I have studied the Mayan before but I had only learned about the ancient Maya culture. I was so shocked to learn about the Maya today and the problems they face. Learning about their ancient culture I was so impressed and I just can't believe that such an unique culture is not respected more. We hold their achievements high, people believe the world is going to end because of the Maya calendar (even though that is not correct) the point is that people seem to believe in what the Mayan believed in if they are really concerned about their calendar. The Mayan history is one that many seek to understand. We know that they were brilliant and we appreciate their artwork among many other things as well. I don't understand how such a beautiful culture can be discriminated against for their race, for being "Indian". How can they be looked at as inferior after their many accomplishments? It doesn't make sense to me that the ancient Mayan artists are considered extraordinary and their art as sacred, important, and prestigious. While todays Mayan artists may not even be recognized as an artist at all and their art is viewed as primitive. I think it is highly respectable that despite the efforts to oppress the Maya, they have continued to hold on to their way of life. Women still wear loose hand-woven or embroidered blouses with distinctive patterns and colors for each community, their clothing is beautiful!!!! But despite their many accomplishments and despite the many things we can admire about their culture, the Maya are the people today who have the least voice, the least power, and the least access to basic social amenities like elementary education and basic health care. Stories about the racism toward Maya people today are not hard to find.
In the 1850's the population of Belize doubled with immigration and wood cutting companies welcomed the Maya as cheap and reliable labor but they took legal steps to dispossess the Maya of their land in order to prevent the Maya from establishing themselves as "land-owning".
The British categorized the Mayan as "aliens" and the Mayan existence was basically denied. No attempt was made to count the Maya and the 1861 census lumped all the Maya together as immigrants.
The story of the 45 unarmed Maya people vs. the 50 to 60 very armed paramilitary, makes me so sad. How can a culture that is so unique and so special be treated so badly? Rigoberta Menchu was said to be not telling the truth about her experiences, why can't we admire her and see her as an inspiration for her attempt to open the eyes for many and to be a positive representative for her community. Instead we are so quick to judge her.
Ancient Maya culture is one of my favorites to learn about. Their art, architecture, and their strong beliefs are very enlightening. What is the difference between the Mayan then and the Mayan now? They are the same people. They were smart then ( very ahead of Europe) and they are still smart now.
