Today the challenges abound: from insatiable mining corporations further north of the Mayas, where the Wixárika Huicholes are fighting Canadian mining companies, to emerging Chinese or Russian clusters positioning themselves in the hegemonic dispute for the tourist industry, in the Yucatan Peninsula and "Riviera Maya".
On the threats to him and others fighting the mining: "Life is worth practically nothing.
In the game, players tour the universe in a dog-fighting mining vessel; the program employed vector math to create vast swathes of space, filled with line-art asteroids and spacecraft, which tilted and spun as if their blueprints had popped into three-dimensional life.
Even though several types of industry have been identified as posing a higher risk of cancer for their workers (construction, fire-fighting, mining, etc).
Geoff Cousins, president of the Australian Conservation Foundation, said his organisation, which is currently fighting the mine's approval in the country's highest court, is going to redouble its efforts to stop the mine.
Meantime, it is the sailors aboard the Gladiator and her three sister ships who are ultimately responsible for fighting a mine war, should it come to that.
He has worked for the Sierra Club for nearly 15 years, and currently focuses on on fighting destructive coal mining - such as mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia.
"The money from oil kept the patronage machine going, from whence, generalized corruption," said Mr. Ona, who recently won the prestigious American-based Goldman Environmental Prize for fighting a Bongo mining deal.
Crystal Lameman and Melina Laboucan-Massimo and Clayton Thomas-Muller would not have had to spend their whole lives fighting tar sands mining in Alberta because no one would seriously have proposed digging up the dirtiest oil on the North American continent.
The strike, which lasted until 13 May, was in support of the UK's miners, who were fighting demands from mine owners to accept less pay and longer hours in order to keep the mines open and profitable.
