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.
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I agree with Sam. I did not think of the Mayans as a present day society. When I think of the Maya, I would think of the past. It hurts me as well to know that they are treated poorly and are not held to the standards of the ancestors. I believe that because their way of living is poor, I never thought of them as a higher society and therefore never thought of them as the modern Maya.
ReplyDeleteWhen I used to think of Mayans I always thought of the great civilization that suddenly disappeared. That is completely untrue, they never actually disappeared but society seems to enjoy the possibility of a disappearance rather than a simple migration. The realization and acceptance that Mayans still exist today is so important, and it opens our eyes to many amazing works of art and an amazing culture in general.
ReplyDeleteIt is crazy to me that we even talk about them in the past and present sense. Why do all the history books even say that the Maya civilization disappeared when there are modern-day Maya that exist?
ReplyDeleteNo need to be upset Sam I am in the same boat as you are and I would say many are in that same boat with us. It’s just good to know we are now learning this information so we can be more educated and understanding of these people and how they still exists today. This understanding will allow us to respect other people and their culture.
ReplyDeleteyea i agree with donnie u shouldnt b so hard on urself because i bet alot of people didnt know that the mayan civilization is still around. but its kind of hard to know something like that unless u research it because they are usually spoke of as if they didnt exist anymore.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree how the media keeps much of our knowledge in the gray area. It's almost as if they keep our knowledge focused on certain areas alone for instance crime rates and statistics that are inflated to keep fear in the foremost portion of the mind. With this tactic they are able to keep our focus off of certain social problems.
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