Maya Life Today

It upsets me that I was one of the people who viewed the Mayan culture as one of the past. I suppose I hadn't really thought about whether the culture had survived into the present or not. It also makes it so much the worse to know that those people are treated so poorly and that, more than once, they have been stuck in the middle of a conflict and forced into horrible situations. I think the worst part of this is the shock that I didn't know, didn't have a single inkling. I feel like our media keeps so much of what happens elsewhere in the world out of our news and entertainment, but that is another story.
On a lighter note I am fascinated by the religious aspect of the Mayan culture today. The idea of a mixture between Catholicism and their ancient beliefs sounds both beautiful and awe inspiring. I'm a little intimidated by the idea of chicken sacrifices at shrines but the more I think about it I shouldn't be. I grew up Catholic at a private school and is taking the wafer and wine not like a sacrifice depending on how you look at it?
Also the weaving is both gorgeous and interesting. The fact that one could look at the patterns in clothing and know what specific group they are from is very cool. The weaving is so colorful and eye catching, it verifies what I mentioned in the previous post about thinking of color when I think of our southern neighbors.
The pure fact that there are still Mayan people around is news to me and so learning about their life in today's world was both wonderful and horrifying. It's terribly sad to know that a people with such lovely weaving skills and a rich culture are in some cases treated so inhumanely.