Guatemala Journey Among the Ixil Maya

Guatemala Journey Among the Ixil Maya PDF Author: Susanna Badgley Place
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780988487604
Category : Guatemala
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
For over two millennia, the Ixil Maya communities of northwestern Guatemala have fought to preserve their unique language and cultural identity. The ancient homelands of these mountain Maya encompass 2,324 square kilometers of magnificent cloud forests, gushing waterfalls, secluded valleys and the townships of Nebaj, Chajul, and Cotzal in the rugged Sierra de los Cuchumatanes. This unconventional guide invites Guatemalan and international travelers to discover the extraordinary beauty and rich culture of the Ixil Region through its history of struggle and resilience, local knowledge, heartfelt conversations, and hands-on experience of ancestral cultural traditions, economic innovations, and social transitions.

Guatemala Journey Among the Ixil Maya

Guatemala Journey Among the Ixil Maya PDF Author: Susanna Badgley Place
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780988487604
Category : Guatemala
Languages : en
Pages : 240

Get Book Here

Book Description
For over two millennia, the Ixil Maya communities of northwestern Guatemala have fought to preserve their unique language and cultural identity. The ancient homelands of these mountain Maya encompass 2,324 square kilometers of magnificent cloud forests, gushing waterfalls, secluded valleys and the townships of Nebaj, Chajul, and Cotzal in the rugged Sierra de los Cuchumatanes. This unconventional guide invites Guatemalan and international travelers to discover the extraordinary beauty and rich culture of the Ixil Region through its history of struggle and resilience, local knowledge, heartfelt conversations, and hands-on experience of ancestral cultural traditions, economic innovations, and social transitions.

Journey to the Republic of Guatemala; Land of the Maya

Journey to the Republic of Guatemala; Land of the Maya PDF Author: Kalman Dubov
Publisher: Kalman Dubov
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 291

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Book Description
The Central American country of Guatemala was populated by the Maya people whose empire extended from Honduras to the south to today's southern Mexico. Remnants of their presence are found throughout this region, with monumental architecture, cities, palaces, and great pyramids. Wherever one looks, the explosion of growth and development captures the viewer in its thrall. Even the many glyphs adorning these sites with their unique writing style are a marvel to behold. They lived here for an estimated two thousand years, and then, in the early 16th century, the Spanish came and conquered these people. By then, their greatness had already ended in the midst of the 10th century, when their culture and civilization collapsed. But they retained their culture by way of thousands of pictographic books which detailed their way of life and their advancements. But the Spaniards, zealous in their Catholicism, sought out and destroyed every such book they could find and burned them all. Except for three such books, known as the Maya Codices. Historians and scholars began the slow process of deciphering the Maya past. Great effort was expended and the reality of their lives, culture, kings, wars and daily practice began to emerge. And the world was astounded by the emerging picture. Perhaps a first in the world, was their mathematical calculation with 'zero,' a phenomenal achievement. Interestingly, the glyph of the zero depicted a woman - what mathematical genius was she to use zero in calculations? Their astronomy of the heavenly spheres was astoundingly precise, as was their knowledge of geometry and trigonometry. Their religion, however, included human sacrifices, following the practice of other nearby civilizations, such as the Aztecs, the Inca in South America, and others. The Spaniards stopped such worship and offerings and now subjugated these people into serfdom called encomiendas, or enforced working for the conquistadors and their descendants. Independence from Spain came in 1821, but the Mayan living conditions did not change. The country became divided between the Spanish descendants, now known as the Criollos, the middle class, known as Ladinos (not to be confused with Jews in 9th century Castilian Spain), and the Maya and other indigenous. The social distance from the upper to lower classes was immense. And that distance came forward during Guatemala's Civil War, from 1960 to 1996. The violence and massacres during this period was so evil, the president of the country, Rios Montt, was charged and convicted of Genocide, the first time a country charged its own leader with this crime. At a previous age and time, the face of Guatemala presented immense achievements. Today, violence, crime, and cultural penury is self-evident. Guatemala is a third-world country, where the majority of its people live in great poverty while the upper class has the land, its abundance and vast wealth.

A Textile Traveler's Guide to Guatemala

A Textile Traveler's Guide to Guatemala PDF Author: Deborah Chandler
Publisher: Schiffer + ORM
ISBN: 1507302738
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 299

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Book Description
The vibrant character of Guatemala is most visible in its handwoven textiles, which are still in everyday use and readily available in native markets all over the country. A Textile Traveler's Guide to Guatemala is an excellent resource for discovering artisans, markets, shops, and those storied regional textile traditions. Geared to independent-minded travelers, this guide presents the safest and most accessible methods of travel, where and when to go, where to stay, and what to eat. Expert advice helps the traveler know what to look for, how to distinguish high-quality work, and how to bargain intelligently and ethically. With abundant photographs, this guide celebrates the color, joy, and energy of folklife in Guatemala.

Time Among the Maya

Time Among the Maya PDF Author: Ronald Wright
Publisher: Grove Press
ISBN: 9780802137289
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 468

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Book Description
The Maya created one of the world's most brilliant civilizations, famous for its art, astronomy, and deep fascination with the mystery of time. Despite collapse in the ninth century, Spanish invasion in the sixteenth, and civil war in the twentieth, eight million people in Guatemala, Belize, and southern Mexico speak Mayan languages and maintain their resilient culture to this day. Traveling through Central America's jungles and mountains, Ronald Wright explores the ancient roots of the Maya, their recent troubles, and prospects for survival. Embracing history, anthropology, politics, and literature, Time Among the Maya is a riveting journey through past magnificence and the study of an enduring civilization with much to teach the present. "Wright's unpretentious narrative blends anthropology, archaeology, history, and politics with his own entertaining excursions and encounters." -- The New Yorker; "Time Among the Maya shows Wright to be far more than a mere storyteller or descriptive writer. He is an historical philosopher with a profound understanding of other cultures." -- Jan Morris, The Independent (London).

Maguey Journey

Maguey Journey PDF Author: Kathryn Rousso
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
ISBN: 0816502277
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 183

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Book Description
The name "maguey" refers to various forms of the agave and furcraea genus, also sometimes called the century plant. The fibers extracted from the leaves of these plants are spun into fine cordage and worked with a variety of tools and techniques to create textiles, from net bags and hammocks to equestrian gear. In this fascinating book, Kathryn Rousso, an accomplished textile artist, takes a detailed look at the state of maguey culture, use, and trade in Guatemala. She has spent years traveling in Guatemala, highlighting maguey workers’ interactions in many locations and blending historical and current facts to describe their environments. Along the way, Rousso has learned the process of turning a raw leaf into beautiful and useful textile products and how globalization and modernization are transforming the maguey trade in Guatemala. Featuring a section of full-color illustrations that follow the process from plant to weaving to product, Maguey Journey presents the story of this fiber over recent decades through the travels of an impassioned artist. Useful to cultural anthropologists, ethnobotanists, fiber artists, and interested travelers alike, this book offers a snapshot of how the industry stands now and seeks to honor those who keep the art alive in Guatemala.

Guatemalan Journey

Guatemalan Journey PDF Author: Stephen Connely Benz
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 0292782993
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
Guatemala draws some half million tourists each year, whose brief visits to the ruins of ancient Maya cities and contemporary highland Maya villages may give them only a partial and folkloric understanding of Guatemalan society. In this vividly written travel narrative, Stephen Connely Benz explores the Guatemala that casual travelers miss, using his encounters with ordinary Guatemalans at the mall, on the streets, at soccer games, and even at the funeral of massacre victims to illuminate the social reality of Guatemala today. The book opens with an extended section on the capital, Guatemala City, and then moves out to the more remote parts of the country where the Guatemalan Indians predominate. Benz offers us a series of intelligent and sometimes humorous perspectives on Guatemala's political history and the role of the military, the country's environmental degradation, the influence of foreign missionaries, and especially the impact of the United States on Guatemala, from governmental programs to fast food franchises.

Chilam Balam of Ixil: Facsimile and Study of an Unpublished Maya Book

Chilam Balam of Ixil: Facsimile and Study of an Unpublished Maya Book PDF Author: Laura Caso Barrera
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004360131
Category : History
Languages : es
Pages : 403

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Book Description
In Chilam Balam of Ixil Laura Caso Barrera translates for the first time a Yucatec Maya document that resulted from the meticulous reading by the Colonial Maya of various European texts such as the Bible and the Poem of the Mío Cid, as well as various studies on astronomy, astrology, calendars, and medicine. The Maya, showing considerable astuteness and insight, appropriated this knowledge. With this study and facsimile, experts can further their knowledge of Mayan calendars or traditional medicine; and Mayan enthusiasts can discover more about the culture’s world view and history. En el Chilam Balam de Ixil Laura Caso Barrera traduce por primera vez un documento en maya yucateco, que resultó de la minuciosa lectura que realizaron los mayas coloniales de distintos textos europeos como la Biblia o el Cantar del Mío Cid, así como de diversos estudios de astronomía, astrología, calendarios y medicina. Con astucia y perspicacia, los mayas hicieron propio ese saber. Con esta edición, los expertos podrán ahondar en las anotaciones calendáricas o la medicina tradicional maya; y los amantes de esta cultura conocerán otros aspectos de su pensamiento e historia.

Buried Secrets

Buried Secrets PDF Author: Victoria Sanford
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN: 9781403960238
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 364

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Book Description
Between the late 1970s and the late-1980s, Guatemala was torn by mass terror and extreme violence in a genocidal campaign against the Maya, which becameknown as "La Violencia." More than 600 massacres occurred, one and a half million people were displaced, and more than 200,000 civilians were murdered, most of them Maya. Buried Secrets brings these chilling statistics to life as it chronicles the journey of Maya survivors seeking truth, justice, and community healing, and demonstrates that the Guatemalan army carried out a systematic and intentional genocide against the Maya. The book is based on exhaustive research, including more than 400 testimonies from massacre survivors, interviews with members of the forensic team, human rights leaders, high-ranking military officers, guerrilla combatants, and government officials. Buried Secrets traces truth-telling and political change from isolated Maya villages to national political events, and provides a unique look into the experiences of Maya survivors as they struggle to rebuild their communities and lives.

The Maya Vase Book

The Maya Vase Book PDF Author: Justin Kerr
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description


The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Religion and Materiality

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Religion and Materiality PDF Author: Vasudha Narayanan
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118688325
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 624

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Book Description
The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Religion and Materiality provides a thoughtfully organized, inclusive, and vibrant project of the multiple ways in which religion and materiality intersect. The contributions explore the way that religion is shaped by, and has shaped, the material world, embedding beliefs, doctrines, and texts into social and cultural contexts of production, circulation, and consumption. The Companion not only contains scholarly essays but has an accompanying website to demonstrate the work of performers, architects, and expressive artists, ranging from musicians and dancers to religious practitioners. These examples offer specific illustrations of the interplay of religion and materiality in everyday life. The project is organized from a comparative perspective, highlighting examples and case studies from traditions originating in both East and West. To summarize, the volume: Brings together the leading figures, theories and ideas in the field in a systematic and comprehensive way Offers an interdisciplinary approach drawing together religious studies, anthropology, archaeology, history, sociology, geography, the cognitive sciences, ecology, and media studies Takes a comparative perspective, covering all the major faith traditions