p>\n<p>Once Estela was coming down from her farm with a sack full of firewood. On the way, the neighbors accosted her, grabbed the sack from her and began to empty it out. Aunt Estela lived alone, and since she was alone, they humiliated her,\u201d she recounts.<\/p>\n<p>This story did not go unnoticed, according to Enrique Casanto, former leader of Shankivironi and Estela\u2019s brother. He points out that she complained to the entire community, \u201cbut they ignored her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Estela\u2019s neighbors came to the community \u201cabout two or three years ago,\u201d estimates Erlinda, adding that the first contact they had with her mother was to delimit their territories. \u201cIf possible, I will build a small stile there so that you can go through,\u201d Elea recalls them telling her mother.<\/p>\n<p>Elena did not keep silent, says Elea, and retorted: \u201cYou know what, I belong to this community. You do not have the right to stop me from going through. I defend my territory. This land is mine; I was born here.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>But the conflict not only involved the limits of the land, but also the water supply point shared by the two plots of land. \u201c[&#8230;] He built a whole pipe on the sly.\u201d When Estela found out, she complained to him, \u201cHow can you do this to me [&#8230;]? Respect, be respectful,\u201d says Elea.<\/p>\n<p>That same month, in December, Estela was diagnosed with Covid-19. The traditional healer was treated for a fortnight with ginger, eucalyptus, and piper aduncum infusions. That got rid of the illness, but not the harassment. From February 23 onwards, the healer had to fend for herself. Her grandson Frank had fallen ill, and the entire family was forced to return to the Bajo Shankivironi house for his treatment for at least two weeks.<\/p>\n<p>It did not occur to any member of Estela\u2019s family that that fortnight would be her last. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-26776ac elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"26776ac\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2dbaba5\" data-id=\"2dbaba5\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-64ce42d animated-slow elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"64ce42d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_animation&quot;:&quot;bounceIn&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70da827 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"70da827\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 40px; font-family: 'Baloo 2'; font-weight: bold; color: #006d55;\">THE LITTLE CAVE<\/h5>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-f5c60b1 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"f5c60b1\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-efc3d01\" data-id=\"efc3d01\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f6ffa3d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f6ffa3d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>On the afternoon of Thursday, March 11, Estela was preparing giant dry branches to repair her roof. Night was falling and Julio Aurelio, her son-in-law, was finishing helping her. Suddenly, his mother-in-law began to cry and said, I think I\u2019m going to die.\u201d It took Aurelio several minutes to calm her down. <\/p>\n<p>The son-in-law said goodbye to his mother-in-law. He spotted a young man accompanied by a woman in the neighbor&#8217;s house and left without knowing he would be the last person to see Estela Casanto alive.<\/p>\n<p>The next day, the sky in Shankivironi wept bitterly. Julio Aurelio set off from his house at nine in the morning for the farm his mother-in-law had left him.<\/p>\n<p>Estela Casanto\u2019s house is small and made out of rustic material such as sticks and reeds with a thatched palm roof, made from the ash\u00e1ninka plant, without electricity or drinking water. Aurelio went by his mother-in-law\u2019s house on the way to his farm but did not see her. He imagined she was asleep. He called her and got no reply, so assuming she was in the bathroom, he went off to work. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-853efa3 elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"853efa3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_animation&quot;:&quot;fadeIn&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Estela-Casanto-Casa.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-7919\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Estela-Casanto-Casa.png 900w, https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Estela-Casanto-Casa-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Estela-Casanto-Casa-768x512.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-040545c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"040545c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><b>Estela Casanto&#8217;s house is at the top of a steep area. At the bottom are the branches that she collected to repair her roof. Photography: Anthony Quispe.<\/b><\/span><\/span><br \/><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b9eebf5 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"b9eebf5\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c6fdade\" data-id=\"c6fdade\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ae0af7a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ae0af7a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>He went back at 11 a.m. to have lunch with his mother-in-law. He arrived at the house, entered the room, and found everything intact. Estela\u2019s boots were in the usual place, even though she never went out without them. Aurelio found all this suspicious. \u201cI sensed something had happened to my mother-in-law,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n<p>A few minutes later, in the ravine about 10 meters from the house, Aurelio found footprints in the damp earth, and began to follow them. \u201cI thought I might find something,\u201d he says. And so it was that at one point on the cliff he found a footprint, \u201cas though she had slipped or rolled,\u201d explains the son-in-law.<\/p>\n<p>Suddenly, Aurelio wanted to follow the tracks, but he stopped short. He was scared and did not want to continue. Just before noon, he decided to call his wife and children. Wanir Aurelio (23), his first-born, turned up after about 20 minutes. After a brief explanation from his father, Estela\u2019s grandson began searching the house. In the process, he found blood between the sheets and the mosquito net.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey must have killed her,\u201d Aurelio concluded sadly, at that point.<\/p>\n<p>Almost at the same time as the blood was discovered, Elea Morales arrived at her mother\u2019s home. With no time to grieve, she and her husband followed the path of the river, looking for signs of Estela while her grandsons Werner and Frank walked towards the farm.<\/p>\n<p>Along the way, the youths found boot prints: \u201cmale, Venus brand, approximately size 42,\u201d Werner said in a police statement. These footprints eventually led to the banks of the Shirarini River, and after walking about 10 meters upstream, they found her. \u201cApproximately 800 meters away,\u201d notes Estela. <\/p>\n<p>On the banks of the river, among the bushes and undergrowth, sheltered by stones, and embedded in a small cave, they saw her. \u201c[&#8230;] She was lying on her front, with her legs folded underneath her as if she were kneeling, with her arms next to her body,\u201d Werner narrates.<\/p>\n<p>The ordeal had begun. In their grief, they thought of notifying the authorities; However, Werner could not bear to see his grandmother in such conditions. \u201cShe is not an animal,\u201d Aurelio recalls that his son said. Estela\u2019s inert, muddy body was clothed in a pink coca bag with flowers, slung across a long-sleeved, white polo shirt, and blue jeans, with no shoes.<\/p>\n<p>Werner picked up his grandmother and carried her partway, and then handed her over to his father, who carried her the rest of the way home. Once there, they decided to bathe her, dry her, and dress her in her blue kushma (traditional clothing). Almost immediately, news of her death reached the community and district authorities and by virtue of proximity, the national press. Shankivironi was crying again. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-bc069aa elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"bc069aa\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8d6f865\" data-id=\"8d6f865\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-184db25 animated-slow elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"184db25\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_animation&quot;:&quot;bounceIn&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e07108e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e07108e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 40px; font-family: 'Baloo 2'; font-weight: bold; color: #006d55;\">THE ESCAPE<\/h5>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d25d9e9 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"d25d9e9\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-35a3f0a\" data-id=\"35a3f0a\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-03d571c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"03d571c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>On Friday, March 12, 2021, at four in the afternoon, members of the Peruvian National Police (PNP) arrived at Estela Casanto\u2019s house, and found her lifeless body lying on the bed, covered with a blanket adorned with the Peruvian flag. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI saw that my aunt\u2019s nose had been crushed and that her face was bruised; I was shocked,\u201d recalls Doris Casanto.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, at the front, Enrique Casanto noticed that the neighbors were behaving suspiciously after the police officers arrived. The neighbor [&#8230;] looked uncomfortable [\u2026]. At that point, I think they were talking to their relatives,\u201d explains the former leader of the community.<\/p>\n<p>A day later, the sensational denunciation by the Indigenous Communities of the Central Rainforest Department (Ceconsec), about Estela\u2019s alleged murder, and the media reports in the capital put the case on the agenda. The media reported that Estela was the seventh indigenous victim of the land trafficking mafias in Peru until March. Before her death, Estela Casanto was not a known Ash\u00e1ninka.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was never the leader,\u201d said Elvis Jayunga, Shankivironi&#8217;s lieutenant governor.<\/p>\n<p>Little was known about her work as an indigenous woman. Although she was called a \u201cleader,\u201d she never held positions in her community. \u201cWe respected her as a brave woman,\u201d Anila recalls. Estela was in fact one of the original founders of Shankivironi, a matriarch of the Casanto, traditional healer and defender of their lands.<\/p>\n<p>In the struggle of the Ash\u00e1ninka, Estela Casanto did not focus on publicizing her \u201cleadership\u201d actions, because she never had them, and instead on the clear position she had regarding the sale of land within her community and the effects that the expansion of the number of settlers on it would have, but no-one paid any attention. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe settlers are a majority in the area and for months they have been making decisions on behalf of the Shankivironi community,\u201d declared Teddy Sinacay, president of Ceconsec, to the national media. The day Estela Casanto\u2019s name made national headlines, the main person being investigated in her murder and his family left Shankivironi. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b5c6b19 elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"b5c6b19\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_animation&quot;:&quot;fadeIn&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"899\" height=\"461\" src=\"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Abre-Estela-Casanto.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-8958\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Abre-Estela-Casanto.png 899w, https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Abre-Estela-Casanto-300x154.png 300w, https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Abre-Estela-Casanto-768x394.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 899px) 100vw, 899px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a508c13 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a508c13\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><b>Cover Estela Casanto: A story of impunity about the death of an indigenous leader in the central jungle &#8211; https:\/\/convoca.pe\/<\/b><\/span><\/span><br \/><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-23ac4f6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"23ac4f6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Luigui Legu\u00eda Ortiz (23), the main suspect in the alleged murder of Estela Casanto, and her family, disappeared from the community, with the knowledge of the current leader of Shankivironi, Alfonso Machari. According to the Sunday, March 14 police records, \u201cThey must have left on (Saturday) March 13 at approximately 3:00 p.m., which is suspicious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe boss authorized him to leave. I don\u2019t know why. Later, when I asked him about this, he said: \u2018Why should we arrest him? We really don\u2019t know it if was him; it\u2019s just people\u2019s suspicions,\u201d recalls Lieutenant Governor Elvis Jayunga.<\/p>\n<p>The leader, Alfonso Machari (39) would subsequently justify his decision on March 14 to the police, that residents were only authorized to take their chickens to sell them. Besides, I told him not to remove things. But according to Elea Morales, the leader failed to obey the police officers\u2019 orders.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[&#8230;] The police told the chief in no uncertain terms that no one should remove anything until the culprit was found. But the boss went ahead anyway and gave him permission [&#8230;],\u201d explains Elea.<\/p>\n<p>The autopsy conducted on Saturday, March 13 establishes that the cause of death of Estela Casanto was the \u201caspiration of chewed coca, focal subarachnoid hemorrhage and polycontusion on the head, face and neck,\u201d and that the trigger was the \u201cchewed coca aspirated into the windpipe and a blunt object.\u201d In short, the Ash\u00e1ninka leader died from choking on coca leaves.<\/p>\n<p>But for the Casanto family, the results of the autopsy certificate did not coincide with their theory that Estela was murdered. \u201cShe didn\u2019t choke. [,..]. If she had choked, she would be at home, but my mom turned up somewhere else. How did she get there? They put her there. That\u2019s quite a different matter,\u201d Erlinda points out.<\/p>\n<p>Consequently, at the outset, the prosecutorial and police inquiries were speeded up, since the death of Estela Casanto was a news item that had caught the public\u2019s attention. On Monday, March 15, former president of the Congress of the Republic of Peru, Mirtha V\u00e1squez, asked the Ministry of the Interior for \u201cpolicies and protective actions on behalf of environmental defenders from [&#8230;] Jun\u00edn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But six months after the start of the investigations, according to the Casanto family, there is no trace of the person of interest or his family. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-6aaa7fa elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"6aaa7fa\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3b70f6f\" data-id=\"3b70f6f\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60cead1 elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"60cead1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_animation&quot;:&quot;fadeIn&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Estela-Casanto-Cartel.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-7926\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Estela-Casanto-Cartel.png 900w, https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Estela-Casanto-Cartel-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Estela-Casanto-Cartel-768x512.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9fcd53e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9fcd53e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><b>One of the posters made by relatives of Estela Casanto, to protest her death. Photography: Anthony Quispe.<\/b><\/span><\/span><br \/><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-ed4f497 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"ed4f497\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-812787b\" data-id=\"812787b\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dae0356 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"dae0356\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>\u201cThe neighbors are not there right now. Their house is silent. I don\u2019t know if they are under investigation. The lawyers didn\u2019t tell me anything, and to tell you the truth, the community stood by idly,\u201d declares Erlinda Morales.<\/p>\n<p>The current public defender of the case is Zoyla Garc\u00eda, whose inquiries were interrupted in August due to her vacations until September. Moreover, she does not wish to give a statement, without authorization from her superiors.<\/p>\n<p>For its part, the coordinator of the investigation being undertaken by the Public Ministry, is due to be replaced on June 7. The new provincial prosecutor, Daniel Coronado, has confirmed the delay in the investigation due to the spread of the pandemic in the country.<\/p>\n<p>However, he declared that the case is \u201cat the formalization stage when offenses are individualized to the parties. Those who are under investigation.\u201d For the time being, the prosecutor cannot say when the investigation will end because \u201cit is a complex case.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In Anila\u2019s view, if this had been resolved using Ash\u00e1ninka traditions and communal justice, the murderer would already have been discovered, \u201ca long time ago, but out of respect for the laws, we have not done so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Because of the regulations, Elea Morales has been unable to collect her own kushma from her mother\u2019s house for the past seven months. The authorities have forbidden entry to the house, until the mystery of Estela\u2019s death has been solved.<\/p>\n<p>There are no photographs of Estela.<\/p>\n<p>So the only memories they have of her are there: her clothes, her medicinal herbs, her sack of coca, the blood she shed during her last breath and perhaps the clue that will one day reveal the identity of her murderer.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-18e1f5c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"18e1f5c\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-dcf9fa8\" data-id=\"dcf9fa8\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a8356cd elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"a8356cd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1d282ad elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1d282ad\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p><i style=\"background-color: #ffffff;\">This report is part of the\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Defenders of the Territory project<\/span>\u00a0sponsored by\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Climate Tracker<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">FES Transformacion.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c5a5194 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"c5a5194\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-422f3e0\" data-id=\"422f3e0\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-35da5d6 animated-slow elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"35da5d6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_animation&quot;:&quot;bounceIn&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-497eded elementor-widget elementor-widget-shortcode\" data-id=\"497eded\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"shortcode.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<div class=\"elementor-shortcode\"><center><\/p>\n<div style=\"width:488px; height:220px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DEfENSORAS-cabezote-Ingles.png\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width:488px; height: 78px;\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/climatetracker.org\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/logo-climat-1.png\" width=130><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/fes-transformacion.fes.de\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/logo-fes.png\" width=350><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/center><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>anthony quispe (per\u00fa) An indigenous Peruvian Ash\u00e1ninka died in March of this year. Although her body, beaten and hidden in a cave was found a long way from her home, the autopsy determined that she died from choking on coca leaves. Decades ago, this woman saved several indigenous people from death during the civil war. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10771,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-defenders"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10854"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11237,"href":"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10854\/revisions\/11237"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/defensorasdelterritorio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}