Santiago Atitlán and Maximon
By: Ligia María
Versión en Español abajo. Spanish version below.
Santiago Atitlan is located around the Atitlan Lake, one of the most sacred lakes to the present and ancient Maya. It is in the jurisdiction of the municipality of Sololá in southwest Guatemala. Santiago Atitlan is the largest town around the Lake, where there are approximately 30,000 indigenous Maya, called Tzuthuiles. They are many painters, wood sculptors, musicians, weavers, farmers and artisans.
In spite of the fact that there has been a significant incursion of protestant religions over the last 500 years, in this particular area of Santiago the traditionalist spirituality is still alive, and they celebrate the annual cycle of rituals, where all the traditional ceremonies are scheduled; for instance the election of their politics, the first corn blessing, practicing of Mexicans dance, and procession of the eternal creator.
The Tzuthuiles feel that it is important to celebrate Mayan brotherhood and sisterhood in order to keep their traditions alive. In other villages around Atitlan Lake, like San Pedro, the ancient traditions of the Maya have virtually disappeared to the encroachment of foreign, Christian religiosity, which I write about in ” Traditions and customs of the Mayan Tzutuhil indigenous people in San Pedro La Laguna“
Traditions and customs of the Mayan Tzutuhil indigenous people in San Pedro La Laguna
By: Ligia María
Versión en Español abajo. Spanish version below.
Searching for information about the traditions and customs of the Mayan Tzutuhil indigenous people of Guatemala, I found out the following information. I went to San Pedro la Laguna, Sololá (Guatemala) to find out everything related to the Tzutuhil culture as expressed in the local area around San Pedro.
San Pedro la Laguna is a jurisdiction of the municipality of Sololá, located around Atitlan Lake, there are 13,000 habitants approximately, and 98% of the population are indigenous. The language which they speak is Tzutuhil and Spanish. Most of the people make their living out of agriculture. People are very friendly and warm.
In San Pedro la Laguna exists a religious syncretism: they believe in Jesus Christ and all saints of the Catholic Church, others proclaim themselves as Protestants. On the other hand there are indigenous people that venerate the spirits of their ancestors, the elements (earth, wind, fire, water), the four directions, as well as the god of the world, the owner of mountains. Most of the indigenous people are Protestants and they believe in Jesus Christ.
The Mayan priests of ancestral religion are known here in San Pedro as Xamanes, but all people that I have talked to do not like Xamanes, because they are looked badly by the protestant religion. There is just one Xaman in San Pedro la Laguna. But there are Protestant churches everywhere, and every Sunday they get up at 4:00 am to start worship and venerating Jesus Christ.
All the indigenous people in San Pedro regardless of which religion they practice, believe in the “hueseros,” which are people that have the capacity to move the position of the bones in the body with their hands, to relieve the pain on articulations or bonds. This ability is transmitted through generations of the locals.
Indigenous leaders make Ceremonies for Atitlan Lake
By: Ligia María
Translated from Spanish; original version below. If the link below does not work, is because the news service is making some changes. It will be working shortly.
Versión original en Español, abajo
Sololá, Guatemala. December 18th, 2009.Mayan elders of different communities of Sololá had a gathering asking to Imox to rescue this beautiful lake, which is terribly damaged.
Indigenous organizations and authorities of Sololá prayed to their gods for Atitlan’s lake salvation, and even though they appreciate what some scientists are doing, they ask to the government some sort of “plan” to rescue Atitlan lake from the bacterium that is threatening it.
Mayan elders of different communities were together in a big fire ceremony asking to the Lake’s spirit (nahual) guide for the Scientifics in their struggle rescuing Atitlan Lake.
Miguel Tuiy, Domingo Toc, Esperanza Salazar and Mariano Guarcax invoked to the four cardinal points and to the wind to take away the bad and bring back the lake’s color.
“For us is a sacred Lake, source of life, giving us water for our plants, it feed us, is a source of money for lots of families. We are here to ask to Ajaw (God) to help us” said Domingo Toc, a Mayan elder.
The Indigenous’ defender and coordinator, Ricardo Suluguí said: “The disrespect to nahaul of water (Imox) is the main reason of contamination for this sacred place. To resolve the problem, spirituality and science have to work together. This is all we have to rescue this treasure”.
Indigenous associations ask for justice to the Judges
By: Ligia María
Translated from Spanish; original version below. If the link below does not work, is because the news service is making some changes. It will be working shortly.
Versión original en Español, abajo
Guatemala, December 2nd, 2010.Today leaders of more than 50 indigenous associations had a meeting with judges of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ). They made several petitions for their pueblos, especially better access to the justice.
Ricardo Cajas, director of the Council of the Mayan Organizations of Guatemala, asked to hire more interpreters in the courts and bilingual judges to teach Indigenous Rights in Judicial Schools, and to keep open the communication between indigenous people and judges.
Cajas said also that the indigenous population with no access to justice is more than 6 million.
Source: http://prensalibre.com/pl/2009/diciembre/02/notashoy.html
Spanish version. Versión en Español.
AGRUPACIONES INDIGENAS SOLICITAN A MAGISTRADOS MAYOR ACCESO A LA JUSTICIA
Guatemala 2 de Diciembre del 2009. Representantes de más de 50 agrupaciones indígenas se reunieron con los magistrados de la Corte Suprema de Justicia (CSJ) durante la sesión plenaria de hoy, a los que les hicieron varias peticiones en favor de sus pueblos, en especial mejor acceso a la justicia.
Esta noticia puede encontrarla en el siguiente link. Si el link no funciona es porque la agencia de noticias está haciendo algunos cambios. Estará listo en dos semanas.
http://prensalibre.com/pl/2009/diciembre/02/notashoy.html
Mayan ritual to celebrate the new solar year 5197
By: Ligia María
Translated from Spanish; original version below. If the link below does not work, is because the news service is making some changes. It will be working shortly.
Versión original en Español, abajo
Guatemala January 11 th ,2010. Spiritual guides invocate to different forces of nature, to celebrate the ritual of the new solar year 5197.
Indigenous elders participated in a ritual in order to celebrate the beginning of the new Mayan year at the municipality of Salamá department of Baja Verapaz. There were other rituals in others municipalities too.
A Mayan ritual had taken place before the break of dawn, when it was dark and cold this past Saturday, corresponding to K’at (net, tangle). It is going to rule the next 360 days of the Mayan solar calendar 5197.
Before the ceremony the elders invoked the forces of nature, to their ancestors, to the four cardinal points, to the volcanoes, and to the sacred places inside and outside of the country.
For the ritual the elders used resin of trees, plants, bread, candles, food, salt, sugar, and other offerings. Then theyburned all of them after they invoked the forces of nature.
By: Ligia María
Translated from Spanish;original version below.
Guatemala January 23rd, 2010. Indigenous organizations were celebrating this Saturday the beginning of the second period of Evo Morales as a President of Bolivia. Morales will be in power five more years, said bulletin from Indigenous Guatemalan Embassy of Itinerant Pueblos.
Versión original en Español, abajo
Morales is the first indigenous that became a president since Bolivia´s foundation on 1825, that means the new “Estate Plural-National” and the end of the old republic that marginalized indigenous pueblos.
“The second period of Evo Morales as president is a message to the world that political processes can be done with respect to the ancestors, to the spirituality of indigenous pueblos and to mother nature (Pachamama), said the bulletin.
Itinerant Ambassador of Indigenous Pueblos of Guatemala, Mayan Elder Cirilo Pérez Oxlaj, said that the beginning of the second period of Morales as a president is part of the prophecies of the grandfathers and grandmothers whom announced the returning of the men and woman of wisdom, in the Oxlajuj Baqtun.
That means “Very Significant” changes, as the removal of the injustice, inequality discrimination and racism.
A month ago Evo Morales easily won the general elections, promising to consolidate his governmental policy toward the indigenous, and take the country to a “ communal socialism” system. Morales expects to change Bolivia´s conditions, he will be governing this country until 2015.
Evo Morales is moving forward and we are very happy said Menchú
By: Ligia María
Translated from Spanish; original version below.
La Paz, Bolivia. January 23, 2010. Menchú, who is Nobel Peace Prize winner, will take part in a conference of indigenous parliamentarian women of Latin America and Caribbean.
Rigoberta Menchú
Versión original en Español, abajo
Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1992, Guatemalan indigenous Rigoberta Menchú, said today in Bolivia that the president of this country, Evo Morales, began a process where there is no turning back, which benefits indigenous villages.
Menchú arrived on Tuesday night to La Paz in order to take part in a conference of indigenous women parliamentarians of Latin America and Caribbean, and will be present also in acts prepared for the government to celebrate the second investiture of Morales, whom they call: “brother and friend.”
“Evo Morales is our brother president, is our badge; he has generated a new paradigm in the indigenous´ struggle, and he has begun this process without turning back, in fact is moving forward and we are very happy,” Menchú said to the media .
One of the motives of her visit to Bolivia is to accompany president Morales in the ethnic ceremony of investiture that will take place this Thursday 21 in the pre-Hispanic town of Tiahuanaco, and to the official act on April 22 in the Legislative assembly plural-national.
Guatemalan Nobel Laureate Menchú stresses the importance to “weave alliances” between indigenous leaders and women in order to get more participation from these sectors.
Vicente Canché preserves Maya traditions through his work of art
By: Ligia María
Translated from Spanish; original version below.
Mexico City. January 21, 2010.Vicente Canché is a Mayan presenting his work of art, the tales that integrate his work have a message that “allows us to rescue the values that we are losing”.
Versión original en Español, abajo
Using vernacular language, religious ceremonies and oral tradition in general, are some cultural and social elements that we are losing, said indigenous writer Vicente Canché, that is why he is dedicated to rescuing and preserving Mayan traditions.
This is possible through the project “Xexet´alkuxtalo´ob” (Remnant of Life), an investigation that receives support from the Incentive Program to the Creation and Artistic Developing (PECDA). This is part of the National Advice for Culture and Arts, inside the “literature in Mayan language” in coordination with Yucatán government.
“For a long time I have been thinking to portray experiences of some Mayan communities and how their habitants live. There are some traditions that give us identity, and little by little they have lost their truth value,” said Vicente.
Some texts are related with religious ceremonies and Mayan elders “for the collision that we have with occidental culture and globalization.”
“These ceremonies are not in use any more. When people know that there will be a ceremony they show up because it is attractive for them, not for what it means” said Vicente.
Mayan space occupied for indigenous is reopened
By: Ligia María
Translated from Spanish; original version below.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras. January 21, 2010. Authorities in Honduras have opened one of the most important spaces that have many pre-Hispanic civilization vestiges.
Versión original en Español, abajo
Hundred of indigenous were peacefully evacuated after two days blocking the archeological park of Copan, which the government reopened on Saturday. Copan is considerate the most important space that conserves vestiges of Mayan civilization in Honduras.
“We made an agreement with the indigenous so they can return to their homes” said Ricardo Martinez, minister of Tourism.
He said that the protestors left on Friday night after both parties agreed that on April 15 the government will start negotiations to solve the problems that originated the protest.
Indigenous Chortí are asking the government for 14,700 hectares for farming and cultivation in the province of Copan and Ocotepeque, at the west edge of Honduras on the Guatemalan border. In the last 12 years they have received only 33 per cent of the land they are asking for.
“We hope the government fulfills what it has offered” said Cristobal Pineda, spokesman of Maya Chortí National Advise. “Otherwise, we are prepared to act; we won’t let them fool us any more”.
Since 1995 the government has signed many agreements with the Chortí. Last one was on May 2008, at that time it promised to pay them one million dollars in order to get lands, but they have received only 800 thousand dollars.
Guatemalan Indigenous manifestation is dissolved for Police
By: Ligia María
Translated from Spanish; original version below.
Versión original en Epañol, abajo
Guatemala January 14th .After two days protesting, Guatemalan indigenous were intimidated with tears gas and gas with peppermint to prevent President Alvaro Colom annual government report interruption.
Guatemalan police threw tear gas and gas with peppermint to hundred of indigenous protestants in order to prohibit them getting closer to the Legislative Palace, where President Alvaro Colom was giving his annual government report.
Children, women and men went away because of the action of anti-riot police, members of national civil police, whom were armed to throw tear gas and gas with peppermint, said journalists of the AFP.
Sub-director of Police, Rember Larios, said that none of the protestants were arrested and, anti-riot police acted like that because country persons and indigenous were trying to get past the security barrier, placed 100 meters away from Legislative Palace, in the heart of Guatemala city.
The protesting group for second day were demanding access to the lands, liberation of communal leaders, stopping of mining industry activities, cancellation of 80 capture orders against their leaders and validity of 30 popular consults ejecting mining industry activities.
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