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84-837: Before Spanish colonization, the people in the land that would become the Chan Santa Cruz state were predominantly indigenous descendants of the Maya . Its northern reaches were likely part of the state of Coba during the Classic Period . After the Spanish began to occupy nearby areas, the Xiu Maya state in the western half of the Yucatán Peninsula chose to ally with the newly-neighboring Empire. The Itzá state continued to train and educate indigenous Maya leaders in

168-490: A dessert, and an alcoholic beverage. Holy Crosses are physical crosses that must be guarded and fed several times a day according to Cruzoob tradition. Every householder has a small domestic cross clothed in a diminutive huipil (woman's dress) and with a mirror hung around its neck. This little female cross was known in Pre-Columbian times as Ix Cel (Little or Female Tree). In addition to the village patron cross and

252-426: A half-million people driven from their homes, and at least 100,000 women raped; most of the victims were Maya. The genocide against Mayan people took place throughout the whole civil war because indigenous people were seen as supporting the leftist guerillas, but most acts against humanity occurred during Efraín Ríos Montt 's presidency (1982–1983). Ríos Montt instituted a campaign of state terror intended to destroy

336-456: A national identity. In the case of the Maya, the many national identities have been constructed because of the growing demands placed on them by cultural tourism. By focusing on lifeways through costumes, rituals, diet, handicrafts, language, housing, or other features, the identity of the economy shifts from the sale of labor to that of the sale of culture. Global tourism is now considered one of

420-539: A period the Maya state of Chan Santa Cruz was recognized as an independent nation by the British Empire , particularly in terms of trading with British Honduras. Francisco Luna-Kan was elected governor of the state of Yucatán from 1976 to 1982. Luna-Kan was born in Mérida, Yucatán , and he was a doctor of medicine, then a professor of medicine before his political offices. He was first appointed as overseer of

504-495: A person's home town. Women's clothing consists of a shirt and a long skirt. The Maya religion is Roman Catholicism combined with the indigenous Maya religion to form the unique syncretic religion which prevailed throughout the country and still does in the rural regions. Beginning from negligible roots prior to 1960, however, Protestant Pentecostalism has grown to become the predominant religion of Guatemala City and other urban centers, and mid-sized towns. The unique religion

588-618: A population of about 5,000. In 1848, during the Caste War of Yucatán , rebellious Chan Santa Cruz Maya conquered the town. It was retaken by the Mexicans in 1902. Bacalar was named a " Pueblo Mágico " in 2006. Between 2005 and 2010 so-called Russian Mennonites who speak German established a colony in Salamanca that had 967 inhabitants in 2010 and 1.175 in 2020. All inhabitants were Protestants and only one of those aged 15 and over

672-813: A rebellion against the Mexican state, Chiapas in January 1994, declared itself to be an indigenous movement and drew its strongest and earliest support from Chiapan Maya. Today its number of supporters is relevant. (see also the EZLN and the Chiapas conflict ) Maya groups in Chiapas include the Tzotzil and Tzeltal , in the highlands of the state, the Tojolabalis concentrated in the lowlands around Las Margaritas ,

756-573: A sacred cenote , a natural well providing a year-round source of holy water. The talking cross continues to speak at this shrine. The city was laid out in the pre-Columbian Maya style, with a central square containing the Balam Nah, the 'Patron Saint's House', surrounded by the school to the east, the Pontiff's house to the west, the General's houses to the north, and the storehouses and market to

840-496: A series of letters sent to the King of Spain in the 16th and 17th centuries. The noble Maya families at that time signed documents to the Spanish royal family; surnames mentioned in those letters are Pech, Camal, Xiu, Ucan, Canul, Cocom, and Tun, among others. A large 19th-century revolt by the native Maya people of Yucatán (Mexico), known as the Caste War of Yucatán , was one of the most successful modern Native American revolts. For

924-498: A wide variety of ailments. The emergence of Chan Santa Cruz in the 19th century meant that for the first time in centuries, the Maya were in charge of a state that supported their indigenous faith. The Roman Church had consistently refused to ordain native Maya even as priests . Previously, the maestros cantores (village lay assistants), who were sons of Maya priests, often acted as members of their fathers' profession as well. The Maya church in every Crusero village and town housed

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1008-573: Is known for its zoo and colossal stone sculptures dating to the Olmec civilization . The grand Museo de Historia de Tabasco chronicles the area from prehistoric times, while the Museo Regional de Antropología has exhibits on native Maya and Olmec civilizations. In Guatemala , indigenous people of Maya descent comprise around 42% of the population. Many Maya still experience discrimination and oppression . The largest Maya populations are found in

1092-445: Is reflected in the local saint, Maximón , who is associated with the subterranean force of masculine fertility and prostitution. Always depicted in black, he wears a black hat and sits on a chair, often with a cigar placed in his mouth and a gun in his hand, with offerings of tobacco, alcohol, and Coca-Cola at his feet. The locals know him as San Simon of Guatemala. The Popol Vuh is the most significant work of Guatemalan literature in

1176-480: Is some evidence that the first, most effective, and longest serving General of the Plaza was Bernardino Cen. The last fully recognized General of the Plaza was General May, who signed the final peace treaties with the Mexican government in the 1930s and 1940s. Subsequent attempts to revive the generalship have failed to garner the support of the community as a whole, and the military survives primarily as an honor guard for

1260-518: Is taught at the college and graduate level; beginning, intermediate, and advanced courses in Maya have been taught at Indiana University since 2010. The Open School of Ethnography and Anthropology offers immersion Maya courses in a six-week intensive summer program. Chiapas was for many years one of the regions of Mexico that was least touched by the reforms of the Mexican Revolution . The Zapatista Army of National Liberation , launched

1344-632: Is the municipal seat and largest city in Bacalar Municipality (until 2011 a part of Othón P. Blanco Municipality) in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo , about 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Chetumal . In the 2010 census the city had a population of 11,084. At that time it was still part of Othón P. Blanco, and was its second-largest city (locality), after Chetumal. The name most likely derives from Mayan languages : bʼak halal , (Sian Ka'an Bakhalal) meaning "surrounded by reeds",

1428-579: The 1543–1544 Pachecos entrada ). In 1545 Gaspar Pacheco established the Spanish town here with the name Salamanca de Bacalar with the help of Juan de la Cámara . The southern half of what is now Quintana Roo was governed from Bacalar, answerable to the Captain General of Yucatán in Mérida . After pirates sacked the town in the 17th century, the Fortress de San Felipe Bacalar was completed in 1729, and may be visited today. In 1848 Bacalar had

1512-740: The Chiapas conflict and the Lacandon Jungle ). The Maya population in Belize is concentrated in the Corozal , Cayo , Toledo and Orange Walk districts, but are scattered throughout the country. The Maya are thought to have been in Belize and the Yucatán region since the second millennium BC. Much of Belize's original Maya population died as a result of new infectious diseases and conflicts between tribes and with Europeans. They are divided into

1596-638: The Chʼol in the jungle, and in the south eastern uplands , the endangered Mochó and the Kaqchikel , also widely spoken in the Guatemalan highlands . (See map. Note. The Zoque are not Maya .) The most traditional of Maya groups are the Lacandon , a small population avoiding contact with outsiders until the late 20th century by living in small groups in the Lacandon Jungle . These Lacandon Maya came from

1680-533: The Chʼortiʼ . The northern lowland Petén region includes the Itza , whose language is near extinction but whose agroforestry practices, including use of dietary and medicinal plants may still tell us much about pre-colonial management of the Maya lowlands. The Classic period of Mesoamerican civilization corresponds to the height of the Maya civilization . It is represented by countless sites throughout Guatemala, although

1764-610: The Kʼicheʼ language , and one of the most important works of Pre-Columbian American literature. It is a compendium of Maya stories and legends, aimed to preserve Maya traditions. The first known version of this text dates from the 16th century and is written in Quiché transcribed in Latin characters. It was translated into Spanish by the Dominican priest Francisco Ximénez in the beginning of

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1848-701: The Yucatec , Kekchi , and Mopan . These three Maya groups now inhabit the country. The Yucatec Maya (many of whom came from Yucatán, Mexico to escape the Caste War of the 1840s) there have been evidence of several Yucatec Maya groups living by the Yalbac area of Belize and in the Orange Walk district near the present day Lamanai at the time the British reach. The Mopan (indigenous to Belize but were forced out by

1932-699: The Yucateco state, sometimes sponsored by the British government in Honduras; the United Kingdom; Mexico; and Guatemala. Chan Santa Cruz officials also corresponded with members of the United States government in Washington. Most Maya Cruzoob religious officials were — and are — unpaid, or are paid by donations from wealthy or devout members of the community. These officials are typically among

2016-454: The Yumz'iloob (Fathers) are also autonomous and can be similarly petitioned for good or ill through prayers before the appropriate lineage crosses. A family devotional cross is an Ix Ceel (Little Tree). A balam (Jaguar) is a patron of a village, town, region, or state which acts as an agent and protector of the social unit in question. Many balam form additional units: Balamoob (Jaguars),

2100-605: The rainforest . To halt the migration, the government decided in 1971 to declare a large part of the forest (614,000 hectares, or 6140 km ) a protected area: the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve . They appointed only one small population group (the 66 Lacandon families) as tenants (thus creating the Lacandon Community), thereby displacing 2000 Tzeltal and Chʼol families from 26 communities, and leaving non-Lacandon communities dependent on

2184-668: The "Proclamation of Juan de la Cruz" ( El Proclamo in Spanish). Appended to the Proclamation are the former state's constitution and by-laws. In addition to military service requirements — as the constitution was written in time of war — and support for the indigenous church, equal and fair treatment was promised to Maya people (and those of any race) who consented to the sovereignty of the new state. Chan Santa Cruz made treaties and corresponded with several other recognized and partially-recognized governments. These include treaties with:

2268-650: The "talking crosses" remain a vital part of local culture in former lands of Chan Santa Cruz in the 21st century. As recently as 2002, the Mexican government finally lifted the stigma of witchcraft that indigenous priests had been subject to under Mexican civil and Roman church law. They recognized the Church of the Talking Cross as a legitimate religion, and installed a plaque on a shrine in Carrillo Puerto. The Maya free state formally declared independence in

2352-475: The 18th century. Due to its combination of historical, mythical, and religious elements, it has been called the Maya Bible. It is a vital document for understanding the culture of Pre-Columbian America. The Rabinal Achí is a dramatic work consisting of dance and text that is preserved as it was originally represented. It is thought to date from the 15th century and narrates the mythical and dynastic origins of

2436-523: The 21st century show that they had been planning this action for some time. These letters were written orders sent through an established military chain of command, and were written in the wake of the death of the Batab of Chichimilla, Antonio Manuel Ay, on August 26, 1847 (6 Kaban, 5 Xul). The letters were written at a sanctuary plaza at Saki', the sacred 'white' city of the north that was located near present-day Valladolid . Exactly three days after Ay's death,

2520-644: The British; they returned from Guatemala to evade slavery in the 19th century), and Kekchi (also fled from slavery in Guatemala in the 19th century). The latter groups are chiefly found in the Toledo District. The Mexican state of Tabasco is home to the Chontal Maya . Tabasco is a Mexican state with a northern coastline fringing the Gulf of Mexico. In its capital, Villahermosa , Parque Museo la Venta

2604-551: The Campeche/Petén area (north-east of Chiapas ) and moved into the Lacandon rain-forest at the end of the 18th century. In the course of the 20th century, and increasingly in the 1950s and 1960s, other people (mainly the Maya and subsistence peasants from the highlands), also entered into the Lacandon region; initially encouraged by the government. This immigration led to land-related conflicts and an increasing pressure on

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2688-463: The Creoles on the west side of the Yucatán peninsula began to acknowledge that their minority-ruled mini-state was not politically viable long-term. After the Creoles offered their country to any group who would be willing to defend their lives and property, Mexico accepted. With both legal pretext and a convenient staging area in the western side of the Yucatán peninsula, Chan Santa Cruz was occupied by

2772-836: The Highlands of Western Guatemala). They speak the language which anthropologists term " Yucatec Maya ", but is identified by speakers and Yucatecos simply as "Maya". Among Maya speakers, Spanish is commonly spoken as a second or first language. There is a significant amount of confusion as to the correct terminology to use—Maya or Mayan—and the meaning of these words with reference to contemporary or pre-Columbian peoples, to Maya peoples in different parts of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and to languages or peoples. oxlahun ahau u katunil u 13 he›cob cah mayapan: maya uinic u kabaob: uaxac ahau paxci u cabobi: ca uecchahi ti peten tulacal: uac katuni paxciob ca haui u maya-bulub ahau u kaba u katunil hauci u maya kabaob maya uinicob: christiano u kabaob "Ahau

2856-576: The Holy Cross in a sanctuary. Maya churches are easily distinguished from Roman Catholic churches by the presence of a walled inner sanctum, the gloria , inside the Maya church. Maya Cruzoob religious figures and concepts are referred to through a variety of names and terms. K'u (God) is one being, undepictable and incorporeal. K'u can also be called Hunab K'u (Unique God) or Hahal K'u (True God). Epithets for God and His Angels can include Tepal (Lord), Ahau (Lord), and Yumil Kaan (Father of

2940-621: The Itzá state during the 18th century. The most famous of the Spanish campaigns was against the indigenous Kanek (king) and his followers, which ended with the death of the Kanek and his closest followers on December 14, 1761. When the Criollo class declared Yucatecan independence in the mid-19th century and began fighting over control of the resources of their infant state, the Maya leadership saw an opportunity to gain independence. Letters discovered in

3024-675: The Maya Church. Under the Ahau K'atun Kiuik were the Ahau K'atun , the Generals. There were four of these Generals, one for each direction. Nonetheless, during the war of liberation, it was the generals of the north and of the south who garnered the most space in the Spanish and British colonial press. The first General of the North was Cecilio Chi, who served from 1847 until his death in May 1849 and

3108-564: The Maya Cruzoob state. These negotiations resulted in a signed international treaty which was never ratified by either party. The Maya state had extensive trade relations with the British colony of British Honduras , and its military was substantially larger than the garrison and militia in the British colony. In contrast to the Yucatecans and the Mexicans, the British found it both practical and profitable to maintain good relations with

3192-453: The Maya free state for some years. All this changed after the Maya laid siege to and conquered Bacalar , originally the Mayan holy city of Bak Halal (meaning 'decanting water'). They killed many British citizens, along with the entire Yucatec Creole garrison. It is unclear why the commanding general ordered a wholesale slaughter of the garrison. Regardless of his motives, this action frightened

3276-468: The Maya language as Yucatec or Yucatec Maya to distinguish it from other Mayan languages . This norm has often been misinterpreted to mean that the people are also called Yucatec Maya; that term refers to only the language, and the correct name for the people is simply Maya (not Mayans). (Yucatec) Maya is one language in the Mayan language family. Confusion of the term Maya/Mayan as an ethnic label occurs because Maya women who use traditional dress identify by

3360-458: The Maya years and cycles; advice to pregnant women; and descriptions of Maya family life. The Songs of Dzitbalché is a collection of songs, prayers and ritual speeches. This collection includes traditional girls' songs, prayers for seating images, and other traditions. The Ritual of the Bakabs is usually translated as a collection of medical texts. The first half of the book is comparable to

3444-554: The Mayas in the name of countering "communist subversion" and ridding the country of its indigenous culture. This was also known as Operation Sofia. Within Operation Sofia, the military followed through with "scorched earth policies" which allowed them to destroy whole villages, including killing livestock, destroying cultural symbols, destroying crops, and murdering civilians. In some areas, government forces killed about 40% of

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3528-400: The Mexican army in the early years of the 20th century. Mexican occupation did not end resistance by the indigenous Maya, who continued to conduct guerrilla attacks against the Mexicans under the leadership of General Francisco May . In 1935, General May signed a formal peace treaty with the government of Mexico. Various treaties with Mexico called the "Letters of General May" were signed by

3612-674: The Sky). Chakoob (Angels) are God's active force, who manifest his will on earth and can be petitioned for aid. There are 1, 4, 5, 6, or 7 chakoob , one for each direction addressed in a particular ritual. The directions are color-coded according to their chakoob . East is red, north is white, west is black, south is yellow, sky is blue, earth is green and the center is clear. Feminine spirits including Kiichpam Kolel (Beautiful Grandmother) and U Kolel Cab , (Grandmother Earth or Guadelupe) are autonomous and can be petitioned for good through prayers before their cross or image. Patrilineal ancestors such as

3696-598: The Toj Kʼicheʼ rulers of Rabinal, and their relationships with neighboring Kʼicheʼ of Qʼumarkaj . The Rabinal Achí is performed during the Rabinal festival of January 25, the day of Saint Paul . It was declared a masterpiece of oral tradition of humanity by UNESCO in 2005. The 16th century saw the first native-born Guatemalan writers that wrote in Spanish . There is often a relationship between cultural heritage, tourism, and

3780-544: The Twenty Patrons of the days of the 260-day Sacred Round; the four Yearbearers of the 365-day year; the Ahauoob of the 360-day year; and the K'atun . Ik'oob (Spirits) can be petitioned for good or ill, but K'asal Ik'oob' (Evil Spirits) are chaotic and must be both exorcized before any ritual can begin and appeased before any ritual can end. The Cruzoob movement has two great annual festivals, both descended from

3864-654: The Yucateco Creoles. The descendants of this short-lived Maya free state and those who live like them are now commonly known as Cruzoob . The State of the Cross was proclaimed in 1849 in Xocén, a south-eastern satellite of modern Valladolid , where the Proclamation of Juan de la Cruz ( John of the Cross ) was first read to the people. The capital, Noh Kah Balam Nah Chan Santa Cruz, was founded in about 1850 near

3948-423: The Yucatán failed. His son, Francisco de Montejo the Younger, fared almost as badly when he first took over: while invading Chichen Itza, he lost 150 men in a single day. European diseases, massive recruitment of native warriors from Campeche and Champoton, and internal hatred between the Xiu Maya and the lords of Cocom eventually turned the tide for Montejo the Younger. Chichen Itza was conquered by 1570. In 1542,

4032-447: The books of Chilam Balam of Chumayel and Tizimin and contains Maya songs, advice, prayers and ritual speeches. These texts include ones concerning: the Maya Pontiff; the Chiuoh lineage; seers and novice diviners; a midwife's prayer; and a renewal prayer for the divining seeds. The second half of this book is comparable to the second half of the Chilam Balam of Kauá and Maya herbals, and similarly contains mostly herbal or medical remedies for

4116-436: The course of the succeeding centuries a series of land displacements, re-settlements, persecutions and migrations resulted in a wider dispersal of Qʼeqchiʼ communities, into other regions of Guatemala (Izabal, Petén, El Quiché). They are the second-largest ethnic Maya group in Guatemala (after the Kʼicheʼ) and one of the largest and most widespread throughout Central America. In Guatemala, the Spanish colonial pattern of keeping

4200-464: The distinct populations, societies and ethnic groups because they each had their own particular traditions, cultures and historical identity. It is estimated that seven million Maya were living in this area at the start of the 21st century. Guatemala , southern Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula , Belize , El Salvador , and western Honduras have managed to maintain numerous remnants of their ancient cultural heritage. Some are quite integrated into

4284-409: The eastern Maya, now identified as Uiz'oob (meaning 'loincloths'), rose up in a general revolt which nearly drove the Yucatecos entirely out of Chan Santa Cruz. This uprising, called La Guerra de las Castas by the Mexicans, reached its high tide in 1848. It resulted in the independence of the old Itzá Maya state that would become Chan Santa Cruz. The former Xiu Maya state remained in the hands of

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4368-404: The ethnic term mestiza and not Maya. Persons use a strategy of ethnic identification that Juan Castillo Cocom refers to as "ethnoexodus"—meaning that ethnic self-identification as Maya is quite variable, situational, and articulated not to processes of producing group identity, but of escaping from discriminatory processes of sociocultural marginalization. The Yucatán's indigenous population

4452-434: The expense of local tradition and meanings. An example of this can be seen in "Mayanizing Tourism on Roatan Island, Honduras: Archaeological Perspectives on Heritage, Development, and Indignity." Alejandro J. Figueroa et al., combine archaeological data and ethnographic insights to explore a highly contested tourism economy in their discussion of how places on Roatan Island, Honduras, have become increasingly "Mayanized" over

4536-405: The government for granting their rights to land. In the decades that followed the government carried out numerous programs to keep the problems in the region under control, using land distribution as a political tool; as a way of ensuring loyalty from different campesino groups. This strategy of divide and rule led to great disaffection and tensions among population groups in the region. (see also

4620-601: The handling of the case. The ex-president appeared in court again on January 5, 2015, amongst protest from his lawyers regarding his health conditions and on August 25, 2015, it was deliberated that a re-trial of the 2013 proceedings could find Ríos Montt guilty or not, but that the sentence would be suspended. Ríos Montt died on April 1, 2018, of a heart attack. The Maya people are known for their brightly colored, yarn -based, textiles that are woven into capes, shirts, blouses, huipiles and dresses. Each village has its own distinctive pattern, making it possible to distinguish

4704-445: The household crosses, there are special lineage crosses for important lines, four guardian crosses at the entrances to town, and other crosses that guard sinkholes and wells. The Maya Cruzoob religion in the 21st century is quite mixed in practice: some followers devoted exclusively to the indigenous church and its ritual calendar, while other followers are exclusively or partially Roman Catholic, Protestant or Evangelical. The shrines of

4788-421: The indigenous texts. The Maya elders who participated in this project, including Juan Na Chi Kokom, former leader of the Itza' state in eastern Yucatan, were most likely willing volunteers who thought the project was a way to preserve Maya culture and religion. After the project was anathematized by the Roman Church , the former Maya collaborators collected and reconstructed as much as they could. They assembled

4872-659: The inhabitants. Due to this, the cultural section of the government of Yucatán began on-line classes for grammar and proper pronunciation of Maya. Maya people from Yucatán Peninsula living in the United States of America have been organizing Maya language lessons and Maya cooking classes since 2003 in California and other states: clubs of Yucatec Maya are registered in Dallas and Irving, Texas ; Salt Lake City in Utah; Las Vegas, Nevada ; and California , with groups in San Francisco; San Rafael; Chino; Pasadena; Santa Ana; Garden Grove; Inglewood; Los Angeles; Thousand Oaks; Oxnard; San Fernando Valley and Whittier. Maya language

4956-474: The largest concentration is in Petén . This period is characterized by urbanisation, the emergence of independent city-states , and contact with other Mesoamerican cultures. This lasted until approximately 900 AD, when the Classic Maya civilization collapsed . The Maya abandoned many of the cities of the central lowlands or were killed by a drought-induced famine . The 36-year-long Guatemalan Civil War from 1960 to 1996 left more than 200,000 people dead,

5040-531: The largest scale movement of goods, services, and people in history and a significant catalyst for economic development and sociopolitical change. Estimated that between 35 and 40 per cent of tourism today is represented by cultural tourism or heritage tourism, this alternative to mass tourism offers opportunities for place-based engagement that frames context for interaction by the lived space and everyday life of other peoples, as well as sites and objects of global historical significance. In this production of tourism

5124-410: The leaders of the indigenous state through the late 1930s and 1940s. Following General May's death, the remaining Maya officials initiated contact with the United States government through the archaeologist and American spy Sylvanus Morley . One notable aspect of the Maya free state was the reappearance of Maya religion in a partly syncretic form, sometimes called "The Cult of The Talking Cross". This

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5208-497: The majority westernised mestizo cultures of the nations in which they reside, while others continue a more traditional, culturally distinct life, often speaking one of the Mayan languages as a primary language . One of the largest groups of Maya live in the Yucatan Peninsula, which includes the Mexican states of Yucatán State , Campeche , and Quintana Roo as well as the nation of Belize . These people identify themselves as "Maya" with no further ethnic subdivision (unlike in

5292-400: The materials into a loose collection of texts, which is now known as the Books of Chilam Balam . Existing copies of portions of these Books of Chilam Balam ('Spokesman of the Patron') present evidence for distinct Xiu and Itza' versions. Usually translated as a collection of historical and mythological texts, this book contains a great deal of information on the ancient Maya Calendar and

5376-415: The name of the locality attested at the time of the 16th century arrival of the Spanish . Lake Bacalar , a lagoon, is on the east side of the town. Bacalar was a city of the Maya civilization in Pre-Columbian times, and was founded in 415 A.D. with the name of "Sian Ka'an Bakhalal". It was the first city in the region that the Spanish Conquistadores succeeded in taking and holding, in 1543 (during

5460-523: The native population legally separate and subservient continued well into the 20th century. This resulted in many traditional customs being retained, as the only other option than traditional Maya life open to most Maya was entering the westeren culture at the very bottom rung. Because of this many Guatemalan Maya, especially women, continue to wear traditional clothing, that varies according to their specific local identity. The southeastern region of Guatemala (bordering with Honduras ) includes groups such as

5544-427: The old Iz'a territories. These lands included the eastern, central, and southern portions of the Yucatán peninsula, extending from Cape Catoche down towards what is now northwestern Belize and northeastern Guatemala . From the late 1850s through 1893, the United Kingdom recognized the Maya free state as a de facto independent nation, even sponsoring treaty negotiations between the Mexican Hispanic Yucateco state and

5628-432: The oldest and most impoverished of the community, having distributed most of their personal property to finance associated community festivals. Religious officials include or have included: Civil officials include or have included: Military forces were led by Ahau K'atun Kiuik , also called General de la Plaza , the supreme commander of Maya military forces. This position was held by several different individuals. There

5712-411: The past decade. As tour operators and developers continue to invent an idealized Maya past for the island, non-Maya archaeological remains and cultural patrimony are constantly being threatened and destroyed. While heritage tourism provides economic opportunities for some, it can devalue contributions made by less familiar groups. Bacalar Bacalar ( Spanish: [bakaˈlaɾ] )

5796-406: The priests who maintained it. Contents of the Books of Chilam Balam include: daily reminders for diviners; natal charts for each day; rituals associated with each day; direction for the selection, training and initiation of Maya calendar priests; a Maya rosary prayer and a divination prayer; details of sacrifices at the sacred well of Chichen Itza and other self-sacrifices; pilgrimage places;

5880-413: The sanctuaries of the southern province, such as Lake Petén Itzá . General Martín de Ursúa invaded and sacked Nojpetén , the Itzá island capital, on March 13, 1697. The province of Uaan remained largely unknown to the Spanish, but its provincial capital of Chable (meaning 'anteater') was mentioned several times in the books of Chilam Balam as a cycle seat. The Spanish conquered the western half of

5964-413: The second half of the 16th century, he began a Mayan encyclopedia project. He intended to collect the prayers, orations, commentaries, and descriptions of native life as aids to the Spanish overthrow of Maya culture in general and the Maya religion, specifically. Diego de Landa's famous Relación de las cosas de Yucatán contains much of the Spanish explanatory text of this encyclopedia without quoting any of

6048-524: The south. The regional capitals in Bak Halal, Chun Pom, Vigia Chico, and Tulum were probably laid out on the same plan as the capital. At its greatest extent, from the 1860s through the 1890s, the Chan Santa Cruz state encompassed all of the southern and central parts of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo . Alongside associated buffer and splinter groups, this state was the core of a broader indigenous independence movement that controlled virtually all of

6132-590: The state's rural medical system. He was the first governor of the modern Yucatán Peninsula to be of full Maya ancestry. In the early 21st century, dozens of politicians, including deputies, mayors and senators, are of full or mixed Maya heritage from the Yucatán Peninsula. According to the National Institute of Geography and Informatics (Mexico's INEGI ), in Yucatán State there were 1.2 million Mayan speakers in 2009, representing just under 60% of

6216-551: The tiny British colonial establishment in neighboring British Honduras. The British Government assigned Sir Spenser St. John to disentangle Her Majesty's Government from indigenous free states and from the Chan Santa Cruz state in particular. In 1893, the British Government signed the Spenser Mariscal Treaty , which ceded all of the independent Mayan state's lands to Mexico. At around the same era,

6300-526: The total population; the campaign destroyed at least 626 Mayan villages. On January 26, 2012, former president Ríos Montt was formally indicted in Guatemala for overseeing the massacre of 1,771 civilians of the Ixil Maya group and appeared in court for genocide and crimes against humanity for which he was then sentenced to 80 years in prison on May 10, 2013. This ruling was overturned by the constitutional court on May 20, 2013, over alleged irregularities in

6384-520: The two annual festivals of the pre-Columbian Maya. U K'in Crus (The Day of The Cross) is the ancient Maya New (365-day) Year Festival and U K'in Kolel (The Feast of Our Grandmother, Guadelupe), is the ancient Maya New (360-day) Year Festival. The Crusoob also celebrate a Mass and Novenas, which always include offerings of corn tortillas and often feature tamales , meat, fruit, atole , pepper, chocolate,

6468-471: The use of historic symbols, signs, and topics form a new side that characterizes a nation and can play an active role in nation building. With this type of tourism, people argue that ethno-commerce may open unprecedented opportunities for creating value of various kinds. Tourists travel with cultural expectations, which has created a touristic experience sometimes faced with the need to invent traditions of artificial and contrived attractions, often developed at

6552-548: The western Yucatán Peninsula also surrendered to him. Historically, the population in the eastern half of the peninsula was less affected by and less integrated than the western half. In the 21st century in the Yucatán Peninsula (Mexican states of Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo), between 750,000 and 1,200,000 people speak Mayan. However, three times more than that are of Maya origins, hold ancient Maya surnames, and do not speak Mayan languages as their first language. Matthew Restall , in his book The Maya Conquistador , mentions

6636-535: The western highlands where they make up the majority of populations in the departments of Baja Verapaz , Quiché , Totonicapán , Huehuetenango , Quetzaltenango , and San Marcos . The Maya people of the Guatemala highlands include the Achi , Akatek , Chuj , Ixil , Jakaltek , Kaqchikel , Kʼicheʼ , Mam , Poqomam , Poqomchiʼ , Qʼanjobʼal , Qʼeqchiʼ , Tzʼutujil and Uspantek . The Qʼeqchiʼ live in lowland areas of Alta Vera Paz, Peten, and Western Belize. Over

6720-527: Was first exposed to Europeans after a party of Spanish shipwreck survivors came ashore in 1511. One of the sailors, Gonzalo Guerrero , is reported to have taken up with a local woman and started a family; he became a war captain in the Postclassic Mayan state of Chetumal . Later Spanish expeditions to the region were led by Córdoba in 1517, Grijalva in 1518, and Cortés in 1519. From 1528 to 1540, several attempts by Francisco Montejo to conquer

6804-455: Was formed by members of this group, and today's Maya are generally descended from people who lived within that historical region. Today they inhabit southern Mexico , Guatemala , Belize , and westernmost El Salvador and Honduras . "Maya" is a modern collective term for the peoples of the region; however, the term was not historically used by the indigenous populations themselves. There was no common sense of identity or political unity among

6888-546: Was likely a continuation of native beliefs that reemerged when the Spanish colonists' civil war released the Maya from the Yucatán Hispanic population's religious repression. The indigenous priests had maintained their ancient religious texts and their spiritual knowledge, as they continue to do today. When Friar Jacobo de Testera arrived, leading the first of the Franciscan Missions to the Maya in

6972-399: Was the katun when they founded the cah of Mayapan; they were [thus] called Maya men. In 8 Ahau their lands were destroyed and they were scattered throughout the peninsula. Six katun after they were destroyed they ceased to be called Maya; 11 Ahau was the name of the katun when the Maya men ceased to be called Maya [and] were called Christians." Chilam Balam Chumayel Linguists refer to

7056-732: Was victorious at Valladolid and Iz'amal. The second General of the North was Venancio Pec, who served from 1849 to 1852. The first General of the South was Jacinto Pat, who served from 1847 until his assassination in December 1849, and who was victorious at Peto, Tekax, and Tikul. The second General of the South was Florentino Chan, who served from 1849 to 1852. Other military ranks have included Ah K'atun (Captain) and K'atun (Private or Soldier). Maya peoples The Maya ( / ˈ m aɪ ə / ) are an ethnolinguistic group of indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica . The ancient Maya civilization

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