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The Mayas Today
The
Mayan population this catalogued between 4 and 6 native million
of and that does one of the indigenous but big groups from
the north of Peru. They live almost exactly in the same place
that where their ancestors lived. Mexico, Guatemala, Belize,
Honduras and El Salvador are nowadays the mother countries
that in modern times continue them seeing grow. This is partly
because, throughout its history, the Mayan has confined to
this area or part of Mesoamérica. In the Yucatan Peninsula
of the Mayan they live the Yucatecos, who are perhaps one
of the big groups but of Mayan descendants. This area includes
Logwood and the north of Belize. In Logwood, near the old
ruins of Edzna, are great establishments of the Mayans of
Quiche. Although they are not native of this area, was here
and around Edzna that settled down, due to the political struggles
in Guatemala in the anuses 70s and even to principle of 80s.
While some of the Mayans of Quiche returned to Guatemala,
many others chose to remain in this area.
Another great concentration of Mayan is in the state of Chiapas.
The big groups but were the Chols, Tzeltals and Tzotzils.
Many of these Mayans live around San Cristóbal of the
Houses and near the border with Guatemala. The Mayans of Tabasco
live in the Chontalpa, a natural platform between the rivers
Grijalva and Usumacinta. In the state of Chiapas, near the
border of Mexico with Guatemala, is jungle a small group of
lacandones Mayan in extinction danger in the heat of. Somehow,
the big groups but of Kanjobals, Mams, Motozintlecs and Tuzantecs
also live near this area.
The
Quiche's and Cakchiquel are the bigger Mayan groups in Guatemala,
without embargo, the tied country this with smaller groups
and one of the most preservative groups is the Chontal that
al inhabits mainly east of Guatemala and al the West of Honduras
in the municipality of Copán. In Belize is along with
a great group of Mayan natives called the Kekchi another called
group the Mopan. Mayan the modern ones are a very preservative
group and live on different forms in the rural society. The
immense majority of the Mayans of today, is dedicated to the
activities of the field, near their houses and communities.
Their occupations are centered mainly in seedtime, hunts and
inclusively it fishes in some areas. Almost each aspect of
the life of the Mayans, tour around the maize culture and
the harvests. The pumpkin, tomato, onions, frijoles and several
grass also are swellings in the fields or near their houses.
Orchards of bitter oranges (for its use in the kitchen) you
file and other fruits commonly are found near its houses.
The houses are generally a structure of a single quarter with
a kitchen constructed in the part of outside where it cooks
and foods are prepared on him fire.
The groups that speak nowadays Mayan have developed 31 different
languages. The Mayan Lacandones natives who still live in
the forests of the south of Chiapas, have a very different
language and they cannot understand the Mayan neighbors as
they are the Chol or those of Mam. In Guatemala and parts
of Belize there are numerous effective languages, about 20
altogether and approximately half of them belongs to the Mayan
family. The main ones are Quiche', Detché, Exil, Mam,
Mopan, Chol, Pocomam, Kekchi, Pocomche and Chanté.
In Yucatan the language is the Mayan Yucateco.
The religion of the Mayas Today
The
Mayans, as an old society were governed by its religion, the
shade of the Gods to which this town gold and I make sacrifices,
even exists in the life of many of the modern populations
of today, nevertheless, in smaller degree. The catholic religion
even conserves certain aspects similar to the old system of
Mayan belief and a mixture of animistic, pagan and catholic
of adoration has been created and belief. The degree with
which they are mixed depends on the region and how the culture
has been developed. In community the Mayan even believes in
being able to cure its diseases through the healers of the
group or Shaman. This it is a town that even believes in the
Gods of the firmament and the nature, reason why nowadays
even make rituals related to the control of the time and the
stations of the anus. They have also combined to the catholic
Saints with the Mayan Gods and one has surrendered cultured
to both at the same time. Still the offerings to many of the
same deities, although to a smaller degree are being made,
in religious ceremonies that can be simultaneously very traditional
like a fusion of catholic theology.
The Mayan old calendar, has survived extraordinarily well.
In the Mayan high regions, many communities still have shamaness
or "guardians by day" whose work is the one to maintain
the course of the days according to the Mayan calendar and
to direct to the traditional rituals for the individuals and
the greatest community. Many Mayans are convinced that the
mountains that surround them are analogous pyramids to the
old temples. Mountains, hills, caves and natural wells, also
are considered like the homes of ancestral hereditary deities.
The familiar figures of greater age are honest in the home
with orations and black offerings of copal, incense, chickens,
candles and licor. In some Mayan towns, shamanes traditional
continues praying by the souls of the patients in the portable
altars of mountains. Some towns nowadays have four pairs of
crossings and four spirits of the jaguar or balams to the
four entrances of the town to maintain the malignant spirits
remote.
The concept of space and time well were understood by the
Mayans. For the Mayan, both, space and time marked the way
for the life of the man. Space was a sacred place in the universe
and the time united to the man with the nature to which they
called Mother Earth, this was characterized by the union of
all the elements to form a harmony state, where the man was
part absolutely. Not All by itself, Mayan of today this worried
about the lack about conservation about their own world (its
uses and customs) they sees the civilized man increasing wealth
with the destruction of the natural spaces, forgetting that
they are one but of those components, not them owners.
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