Chunhuhub 3

It is know the impact that the Spanish had when they conquered this part of the world, they brought good things, but also bad ones. For for better or worse they also brought the language and their religion, which is one of the most importants in the world. As a consecuense the Mayan people suffered a drastic change in their beliefs, most of the time this change was made by force. The mayan people at the present have only one god. It is obvious that everyone is raised as a catholic and nothing about the old days is thought to them.

Personally we feel that is a little bit unfair that the Mayas who once had an amazing repertoire of beliefs and traditions kept nothing. I used to have the feeling that Mayas as apeakers of Maya should know about the gods related to their mother tongue but I realized that the reality was very different.

Even that most of the people don't know any name of the Ancient Mayan Gods there is some people that as children heard prayers to Chak, the god of rain. This makes a big difference in the community for the ancient beliefs are almost totally gone. This woman related the history of how her grandmother and her relatives used to pray to Chak for rain so the fields could grow strong and tall. She also mentions how her grandmother used to teach to children how to speak Maya, she says that as those boys grew they got more involves in the Spanish speakin community.

She was asked if what she thought about the mayan people who have to learn Spanish in order to go to school or to get a job. She said that she was ok with that because if they learn Spanish they could have access to an education, and maybe they could become a profesionist, what is what all mothers want for their children, to succed in live, then the children could be thankfull to their mothers and family.
It is admirable that she thinks this way, she as a mothers wants the best for her kids and she beliefs that they deserve the best no matter what language they speak. She as other people in the town did't know much else about the Mayan gods, she expressed that she was a catholic, and that she has never prayed to any other god besides Jesuscristh.

This woman mentions that she has always been a catholic and she doesn't believe in any other god, but she has heard a conversation about the Ancient Mayan Gods. She on the contrary to the first woman thinks that Mayan people shouldn't have the necessity to learn to speak Spanish to go to school or to get a job. She has been object of racism agaist people who speak maya.

Her father has been subject of mockery as well, since he can't speak Spanish. He only knows a few words in Spanish, so when he faces a situation when he needs to speak spanish people have criticised him, that is why her daugher, this woman, explains that she is aware that there is some kind of racism agaist Mayan people, but it shouldn't be this way. She feels that those people should be more consious about the other people's feelings. The majority of the inhabitants of the community feel the pressure 0f the critics and the racisim of those who speak Spanish, thus they avoid learning the language.

We believe that it is a shame that the very few people that speak Maya in this community aren't aware of their language's past and how it is directly conected with the Mayan gods. Those in charge to continue the history of the community are simple not aware of the importance of learning the language, but they express that they would like to learn it. It can be observed that the the enviroment, the circumstances and the social factors are not apropiate. Some of them learn how to speak the language, but they are not able to write the words.


Please post a comment about what do you think and how you feel about Mayan people who no longer know their ancestor's gods or any other opinion you have about this.