Mayan Children
Author Tom Johnson
I have been doing a lot of writing on the Mayan culture in the past couple of weeks for several college papers that I have been writing on. The course is Cultural Anthropology, and the Mayan culture fits right in my studies. In my research I came across a file I had tucked away called the faces of the Mayans, so I thought I would share with you some of the pictures.
This picture was from the church in Chuchuca.
This little girl was in a church we were working on in the highlands around Patzun
According to national statistics, 21% of the population living in the Patzún area (almost all of them are members of the Mayan ethnic group Kaqchikel) are below six years old. 64% of the population are classified as living in poverty conditions and a quarter of those as living in extreme poverty. Child and family maltreatment are a prevalent reality.
I took this picture while we were at a home in Xatzán, what peace
This little girl just loved to play hide and go seek with the camera
I hoped you enjoyed these pictures for today’s post. These pictures are very special to me, I hope you enjoyed them.
If you have a moment please drop me a note and let me know your thoughts.
Author Tom Johnson 9-26-09
- Lake Atitlan Guatemala
Lake Atitlan is recognized to be the deepest lake in Central America, its bottom has not been completely sounded. The lake is volcanic in origin, filling an enormous caldera formed in an eruption 84,000 years ago. It is renowned as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.
- Lake Atilan Sunset
The lake itself is rich in animal life which provides a significant food source for the largely indigenous population.
The lake is surrounded by many villages, in which Maya culture is still prevalent and traditional dress is worn. The Maya people of Atitlán are predominantly Tz’utujil and Kaqchikel. During the Spanish conquest of the Americas, the Kaqchikel initially allied themselves with the invaders to defeat their historic enemies the Tz’utujil and Quiché Maya, but were themselves conquered and subdued when they refused to pay tribute to the Spanish.
Santiago Atitlán is the largest of the lakeside communities , and is noted for its worship of Maximón, an idol formed by the fusion of traditional Mayan deities, Catholic saints and conquistador legends. The institutionalized effigy of Maximón is under the control of a local religious brotherhood and resides in various houses of its membership during the course of a year, being most ceremonially moved in a grand procession during Semana Santa.
- Mayan girl selling at the maket in Pana, Guatemala
This young girl really touched our hearts while visiting in Panajachel. She was telling us that her greatest hopes was to someday be able to read. This has stuck with me for all these years. I can remember vividly the conversation with her. My friend Andrew stayed in contact with her and her family for many years. Unfortunately she lives to many miles away for her to attend one of the Escuela Integrada schools. She is also the person in the home that makes money to put food on the table. At the time of this picture she was 18 years old and had never attended school.
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Some information for this post came from Wikipedia.
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