The Mayan civilization contains one of the richest cultures of the Ancient World recognized by its knowledgeable discoveries in philosophy, mathematics, art and architecture, which flourished throughout Central America since 2600 B.C. However, it has been a civilization that has suffered from brutal oppression ever since the invasion of the Spanish Conquistadors in the early 1500s. To this day, the Mayan community lives in a constant struggle fighting against the government and the people of power (landowners); who for centuries have deprived them from their natural rights, social and political representation and have made them slaves in their own homeland. However, although those in reign have tried to diminish the Mayan culture in Guatemala by racist oppression, the indigenous people have managed to preserve their cultural heritage. Throughout generations rebellious groups have risen from the Mayan community to fight for the rights of their people but unfortunately with only machetes and rocks to aid their fight they have been crushed by the militia; and rebellious Mayan leaders have mysteriously disappeared. Although Guatemala’s independence from Spain was gained in 1821, that was by no means the end of the struggle. The country has been struggling against the corruption of different governmental dictatorships whom have made legislative rulings against the indigenous people; forcing labor upon them of a minimum of 150 days a year. All corrupt legislative decisions have continued to be in favor of coffee planters and landowners who exploit the indigenous people. Neglect of the Mayan culture has resulted in detrimental effects; for example the malnutrition rate is at 80% as well as illiteracy and the Mayans have the highest mortality rate second to people in Haiti. This is just a short summaryThe Mayan civilization contains one of the richest cultures of the Ancient World recognized by its knowledgeable discoveries in philosophy, mathematics, art and architecture, which flourished throughout Central America since 2600 B.C. However, it has been a civilization that has suffered from brutal oppression ever since the invasion of the Spanish Conquistadors in the early 1500s. To this day, the Mayan community lives in a constant struggle fighting against the government and the people of power (landowners); who for centuries have deprived them from their natural rights, social and political representation and have made them slaves in their own homeland. However, although those in reign have tried to diminish the Mayan culture in Guatemala by racist oppression, the indigenous people have managed to preserve their cultural heritage. Throughout generations rebellious groups have risen from the Mayan community to fight for the rights of their people but unfortunately with only machetes and rocks to aid their of the present controversial conflict that affects the daily living of the indigenous people of Guatemala who live in extremely poor conditions. To find a more detailed history of the development of this country and the Mayan struggle visit Guatemala: A Brief History and also to read a personal account from a member of the indigenous tribe who has experienced the atrocities committed within her own homeland visit Activist Rigoberta Menchu She continues to contribute in the spreading of awareness about the Mayan struggle on an international level.
Rigoberta Manchu Biography
2 comments:
That was a great post on Guatemala. I spent time there a couple of years ago and was really surprised how pleasant it is despite the statistics. It doesn’t feel as burdened by poverty as Honduras or many parts of Mexico and that’s partly the result of the warmth of the indigenous people who have all but been wiped out of most of the countries in Central America. They managed to survive the US backed genocidal policies of the 80’s. The current government is the best they’ve had and even the police are no longer considered the threat they were as recently as a few years ago.
After Rigoberta Menchu won the Nobel Prize she became a target for conservatives for blending other Mayan people’s tragic accounts into her own. They have tried to use that to dismiss the vicious attacks on the poor our country has been underwriting for over a century.
By the way, your links need some fixing.
Great topic, you can really tell you are very passionate about social justice.
Your layout is simple but keep in mind that you may want to look into some of Bloggers "Page Elements" to get more user interaction. Add videos or polls. Just a thought...
P.S. Fix your links in your latest post. Ckeck out the HTML Tips in the class blog.
Post a Comment