1 Ajaw 8 Wo’: Drawing by Jorge Pérez de Lara
1 Ajaw 8 Wo’ (April 28, 2023)
Momentum is Building!
The Maya Renaissance in Las Margaritas, Chiapas,
and our fundraiser for the Fifth Congreso
Kicks Off to a Great Start!
Please check out our Support page and video or our GoFundMe page!
https://www.gofundme.com/f/MAMCongreso2023
It is the auspicious day of 1 Ajaw, the namesake for Junajpu, the Hero Twin from the Popol Vuj who emerged victorious with his brother from the underworld. Tonight, Venus burns brightly in the evening sky, preparing to pass the Earth in its orbit as it appears to turn towards the sun in July, just in time for the Fifth International Congreso on Ancient Maya Writing, from July 10-15 in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas. Like Junajpu, Venus will then re-emerge victorious as Morning Star in mid-August.
We are extremely grateful for all of the support and donations that are coming in every day this past week! Thank you to all of our generous donors who are making this historic event possible. We look forward to updating you all on further details about the Congreso as they become available.
This month, we are also happy to publish a report from Avenamar López Gómez from Las Margaritas, Chiapas, who taught an workshop for Tojol-ab’al young people involving the reading and writing of both Tojol-ab’al language in combination with the Maya hiroglyphic script.
Las Margaritas is not far from where the Fifth Congreso will take place in San Cristóbal de las Casas, and this workshop is precisely the kind of event made possible by the Congreso, where participants in the Congresos like Avenamar will be able to bring back what they learn into their communities as a means for speakers of many diverse Mayan languages to take pride in their languages, their cultures, and the shared Mesoamerican history of Maya people from thousands of years ago. In this case, the Tojol-ab’al in Las Margaritas, Chiapas are one of several language groups in Chiapas that will have greater access to workshops like this in the future as a result of the upcoming Congreso.
Stay tuned as we bring you more details about the upcoming Congreso and thank you all for you ongoing support and encouragement!
Tzachatal,
Michael J. Grofe, President
MAM
Tojol-ab’al students in Las Margaritas present their work
Tojol-ab’al Reading and Writing Workshop
with an Introduction to the Ojer Maya Tz’ib’
Lic. Avenamar López Gómez
22 and 23 of September, 2022
Telescundaria 1194 Ignacio José de Allende High School
Ignacio Allende, Las Margaritas, Chiapas
With the aim of continuing to promote and raise awareness among young Tojol-ab’al Maya, a workshop was held that bears the name “Tojol-ab’al Reading and Writing Workshop with an Introduction to Ojer Maya Ts’ib’.” It was carried out at the facilities of the Telesecundaria 1194 Ignacio José de Allende school in the Municipality of Las Margaritas, Chiapas, with young Tojol-ab’ales of the third grade group “B”, carrying out the activities on September 22 and 23, 2022.
It is worth mentioning that the workshop was a very personal work experience, working with a group of young people who still have the motivation to learn about their cultural identity. Thanks to the workshop, an important part of it was shared through Tojol-ab’al writing and Ancient Maya writing hand in hand as a culture that has much richness in the Tojol-ab’al Mayan peoples.
Students learning the Maya syllabary
On September 22, work was done with the Maya students on Tojol-ab’al spelling and its use in reading and writing. Teaching materials were used in the classroom so that the youth had the appropriate work tools for their environment. It is worth mentioning that such materials contain words in Tojol-ab’al and Spanish; that is to say, that it is bilingual just as they are: lotteries, puzzles, word games and the cube; all of them related to their environment.
Students study images related to Tojol-ab’al words
The Mayan youth had the opportunity to carry out all the programmed activities with the teaching materials, which in turn was very fun and practical for their teaching of reading and writing. Likewise, with the use of the Tojol-ab’al alphabet, the youngsters made the construction of words that in their case were the names of some household objects or part of nature.
Students study Tojol-ab’al writing
Tojol-ab’al students in traditional dress present their work
On September 23, the second class was carried out with the young people, where the explanation of Ancient Maya writing and its relationship with the Tojol-ab’al culture was provided, in order to make them aware of the relationship that they have with their culture, this being the same one that has prevailed years ago and that today is still valid in the new generations. The young people wrote with the use of the Maya syllabary and the Tojol-ab’al alphabet, joining the two for the conformation of words in their mother tongue and likewise in the Maya hieroglyphic writing, the young people wrote on large sheets of paper. They decorated them and gave an explanation of why they chose those words and their importance to continue to prevail in their writings and above all in their culture as young Tojol-ab’al Maya.