Waykan teaching at Academy of Maya Languages, Guatemala

Waykan, left, with advanced students at the Congress of Maya Epigraphers, Valladolid, 2013

Dear MAM,

After participating in the Congress of Maya Epigraphers in the City of Valladolid, we resumed the planned activities of teaching Maya epigraphy to different groups in the Pokomam Linguistic Community. During the months before the Congress, a group of teachers had met in the towns of Palín, Chinautla, San Luis Jilotepeque, Chuarrancho and San Pedro Ayampuc; after the Congress two more groups met in the municipality of Palín. Of these last two groups, one was composed of members enrolled in the Academy of Maya Languages of the municipality of Palín and the second were students of the “tercero básico grado” of the Center for Bilingual Education Qawinaqel, also in Palín. In this last group were youths, boys and girls, ages 14, 15, and 16. Continue reading →

Activities by Clemente Peneleu since returning home from the Congreso de Epigrafistas Mayas in Valladolid, Mexico. In his own words:

Workshop

Workshop on Maya calendar from the codices, given to spiritual guides and other individuals who share the love of the culture of the ancestors. This workshop took place in the town of San Juan de La Laguna, department of Sololá, Guatemala. The activity was celebrated September 30, 2012. The participant were very appreciative and planned other workshops for later. It is with great pleasure we are working with our own people. Continue reading →

In a previous blog (11 Ajaw 3 Muwan, January 10, 2013), we reported on two events in Cobán, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, organized by Marina Rosales, Yudy Mo’ Isem, and Mario Sebastián Caal Jucub, all participants at the 2012 Congreso in Valladolid. The response to these two workshops was so powerful that they organized a third event, which we bring to you here.

The mission was beautifully and succinctly stated:

Strengthen Maya identity by taking ownership of ancient Maya writing; for teachers and specialists that work in education within the Maya communities.

The opening prayer of the Third Cobán Event of December 4 and 5, 2012. The ceremony was intercultural (Maya-Catholic).

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Our long-time friend and colleague has been recognized in his own country for his life-time achievements in strengthening Maya culture. We are proud to be part of this achievement. MAM (formerly Friends of the Maya) sponsored many visits by Crisanto to the Maya Meetings in Texas, and Crisanto was co-organizer of our hugely successful Congreso de Epigrafistas Mayas held in Valldolid, Yucatan, in 2012. Below are excerpts from the local press coverage of this event and links to read the entire articles.

El Lic. Crisanto Kumul Chan, recibió la medalla “Pánfilo Novelo Martín”, en el Congreso del Estado, hoy miércoles 9 de enero de 2013.

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Thanks to the generosity of the KARON WINZENZ $1,000 MATCHING GRANT* and the MARLA AND BUDDY PERKEL $1,000 MATCHING GRANT every dollar you send us will be matched one-for-one until we reach our total goal of $4,000.

FOR THESE MATCHING GIFTS
DONATE $25 AND WE EARN $50!
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Donate now,
WE CAN DO THIS FOR OUR MAYA COLLEAGUES!

Antonio Cuxil being interviewed by Maya television, Antonio/Hector/Lolmay 2009-2010.

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In November of last year we received this report from Alfredo Hau, former student of Crisanto Kumul and Valladolid congreso participant in the advanced workshop. The following is his report.

“Between August and October, 2012, I (José Alfredo Hau Caamal) took part in a project regarding care of the cultural legacy in communities close to the archaeological site of Chichén Itzá, in which we included activities such as epigraphy. The project consisted of offering workshops about the way to care for the cultural legacy, including Maya hieroglyphs.

So as to gain a better understanding, the children were taught to write their names using the ancient Maya script. In order to do this, we used the Maya syllabary; they were first offered a brief explanation concerning the use of the writing system; then, they were offered the required materials and they embarked on their own discovery of the way of writing with this system, helped by an instructor.

The workshops were held in the community of Pisté Tinum, Xkopteil, Chankom and Sotuta.

Students of the Jacinto Canek school from the Pisté Tinum community and José Alfredo Hau Caamal.

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Guatemalan participants from the Valladolid Congreso have been active in Cobán, organizing and presenting workshops on glyphs and the calendar. Marina Rosales López, Yudy Mo’ Isem, and Mario Sebastián Caal Jucub have taken the initiative and dedicated themselves to bringing Maya glyphs and the calendar to the Mayan-speaking communities of Alta Verapaz. MAM colleagues Sebastián Si and Leonel Pacay, who were also in Valladolid, assisted during one of the workshops.

Event 1 took place on September 27, 2012, for 30 personnel from the Guatemalan Department of Education. The agenda is presented below. The principle objective? Strengthen Maya identity by taking ownership of ancient Maya writing; for teachers and specialists that work in education within the Maya communities.

Evento I

Inducción sobre “Escritura Maya Antigua”, dirigido a Equipo Técnico de la DIDEDUC  A.V.,  ALMG C.L. Q’EQCHI’, y docentes líderes.

FECHA: 27 de septiembre del 2,012 (Lajeeb’  Tz’ikin)
LUGAR: Hotel Don Francisco, Cobán Alta Verapaz.
HORARIO: 8:00 a 16:00 horas.
PARTICIPANTES: 25 personas, del Equipo Técnico DIDEDUC-ALMG y docentes.
RESPONSABLES: DIGEBI, DIDEDUC, ALMG C.L.Q’.
OBJETIVOS: Continue reading →

Dear reader,

For this auspicious date, 4 Ajaw 3 K’ank’in (13.0.0.0.0), it is appropriate to publish a Maya point of view. The following is a partial translation into English of a Maya manifesto by the Guatemalan group known as the Collective for the Revitalization of Maya Science.

Here appears the title page, followed by a page of participating organizations, and then the English translation. To download the original manifesto in Spanish, click here.

See you next era.

Oxlajuj B’ak’tun
The Change of the Cycle and its Significance from the Maya Point of View
by
Collective for the Revitalization of Maya Science

Continue reading →

Dear readers,

Our long-time colleague Ajpub’ Pablo García Ixmatá has given us a report on his activities since returning from the congreso in Valladolid. Workshop themes have been Epigraphy for Beginners, Maya Calendars, and the topic Thirteen Bak’tun.

Participants have included:

• 100 men and women Maya leaders in Chichicastenango, El Quiché.
• 150 community and village leaders from Cunen, El Quiché.
• 20 columnists from the written press.
• 20 columnists from TV Maya.
• 125 Tz’utijiil leaders including Ajq’ijab and Iyomab’.
• 1500 teachers of the Teachers’ Union of the Department of Sololá.
• 1300 Kaqchikel, Tz’utujiil and Spanish–speaking students from the school district of San Lucas Tolimán.
• 40 students from the INGEP, University Rafael Landivar.
• 60 students from the EDP course at the University Rafael Landivar.
• 70 men and women community leaders from Zacualpa, Quiché.

Sample photos:

Quiché diocese, held in Chichicastenango.

Continue reading →

As we move forward into the future of community glyph workshops, lectures and curricula in schools, the most important requirement that is missing, next to monetary support, is good material in Spanish. For this reason, we want to bring to the attention of all our Spanish-speaking readers the availability of hundreds of Spanish language articles, informes, and reference materials on Mesoweb.com.

Continue reading →