The Mayan civilization is thought to have
emerged in the Mirador basin of Guatemala, spreading into
neighbouring Chiapas and sprawling north and east into the
Yucatan and west into the Mexican interior, where over time,
it became intermingled in part with Aztec culture.
The arrival of the Spanish introduced various
flavors of Christianity, and with the
subsequent loss of its own culture and the subjection of
remaining peoples to slavery, many other religions found a
foothold - Islam, Buddhism, Mormon, Jehova Witnesses -
contributing to a fragmented cultural profile. As a result,
many Mayans now practice a unique form of self styled religion
incorporating many diverse elements.
Yet despite multiple cultural overlays and
the imposition of Spanish as the national language, there
still exist in Chiapas nine different Mayan dialects,
including Chol, the main language of the glyphs and antiquities,
still spoken today by the people of the Palenque lowlands.
Nevertheless, the culture has suffered badly
from centuries of abuse, exploitation and land loss. Many of
the men have turned to alcohol and polygamy, leaving the women
to hold the families together, making and selling crafts -
growing, harvesting and preparing food, building and repairing
houses, making and mending clothes, caring for children, the
sick, the elderly and the men - as well as producing household
income from traditional handicrafts, organic garden produce and medicinal
herbs.
Along with contributing to educational,
cultural and health programs, we also put funds directly in
the hands of women and mothers, where it will do the most immediate
good. Please help us keep these people alive and working towards a meaningful future.
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