Invitación Promocional al taller Úuchben Maya Ts’íib
5 Ahaw 13 Wo’ (3 de mayo de 2022) Úuchben Maya Ts’íib: Un Taller en Línea con Omar Alejandro Chan May
Ya hemos llegado al mes de mayo cuando el fin de la estación seca finalmente da paso a la llegada de las lluvias y la época de siembra en tierras mayas. Este mes, escuchamos a Omar Alejandro Chan May, quien ofreció un taller en línea semanal gratuito del 23 de febrero al 23 de marzo de este año titulado “Úuchben Maya Ts’íib”, patrocinado por MAM como parte de nuestro programa de mini-becas para el aprendizaje en línea iniciado el año pasado. Omar comparte con nosotros la sesión introductoria que grabó con sus alumnos tanto en español como en màaya t’àan. Hemos agregado este video a nuestro canal de YouTube MAM para todos los interesados en verlo, y agradecemos a Omar y a todos los participantes del taller por compartirlo con nosotros.
Esperamos proporcionar recursos de video en línea adicionales de talleres como este en el futuro, y también esperamos ofrecer una vez más mini-becas para talleres en persona a medida que finalmente se levanten las restricciones de la pandemia. Además, esperamos poder finalmente fijar una fecha para el Congreso el próximo año..
Estén atentos y que los próximos meses traigan abundante lluvia para nuestros amigos mayas y alivio para todos nosotros de los últimos dos años de la pandemia.
4 Ajaw 18 Kumk’u (March 24, 2022) The Maya Hieroglyphic Database Online: Revolutionizing Access and Democratizing Decipherment
Today, we find ourselves on a day 4 Ajaw in the winal of Kumk’u, echoing the familiar base date of the Long Count itself on 4 Ajaw 8 Kumk’u, several thousand years ago. Depending on the calendar correlation we use, we are also just about a week away from the date of the Classic Haab New Year on 0 Pop—a day which continuously rotates through the seasons by one day earlier every four years.
It is important to mention that the ways in which different Maya people have celebrated and commemorated the new year itself have varied at different times and places, and that the Classic Haab New Year of 0 Pop is not the same thing as the beginning of the agricultural year or cycle that I mentioned last month, which is more closely tied to the seasons and evident in several Maya groups. I had an important conversation with Hector Xol following my last blog about the evidence for the agricultural new year, and I realized that I should have explained a bit more about the variations in the ways that living Maya people recognize different new year celebrations, and how citing only non-Maya anthropologists and archaeologists can come across as arrogantly ignoring the voices of living Maya people.
Of course, as outsiders who rely on partial accounts from the ethnographic and epigraphic records, we must always be cautious to avoid asserting that there was just one “correct” way that Maya people celebrated new cycle events in different times and places. Maya people speak some 30 different languages, each with their own variations on the yearly calendar, and with differing amounts of overlap. We must also remember that there are many living Maya people who continue to keep their traditions very much alive, and they need not change them to conform to any one, reconstructed version from epigraphers or archaeologists. I find that it is from the dialogue between us that we all stand to benefit, and both Maya and non-Maya scholars have much to contribute and learn from one another in our collective exploration and understanding of the past.
Indeed, what we know of the Classic Maya Haab calendar is that it drifted throughout the year by one day every four years. With the imposition of the European calendar, the various different yearly calendars among different Maya peoples became frozen to the tropical year at specific times and places. Yet, agricultural traditions certainly persisted, and the 260-day count continued among several Maya groups, as it continues today.
While we may see slight differences in correlation when we look at astronomical evidence from the inscriptions, such as the potential eclipse reference from Santa Elena Poco Uinic, I don’t think that this conflicting information should cause anyone to abandon their traditional counts. It is not anyone’s place as an outsider to tell another how they should or shouldn’t observe their traditions. Instead, I take it as my role as an epigrapher, an archaeoastronomer, and a teacher to ask questions, look at the evidence, and to help collaborate on figuring things out, while also working with living Maya people, learning from them, and helping them to learn about and access information about the Maya past so that they, too, can contribute to the field while also maintaining and nurturing their own special connection to their own past, their own languages, and their own cultural traditions. Sometimes, I may stumble awkwardly, as we all do, but I remain committed to these goals.
In that regard, I am very happy to announce the recent release of the online Maya Hieroglyphic Database! This project stands to revolutionize and democratize decipherment by providing free access to the entire corpus of Maya inscriptions in a single, searchable database. This project was first initiated by Martha Macri and Matthew Looper at the University of California, Davis, and it has spanned four decades of work. With major contributions by Ruth Krochock, Yuriy Polyukhovych, and Gabrielle Vail, it has been a collective effort and collaboration among many contributors. For the past 21 years, I have had privileged access to the database as a research assistant, preparing images and contributing along with many others as a coder, and it was through this work that I learned to read and decipher Maya glyphs. I continue to use the database regularly in my research, and I am thrilled that it is finally available for everyone to use!
Currently housed at California State University, Chico under director Matthew Looper, the database is necessarily a work in progress, in that newly discovered inscriptions continue to be added, including unpublished inscriptions found only in museums. Likewise, the database makes collaborative decipherment much easier, while the process of decipherment is an ongoing process as errors are corrected, and new insights provide new decipherments.
The database now holds 207,539 separate grapheme entries, and 85,565 individual glyph block entries, including texts from the monumental inscriptions, the vases, and three of the surviving codices. It includes a searchable catalog of glyphs, as well as individual databases for separate searches in the Classic inscriptions and the codices, both by glyph block, and by individual grapheme.
You can access the Maya Hieroglyphic Database at the following address:
Please note that the MHD is only for desktop or laptop computers, and not yet available as a mobile application.
First, you will need to log in and verify your login through your email. Be sure to look in your spam folder in case the verification email is sent there.
You can find some helpful users guides and videos that Matthew Looper has posted at the following blog:
I will provide an introductory search guide with screenshots below.
As it stands, the database is currently only available in English, and one of the next phases of the project will be to create a Spanish-language version that will allow many Maya people more immediate access. This will be a huge undertaking, and through a potential collaboration between the MHD and MAM, we hope to contribute to the release of the Spanish-language version of the database online in the future.
If you do notice any errors or have any questions about how the database works, please feel free to reach out to Matthew Looper:
In addition, I would be more than happy to help answer any questions you may have about how to use the database. Please feel free to reach out to me as well:
As a simple introduction to the database, we can begin with the a specific monument. Given that I contributed my drawing of Copan Stela A to the database, let me show you how to search for that text. On the home page, click on “Search Texts and/or Catalog” and scroll down to the bottom of the drop-down menu to click on “Classic – Graphemes”. This will give you a glyph by glyph analysis and familiarize you with the catalog codes. Alternately, choosing “Classic –Blocks” will provide reading based on entire glyph blocks.
In the upper left corner of the search page, click “Select”, and a search tab opens up with “objabbr” and “Contains” already selected for you. Click where it says “objabbr”, and select “objsiteorig” (object site origin) from the drop-down menu. Then where it says “Keyword” write in “Copan” and click “Add”.
Then, go to the drop-down menu again and select “objname” (object name), and where it says “Keyword” write in “Stela A” and click “Add”.
Go to the upper left of the search tab and click “Select”, and then the entire text of Copan Stela A will appear as text data.
Clicking on the top line will take you to the beginning of the text, with drawings of the glyph blocks, transcription of the each of the graphemes, and grapheme codes (gr code) that can be used to search in the catalog and in the rest of the database. Scrolling down, you will see chronological information containing the Maya dates and calendrical data, all of which are searchable.
Beneath the drawing of the glyph block, a low resolution image of the monument is included.
If you click “Search Catalog” then it will bring you to a helpful catalog page for this specific glyph, including references and other examples, but note that you will lose your place within the text of Stela A and have to re-initiate the search to return to your place.
Pages of the catalog for the glyph ZHE “tzi”
Resuming with the text for Copan Stela A, clicking on the right arrow at the top of the frame will take you to the next grapheme in the glyph block, and then to subsequent glyph blocks.
Noting under the category “semantic” in this first glyph block, we see “ISIG/Kumk’u”, since this is the Initial Series Introductory Glyph with the Haab patron for the winal of Kumk’u. If you now want to search for all of the examples of the ISIG throughout the inscriptions, it is easier to do this by going back to the home page and selecting “Classic – Blocks”. This way, it will not take as long to load so many individual grapheme records. Then return to the upper left corner of the search page, click “Select”, and a search tab opens up again. Click where it says “objabbr”, and select “blsem” (block semantic) on the drop-down menu. Then where it says “Keyword” write in “ISIG”, and click “Add”. Click “Select” and then all of the examples of the ISIG throughout the inscriptions will appear! Clicking on the top line will show you the ISIG from Aguateca Stela 3. Note that some have not yet been drawn, but most are included.
Note that it will load only 50 examples at a time, but scrolling down will add on the next 50 after waiting a few seconds. It will take a minute or so to load all 618 examples of the ISIG from the entire corpus.
If you want to sort all of the examples of the ISIG by long count date, then simply go back to the upper right corner of the data page, click on “objlc” (object long count), and it will sort all of these examples chronologically by their long count dates. Voilà!
For a more specific search for only those ISIG with the patron of Kumk’u, you could include just “ISIG/Kumk’u” in the “blsem” category, or you could additionally select ISIG glyphs by site under “objsiteorig”.
The possibilities are endless, and using this powerful new tool will help users become more proficient at reading and understanding Maya writing. Furthermore, it can lead you to identify new patterns that can lead to new insights and new decipherments!
Enjoy!!
If you wish to make a tax-deductible donation in any amount to support the MHD, please use this secure link:
4 Ajaw 18 Kumk’u (24 de marzo de 2022) La Base de Datos de Jeriglíficos Mayas en Línea: Revolucionando el acceso y democratizando el desciframiento
Hoy, nos encontramos en un día 4 Ajaw en el winal de Kumk’u, haciéndose eco de la fecha base familiar de la propia Cuenta Larga en 4 Ajaw 8 Kumk’u, hace varios miles de años. Dependiendo de la correlación de calendario que usemos, también estamos a una semana de la fecha del año nuevo clásico de haab en 0 Pop, un día que rota continuamente a través de las estaciones un día antes cada cuatro años.
Es importante mencionar que las formas en que los diferentes pueblos mayas han celebrado y conmemorado el año nuevo mismo han variado en diferentes momentos y lugares, y que el año nuevo clásico haab de 0 Pop no es lo mismo que el comienzo del año agrícola o ciclo que mencioné el mes pasado, que está más ligado a las estaciones y es evidente en varios grupos mayas. Tuve una conversación importante con Héctor Xol después de mi último blog sobre la evidencia del año nuevo agrícola, y me di cuenta de que debería haber explicado un poco más sobre las variaciones en las formas en que los mayas vivos reconocen las diferentes celebraciones del año nuevo, y cómo citar solo a los antropólogos y arqueólogos extranjeros pueden dar la impresión de ignorar arrogantemente las voces de los mayas vivos.
Por supuesto, como forasteros que se basan en relatos parciales de los registros etnográficos y epigráficos, siempre debemos ser cautelosos para evitar afirmar que solo había una forma “correcta” en que los mayas celebraban los eventos del nuevos ciclos en diferentes tiempos y lugares. Los mayas hablan unos 30 idiomas diferentes, cada uno con sus propias variaciones en el calendario anual y con diferentes cantidades de superposición. También debemos recordar que hay muchas personas mayas vivas que continúan manteniendo sus tradiciones muy vivas, y no necesitan cambiarlas para ajustarse a ninguna versión reconstruida de epigrafistas o arqueólogos. Encuentro que es del diálogo entre nosotros que todos nos beneficiamos, y tanto los eruditos mayas como los no mayas tienen mucho que contribuir y aprender unos de otros en nuestra exploración y comprensión colectiva del pasado.
De hecho, lo que sabemos del calendario haab maya clásico es que cambiaba un día cada cuatro años a lo largo del año. Con la imposición del calendario europeo, los diferentes calendarios anuales entre los diferentes pueblos mayas se congelaron al año tropical en momentos y lugares específicos. Sin embargo, las tradiciones agrícolas ciertamente persistieron y la cuenta de 260 días continuó entre varios grupos mayas, como continúa hoy..
Si bien podemos ver ligeras diferencias en la correlación cuando observamos la evidencia astronómica de las inscripciones, como la posible referencia del eclipse de Santa Elena Poco Uinic, no creo que esta información contradictoria deba hacer que alguien abandone sus conteos tradicionales. No es el lugar de nadie como un extraño decirle a otro cómo deben o no deben observar sus tradiciones. En cambio, asumo mi papel como epigrafista, arqueoastrónomo y maestro para hacer preguntas, mirar la evidencia y ayudar a colaborar para resolver las cosas, al mismo tiempo que trabajo con personas mayas vivas, aprendo de ellos y ayudando que aprendan y accedan a información sobre el pasado maya para que ellos también puedan contribuir al campo mientras mantienen y nutren su propia conexión especial con su propio pasado, sus propios idiomas y sus propias tradiciones culturales. A veces, puedo tropezar torpemente, como todos lo hacemos, pero sigo comprometido con estos objetivos.
En ese sentido, ¡estoy muy feliz de anunciar el reciente lanzamiento de la Maya Hieroglyphic Database (Base de Datos de Jeroglíficos Mayas) en línea! Este proyecto pretende revolucionar y democratizar el desciframiento al proporcionar acceso gratuito a todo el corpus de inscripciones mayas en una única base de datos con capacidad de búsqueda. Este proyecto fue iniciado por primera vez por Martha Macri y Matthew Looper en la Universidad de California, Davis, y ha abarcado cuatro décadas de trabajo. Con importantes contribuciones de Ruth Krochock, Yuriy Polyukhovych y Gabrielle Vail, ha sido un esfuerzo colectivo y la colaboración entre muchos colaboradores. Durante los últimos 21 años, he tenido acceso privilegiado a la base de datos como asistente de investigación, preparando imágenes y contribuyendo junto con muchos otros como codificador, y fue a través de este trabajo que aprendí a leer y descifrar los glifos mayas. Continúo usando la base de datos con regularidad en mi investigación, ¡y estoy encantada de que finalmente esté disponible para que todos la usen!
Actualmente alojada en la Universidad Estatal de California, Chico bajo la dirección de Matthew Looper, la base de datos es necesariamente un trabajo en progreso, ya que se siguen agregando inscripciones recién descubiertas, incluidas inscripciones inéditas que se encuentran solo en museos. Del mismo modo, la base de datos facilita mucho el desciframiento colaborativo, mientras que el proceso de desciframiento es un proceso continuo a medida que se corrigen los errores y los nuevos conocimientos brindan nuevos desciframientos.
La base de datos contiene ahora 207,539 entradas de grafemas independientes y 85,565 entradas de bloques de glifos individuales, incluidos los textos de las inscripciones monumentales, los jarrones y tres de los códices supervivientes. Incluye un catálogo de búsqueda de glifos, así como bases de datos individuales para búsquedas separadas en las inscripciones clásicas y los códices, tanto por bloque de glifo como por grafema individual.
Puede acceder a la base de datos de jeroglíficos mayas en la siguiente dirección:
Tenga en cuenta que el MHD es solo para computadoras de escritorio o portátiles, y aún no está disponible como una aplicación móvil.
Primero, deberá iniciar sesión y verificar su inicio de sesión a través de su correo electrónico. Asegúrese de buscar en su carpeta de correo no deseado en caso de que el correo electrónico de verificación se envíe allí.
Puede encontrar algunas guías de usuario y videos útiles que Matthew Looper ha publicado en el siguiente blog::
También hay varios documentos de referencia (Informes 71-75) que puede descargar de Glyph Dwellers:here are also several reference documents (Reports 71-75) you can download from Glyph Dwellers:
Proporcionaré una guía de búsqueda introductoria con capturas de pantalla a continuación.
Tal como está, la base de datos actualmente solo está disponible en inglés, y una de las próximas fases del proyecto será crear una versión en español que permitirá a muchas personas mayas un acceso más inmediato. Esta será una gran tarea y, a través de una posible colaboración entre la el MHD y el MAM, esperamos contribuir al lanzamiento de la versión en español de la base de datos en línea en el futuro.
Si nota algún error o tiene alguna pregunta sobre cómo funciona la base de datos, no dude en comunicarse con Matthew Looper: MLooper@csuchico.eduou do notice any errors or have any questions about how the database works, please feel free to reach out to Matthew Looper:
Además, estaría más que feliz de ayudar a responder cualquier pregunta que pueda tener sobre cómo usar la base de datos. Por favor, siéntase libre de comunicarse conmigo también:
Que esta revolucionaria base de datos sea un regalo para el mundo, y en especial para el pueblo maya cuyos antepasados fueron los autores de estos hermosos textos.
Como una simple introducción a la base de datos, podemos comenzar con un monumento específico. Dado que contribuí con mi dibujo de la estela A de Copán a la base de datos, déjame mostrarte cómo buscar ese texto. En la página de inicio, haga clic en “Search Texts and/or Catalog” y desplácese hacia abajo hasta la parte inferior del menú desplegable para hacer clic en “Classic – Graphemes”. Esto le dará un análisis glifo por glifo y lo familiarizará con los códigos del catálogo. Alternativamente, elegir “Classic – Blocks” proporcionará una lectura basada en bloques de glifos completos.
En la esquina superior izquierda de la página de búsqueda, haga clic en “Select”, y se abrirá una ventana de búsqueda con “objabbr” y “Contains” ya seleccionados para usted. Haga clic donde dice “objabbr” y seleccione “objsiteorig” (origen del sitio del objeto) en el menú desplegable. Luego, donde dice “Keyword”, escriba “Copan” y haga clic en “Add”.
Luego, vaya al menú desplegable nuevamente y seleccione “objname” (nombre del objeto), y donde dice “Keyword”, escriba “Stela A” y haga clic en “Add”.
Vaya a la esquina superior izquierda de la ventana de búsqueda y haga clic en “Select”, y luego aparecerá el texto completo de la Estela A de Copán como datos de texto.
l hacer clic en la línea superior, se accede al inicio del texto, con dibujos de los bloques de glifos, transcripción de cada uno de los grafemas y códigos de grafemas (código gr) que se pueden utilizar para buscar en el catálogo y en el resto de la base de datos. Al desplazarse hacia abajo, verá información cronológica que contiene las fechas mayas y los datos del calendario, todos los cuales se pueden buscar.
Beneath the drawing of the glyph block, a low resolution image of the monument is included.
Si hace clic en “Search Catalog”, lo llevará a una página de catálogo útil para este glifo específico, que incluye referencias y otros ejemplos, pero tenga en cuenta que perderá su lugar dentro del texto de la Estela A y tendrá que reiniciar la búsqueda. para volver a tu lugar.
Páginas del catálogo para el glifo ZHE ‘tzi’.
Reanudando con el texto de la Estela A de Copán, al hacer clic en la flecha derecha en la parte superior del marco, se lo llevará al siguiente grafema en el bloque de glifos y luego a los bloques de glifos subsiguientes.
Notando bajo la categoría “semantic” en este primer bloque de glifos, vemos “ISIG/Kumk’u”, ya que este es el Glifo Introductorio de la Serie Inicial con el patrón del haab para el winal de Kumk’u. Si ahora desea buscar todos los ejemplos del ISIG en las inscripciones, es más fácil hacerlo volviendo a la página de inicio y seleccionando “Classic – Blocks”. De esta forma, no tardará tanto en cargar tantos registros de grafemas individuales. Luego regrese a la esquina superior izquierda de la página de búsqueda, haga clic en “Select” y se abrirá nuevamente una ventana de búsqueda. Haga clic donde dice “objabbr” y seleccione “blsem” (bloque semántico) en el menú desplegable. Luego, donde dice “Keyword”, escriba “ISIG” y haga clic en “Add”. Haga clic en “Select” y luego aparecerán todos los ejemplos del ISIG a lo largo de las inscripciones. Al hacer clic en la línea superior, se le mostrará el ISIG de la Estela 3 de Aguateca. Tenga en cuenta que algunos aún no se han dibujado, pero la mayoría están incluidos.
Tenga en cuenta que cargará solo 50 ejemplos a la vez, pero si se desplaza hacia abajo, agregará los 50 siguientes después de esperar unos segundos. Tomará un minuto más o menos para cargar los 618 ejemplos de la ISIG de todo el corpus.
Si desea ordenar todos los ejemplos del ISIG mediante la fecha de la cuenta larga, simplemente vuelva a la esquina superior derecha de la página de datos, haga clic en “objlc” (Objeto cuenta larga), y esto ordenará todos estos ejemplos Cronológicamente por sus largas fechas. ¡Voilà!
Para una búsqueda más específica para solo aquellos isig con el patrón de Kumk’u, podría incluir “ISIG/Kumk’u” en la categoría “blsem”, o también podría seleccionar los glifos de ISIG en el sitio en “objsiteorig”
Las posibilidades son infinitas, y el uso de esta poderosa nueva herramienta ayudará a los usuarios a ser más competentes en la lectura y la comprensión de la escritura maya. Además, ¡puede llevarlo a identificar nuevos patrones que puedan llevar a nuevos ideas y nuevos descifraciones!
¡¡Disfrutar!!
Si desea hacer una donación deducible de impuestos en cualquier cantidad para apoyar el MHD, utilice este enlace seguro:
Students of the Colegio de Bachilleres de Chiapas adapt Maya glyphs to spell the name ‘Mireya’.
Strengthening Tojol-ab’al:
Adapting the Ojer Maya Ts’ib in Las Margaritas, Chiapas, 2019
The Thanksgiving holiday has arrived in the United States, and we want to wish everyone a safe and restful celebration with family and friends, as we give thanks to all of our resilient Maya colleagues for the excellent work they continue to do on behalf of their languages and cultures, amidst all of the many challenges they have faced—not the least of which continues to be the ongoing pandemic.
This month, as we await the reports from our recently funded online workshops, we again harken back to 2019 with a report from Omar Chan, who worked with the YAs. As we await reports from the several online workshops we have recently funded, we have another report from one of the last in-person workshops from 2019. This is now the last report we have from before the pandemic that we have received, but we wanted to be sure to share with you the good work of Avenamar Gómez López with the Tojol-ab’al students from Las Margaritas, Chiapas, Mexico, who are actively engaged in preserving their language through the inspiration of ancient Maya writing—Ojer Maya Ts’ib. In doing so, they have had to adapt the Classic Maya syllabary to their own language, which includes the phoneme /r/, which did not exist in the Classic script. Like many contemporary Maya speakers, they have chosen to modify some of the Classic syllabic glyphs to accommodate the phonemes in their languages.
We hope you enjoy this month’s report, and we give thanks to all of you who kindly support our ongoing work and the work of many Maya teachers and students. It is our profound hope that we may all finally and safely reunite next year for the next Congreso.
The Yüumtsilo’ob K’aaxo’ob Cooperative in Huay Max, Quintana Roo
Huay Max and Oxchujk:
The Yüumtsilo’ob K’aaxo’ob Cooperative, 2019, and a New Publication from Martín Gómez Ramírez
The autumn has arrived and the harvest season is upon us. It is a time to remember and honor our ancestors, and all of those we have recently lost. We send our warmest regards to all of our friends as we move into the cooler months ahead, hoping that all of our families will finally have a chance to gather together and share a home cooked meal. We look forward to the New Year, with hope and promise that we will all overcome this pandemic and once again meet in person to continue our meaningful work together.
This month, as we await the reports from our recently funded online workshops, we again harken back to 2019 with a report from Omar Chan, who worked with the Yüumtsilo’ob K’aaxo’ob Cooperative in Huay Max, Quintana Roo, where he conducted a workshop sponsored by MAM in which members learned to embroider and inscribe glyphs onto cultural products like huipiles and gourd cups. Omar is currently facilitating one of our first online workshops this month, and we look forward to reporting back about that soon!
We would also like to congratulate our friend and colleague Martín Gómez Ramírez on his upcoming publication, Escrito Está Sobre Oxchujk: El verdadero significado de oxchujk en glifos de la cultura maya. Back in September of 2019, we published Martín’s report from a conference he facilitated at the Intercultural University (UNICH) in Oxchuc, Chiapas in which he presented a dedicatory hieroglyphic plaque that he had written and sculpted in Tseltal. Based on a parallel reading in the Paris Codex, Martín proposes that the original meaning of Oxchujk refers to ‘Three Captives’. Here, we include one of Martín’s many illustrations.
Also included in the publication are additional name glyphs that Martín has designed for multiple municipalities in Chiapas. We wish Martín all the best with his new book, and we wish you all a safe and healthy autumn.
Congratulations to Our First 2021 Online Mini-grant Recipients!
This month, we are pleased to announce our first round of mini-grant recipients for teaching online! Congratulations to the following applicants:
Augusto Tul Rax Online course for 25 Poqomchi’ teens. Chitul Santa Cruz Verapaz, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala.
Gloria Nayeli Tun Tuz Online workshop for 20 Yucatec students. Chichimilá, Yucatán, México.
José Alfredo Hau Caamal and Erika Evangelina Puc Ay Online course for 10 Yucatec university students. Chichimilá, Yucatán, México..
Omar Alejandro Chan May Online course for 15 Yucatec students, ages 12+. Felipe Carillo Puerto, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Pedro Alejandro Vásquez Tay Online course for 20 Uspanteko students, age 15-20. Uspantán, El Quiché, Guatemala.
We look forward to hearing about these exciting online courses and publishing their reports and recorded lectures in the near future! We encourage more applicants to contact us if they are interested in teaching online or offering recorded content to make publicly available, particularly content for specific Maya language communities that can potentially reach a wider audience during these isolating times.
This month, we also hear back from one of our new mini-grant recipients about her last workshop from 2019. Gloria Nayeli Tun Tuz shows us the marvelous, inscribed jícara bowls (hollowed out gourd halves) that her students have made.
Presenting a copy of the Dresden Codex at the Ch’okwoj Maaya Tz’iib workshop
Ch’okwoj Maaya Tz’íib:
Sprouting Young Writers in Xocén, Yucatán
We are happy to report that we are currently receiving, reviewing, and granting our first round of mini-grants for online education! We have sent applications to all of those who have participated in our survey, and if you are a Maya teacher interested in receiving an application, please be sure to submit your information with our MAM Online Education Survey for Maya Facilitators:
These surveys help us to assess the needs of the applicants, and to determine how to best help our Maya colleagues, and there is an option to both teach a live online class, and/or to record either public or private educational videos to post on our website.
Recently, we received a notification from our friend José Alfredo Hau Caamal about the last workshop that he carried out with Gregorio Hau Caamal in early 2020 for young students in the Ch’okwoj Maaya Tz’íib group in Xocén, Yucatán, just prior to the pandemic. It was sponsored by the Xocén Birding Trail, which helped to produce a wonderful video in which we see the students receiving instruction about Maya writing in their native Yucatec language. I will include a link to the video below, as well as the communication from the group. It is a hopeful example of the kinds of online content we hope to soon publish on this website in the near future, particularly at a time when face-to-face instruction is still so challenging.
Next month, we will be announcing our first round of recipients of our latest mini-grants, so please stay tuned!
Yum Bo’otik.
Sincerely,
Michael Grofe, President
MAM
Ch’okwoj Maaya Tz’íib: Our Last Workshop of 2020
Good Evening,
José Alfredo Hau Caamal, participant of a group called Ch’okwoj Maaya Ts’íib, held his last workshop of 2020 in person in the beautiful town of Xocen municipality of Valladolid Yucatán, with the support of the Xocén Birding Trail (a group of young people who promote bird watching).
What is relevant about the workshop?
When we got together we decided that it is very important to participate in the transmission of what we have learned in the four previous Congresos in which we have been participants, so Gregorio Hau and his assistant created a small workshop in the Yucatecan Mayan language where we expose our ancient Mayan writing.
It is with great emotion that we share with you this workshop published in the following link with the aim of showing you that we are constantly taking advantage of each of the workshops taken in the attended Congresos, from the first Congreso in Valladolid, Yucatán, Mexico to the last in Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
This year we intend to continue holding workshops in the communities as little as possible since this pandemic has locked us up but not tied us down, so we are looking for alternatives to continue.
The Ch’okwoj Maaya Ts’íib group sends you a hug and congratulations on your great work at MAM.
Presentación de una copia del Códice de Dresde en el taller de Ch’okwoj Maaya Tz’iib
Ch’okwoj Maaya Tz’íib: Respuestas a la Encuesta de Facilitadores Mayas:
¡Nos complace informar que actualmente estamos recibiendo, revisando y otorgando nuestra primera ronda de mini-becas para educación en línea! Hemos enviado solicitudes a todos los que participaron en nuestra encuesta, y si usted es una maestra o maestro maya y se interesa en recibir una solicitud, asegúrese de enviar su información con la Encuesta sobre Educación en Línea de MAM para facilitadores mayas:
Estas encuestas nos ayudan a evaluar las necesidades de los solicitantes y a determinar cómo ayudar mejor a nuestros colegas mayas, y existe la opción de impartir una clase en línea en vivo y/o grabar videos educativos públicos o privados para publicar en nuestra página web.
Recientemente, recibimos una notificación de nuestro amigo José Alfredo Hau Caamal sobre el último taller que realizó con Gregorio Hau Caamal a principios de 2020 para jóvenes estudiantes del grupo Ch’okwoj Maaya’ Tz’íib en Xocén, Yucatán, justo antes de la pandemia. Fue patrocinado por Xocén Birding Trail, que ayudó a producir un video maravilloso en el que vemos a los estudiantes recibiendo instrucción sobre la escritura maya en su idioma nativo yucateco. Incluyo aquí un enlace al video, así como la información de contacto del grupo. Es un ejemplo esperanzador del tipo de contenido en línea que esperamos publicar pronto en este sitio web en el futuro próximo, particularmente en un momento en que la instrucción presencial sigue presentando un desafío.
El próximo mes, anunciaremos nuestra primera ronda de beneficiarios de nuestras últimas mini-becas, así que ¡hay que mantenerse atentos!
Yum Bo’otik.
Atentamente,
Michael Grofe, Presidente
MAM
Ch’okwoj Maaya Tz’íib: Nuestro último trabajo para 2020
Buenas Noches,
José Alfredo Hau Caamal, participante de un grupo de nombre Ch’okwoj Maaya Ts’íib, realizó su último taller del 2020 de manera presencial en el bello pueblo de Xocen, municipio de Valladolid, Yucatán, con apoyo del Xocen Birding Trail (un grupo de jóvenes que promueven el avistamiento de aves).
¿Que tiene de relevante el taller?
Al reunirnos, decidimos que es muy importante participar en la transmisión de lo aprendido en los cuatro congresos anteriores en la cual hemos sido partícipes, por lo que Gregorio Hau y su servidor creamos un pequeño taller en lengua maya yucateca, en el que exponemos nuestra escritura maya antigua.
Con gran emoción, les compartimos este taller, publicado en la siguiente liga, con el afán de demostrarles que estamos en constante aprovechamiento de cada uno de los talleres tomados en los congresos asistidos, desde el primer congreso en Valladolid, Yucatán, México, hasta el último en Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
Este año pretendemos continuar realizando talleres en las comunidades, apenas y sea posible, puesto que esta pandemia nos ha encerrado mas no atado, por lo que estamos buscando alternativas para continuar.
El grupo de Ch’okwoj Maaya Ts’íib les envía un abrazo y felicitaciones por su gran labor en MAM.
Thank you to all of our supporters who replied to our survey! In the past month, MAM has also received responses to the survey we sent out to our Maya colleagues regarding online education. There were fewer responses than we had anticipated, and this tells us that other priorities are still likely pressing as the pandemic continues throughout much of the world, and in all of the nations where our Maya colleagues reside. However, I would like to share some of the responses we received, and to summarize what we are learning thus far that has helped to shape our plans to inaugurate a long-awaited, online mini-grant program beginning this summer.
For those Maya colleagues who would still like to respond to our survey, we would love to hear from you! You may do so at the following link, as it helps us to assess the various needs and possibilities for online learning. Please note that this survey is intended for our Maya friends who have either facilitated workshops in the past, or those who would be interested in teaching online or producing online educational videos about the Maya script that we could post on our website:
From the responses we gathered, nearly all Maya facilitators reported that they have regular online access, but 50% replied that their students and community members do not have regular internet access. 70% have had experience teaching online through either Zoom or Google Meet. 90% of our respondents replied that they would be willing to teach MAM-sponsored workshops online, while 80% are interested in recording educational videos to post on our website.
While there is a great interest in teaching online or recording educational videos, 70% of those who replied stated that they would require training, which tells us that we need to focus some of our efforts in this regard. While there are various needs in each community, many have asked for unlimited time on Zoom, which would enable them to more easily facilitate both synchronous classes or to record asynchronous educational videos. In some cases, there are needs for computer equipment, programs, and published resources. Given the lack of reliable internet in many Maya communities, it may make more sense to begin by funding projects to record and posting online educational videos where synchronous classes may not be possible.
60% of those who responded were from various states in Mexico, 30% were from Guatemala, and 10% were from Belize. Here are some of the responses regarding the various challenges different Maya communities have been facing during the pandemic in several different countries:
“My community, like other Mayan communities, has been suffering from the total abandonment of the central government concerning the health of the communities. It is a bit difficult to focus only my community, as the problem is throughout the country of Guatemala, all of which is suffering. The problem where the pandemic has us is now complicated above all in the communities where there are still not vaccines for everyone.”
“In advance we appreciate your concern and interest, we find ourselves very well, just as our community has been isolated from the city to avoid contagions, our children receive every month of the visit of their teachers to exchange tasks.”
“Yaxunah is a community where all people are supported. It is a strong community that knows how to get ahead little by little. There were suspected cases of the Covid-19, but they ended up being a common cold. We are well in Yaxunah—nothing more than a natural disaster has hit us, but we knew we had to get ahead of it.”
“In the Mayan communities of Quintana Roo, many cultural and educational activities have been paused in person, and many of the courses, workshops or reports have been presented through different digital platforms and with the help of social networks. Thanks to platforms such as Zoom and Meet, we have been able to establish bond links with our students, where the Ts’iib’ system has also been present as a reference of the artistic and cultural legacy of our community, as well as the use of the Cholqij, calendar, It has been presented as a guide for the understanding of the cycle of the days and have been shared on timely occasions to understand the rains and the lunar phases.”
“Thank you very much for giving the survey, but I consider that there are many things to clarify that MAM should know or understand, and it is only to remind you here that many Maya communities or indigenous peoples do not even have a school. Maya children and youth have to walk many hours to get to their school, and our goal is to bring the workshops to them and to those forgotten communities.”
“In my community we have had several cases of COVID19 and a few deaths. I had my students learning prehispanic music, which had to be halted because we could not get together to practice. Therefore, I involved them in backyard gardening. With the help of the ministry of agriculture, each child had a piece of land tilled and receives seedlings of cucumber, radish, habanero peppers, sweet peppers, jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, pumpkin and cilantro. A few weeks ago we had a thanksgiving Mayan ceremony where the children participated. They said their prayers in Maya T’aan. Now, I am thinking of involving them in arts such as embroidery and weaving.”
We send our heartfelt wishes for healing and resilience to our Maya friends, and we encourage all Maya facilitators who wish to engage in online teaching to complete our survey. We hope to be able to help in whatever way possible to keep hope alive, and to continue our work of bringing literacy in the Maya Tz’iib’ to continuing generations of Maya people as we launch our online mini-grant program in the coming month. We are strategizing about the best ways to roll out our new mini-grant program to suit the needs of each applicant.
Here is wishing all of us a summer of hope, healing, learning, and love!
