Mayan Spirit is an independent, non profit
organization based in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas,
México - a small 16th century citadel, and crossroads of the
Mayan world.
We are committed to helping the poor and
needy of this region, especially women and children, in
whatever capacity is most pressing and effective.
Recent translation of the ancient Mayan
glyphs has revealed a rich world of an advanced scientific,
architectural, agricultural, artistic people with a complex,
vital culture - but the modern Mayan story is one of genocide,
slavery, repression and impoverishment.
Despite representing more than 25% of the
local population, until the 1970's it was illegal for a Mayan
to walk the streets of San Cristóbal. Schools were forbidden
to teach Mayan, and even today, many children do not have the
opportunity to attend school, as they need to work for their
families from an early age.
The Mayan story is one of tragedy and hope.
Today, the pieces of their lost culture are slowly being
understood and reassembled, but the social, political and
economic problems are complex and widespread. The land itself
is rich in plants, minerals and wildlife, but has been
subjected to exploitation and degradation. Sterile,
genetically modified plants combined with loss of land and
markets, have seriously undermined agriculture - and the
guerilla wars of the 1990s displaced many people. The small
town of San Cristóbal now burgeons with 200,000 inhabitants,
many of them beggars.
The ancient Maya possessed a deep sense of
the sacred, of the interconnectedness of heaven and earth, of
human possibility. We simplify the story into renewing the
life chances of the Mayan people, and resurrecting the Mayan
Spirit from the ashes of destruction, to restore the dignity,
grace and values of this ancient people ...
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