Protesters disrupt talk by archaeologist Richard Hansen at L.A. Times Festival of Books

A melee broke out at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on Sunday evening when activists rushed the Español stage to protest a talk by archaeologist Richard Hansen.

The protesters were targeting Hansen’s decades of excavation and research at a vast ancient Maya complex in Guatemala called El Mirador.

The group of about 15 masked protesters rushed the small stage where Hansen was being interviewed by L.A. Times en Español columnist Alejandro Maciel, whose Column One about Hansen’s research was published earlier this year in The Times.

The protesters toppled chairs, shouted “this is stolen land!” and “f— imperialism!” and unveiled a large banner that read “Gringo colonizer fuera del Mirador.”

As stunned spectators looked on, a tussle broke out between the demonstrators and some of the event crew who were desperately trying to clear the stage. One stage crew member emerged with a bloodied nose as police arrived quickly at the scene.

After several minutes during which protesters continued to shout at Hansen while police formed a line between the demonstrators and the stage, Hansen and Maciel were escorted to a nearby tent for event speakers.

Dr. Richard Hansen looks on as a fight breaks out at the Español stage during his talk at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.

(James Carbone / Los Angeles Times en Español)

The protesters toppled chairs, shouted “this is stolen land!” and “f— imperialism!” and unveiled a large banner that read “Gringo colonizer fuera del Mirador.”

(James Carbone / Los Angeles Times en Español)

The crowd eventually dissipated and the event ended.

Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Gutierrez, who declined to give his first name, said that one person was in custody on suspicion of battery.

In an interview Sunday evening, Hansen said that he had not been touched during the disruption. He said his laptop was seized by one of the demonstrators but was later recovered.

“I’ve lectured all over the world and this has never happened before,” said Hansen, who formerly taught at UCLA.

The work that Hansen has been doing has taken place in an area riven with drug trafficking, human trafficking and illegal deforestation.

Critics have accused Hansen of wanting to develop the area to increase archaeological tourism in a way that would harm the local population, many of whom are Indigenous.

Hansen, whose proposals have won support from a number of Maya leaders, has said that his proposals are environmentally sustainable, would provide jobs for Indigenous communities and would mitigate the influence of what he called the “mafias” operating in the region.

“We totally believe in the work of Dr. Hansen,” said Edgar Chaj, a Los Angeles resident and vice president of the group Maya Vision, which met with Hansen on Saturday. “I am very sad for what has happened.”

Critics, including Sunday’s protesters, also have berated Hansen for accepting awards from Guatemalan administrations and business-affiliated groups.

Referring to Sunday’s demonstrators, Hansen said, “I think they were profoundly influenced by lies and distortions.”

Maciel said that neither he nor his young daughter, who had accompanied him, had been injured in the outburst.

“We all have the right to express our opinion and demonstrate, but what is not right or fair is the use of violence,” said Veronica Alvarado, organizer of Festival of Books programming that seeks to promote reading in Spanish within the Southern California community.

L.A. Times en Español audience engagement editor Claudia Núñez contributed to this report.