CHAPINADAS

Bueno en este tiempo de meditacion y celebracion queria recordar los buenos tiempos que yo tuve cuando participe en las posadas y recreando los nacimientos. Me recuerdo que tuve la oportunidad de participar en un par de juicios para un par de cuates que se robaron el nino. Que alegria la que daba el participar en las posadas, yendo de puerta en puerta cantando los coros y tocando la puerta para que nos dejaran entrar. Me recuerdo vividamente la oportunidad de saborear los diferentes platillos preparados para la ocasion. Para navidad, en mi casa era el unico tiempo en que toda la familia se podia reunir. Que inpaciencia la que daba el esperar para las doce de la noche para reventar los cohetillos y comer el famoso tamal, el ponche de frutas, los molletes, el pollo o pavo y un poquito de licor. Lo mas importante, era el visitar a los vecinos para darles el abrazo de navidad. Especialmente extrano este gesto entre vecinos pues aqui en Canada donde vivo, no se ve nada de eso. No se como esta en Guatemala ultimamente, pero aqui en Canada todo esta bien comercializado. No se encuentra esa unidad entre personas extranas. Bueno Feliz Navidad a todos y un prospero ano nuevo. Deseo lo mejor para todos. Aqui esta esta foto, espero que la disfruten:

A group of archeologist have just found the oldest Mayan murals in San Bartolo, Peten. This murals are in good condition and shed new light in the origins of the Mayan Civilization. According to William Saturno, an expert of the Peabody Museum, this murals are master pieces of Mayan art and show the beginnings of this civilization. This murals measurements are 9 meters long by 1 meter high. It was found in a recently discovered temple in the City of San Bartolo, Peten. This team of archeologist also found the oldest Mayan tomb close by. This two discoveries are very important because they show Mayan civilization of the Preclassic period. This Period is considered to have spanned from 1500 B.C. to 250 years A.D. Before this discovery, the only known Pre classic mayan murals were found in pieces and well worn by time and the elements. This murals, with its high quality, show the mystics of mayan reality and changes all the knowledge obtained up to now of the Mayan civilization. This mural show the order in which the world was created. The creation, according to this mural, is personified in four different divinities that are variations from the son of the Corn God. This divinities symbolize water, land, air and the east paradise where the sun is born every day. The quality of this murals show that the Mayas of this period, worked with a high grade of sophistication and elegance long before the VII century (Classic Period). The Dresden Codice, which is one of the four most important Mayan Codices that have survived, contains pictures of simmilar quality to the pictures found in the mural. This shows the sophistication of the Mayan at the time because the Dresden Codice was done 1500 years after the San Bartolo Mural was painted. The Mayan writing system contained 800 symbols and it is considered as the most perfected writing system of mesoamerica. The team of archeologist, directed by the Guatemalan archeologist Monica Pellecer also found 1.6 kilometers of funerary chambers that probably houses the tombs of the first Mayan Kings. In the funerary chamber, they found the esqueleton of a man with a jade plaque in his stomach. This jade plaque was a symbol of nobility. The San Bartolo project started 5 years ago and it is not completed yet. This discovery will be appearing the the january edition of National Geographic magazine. For now, National Geographic will be the only way to see this discovery because this site is not open to the public.

Estaba leyendo acerca de los murales Mayas que se localizan en panteones en la ciudad Maya de Rio Azul. Estos panteones tiene colores originales Mayas. Segun el articulo, estos panteones se encuentran en peligro de desaparezar debido a el descuido en que se encuentran. Este articulo dice tambien que se cree que la mayor causa para que esto pase son las visitas no autorizadas que se han dado. Aparentemente, las 3 tumbas mayas mejor conservadas estab sufriendo danos considerables debido a estas visitas. Esta articulo tambien menciona de que aunque las tumbas estas vigiladas desde los anos 80’s, han habido varios saqueos en tiempos recientes. Es bastante importante que estos monumentos a la creatividad Maya sean conservados pues nos cuentan historias de los tiempos de nuestros Antepasados.

Estaba leyendo con mucho interes acerca de los trabajos de restauracion que se estan llevando a cabo en Cancuen, Peten. Cancuen es una ciudad Maya de mucha importancia comercial en tiempos prehispanicos. El primer paso de los trabajos de restauracion fue la construccion de un techo sobre el campo de pelota y la plaza principal. De acuerdo a una de las personas entrevistadas, ya se a restaurado el campo de pelota y el palacio mayor. Cancuen fue descubierta a principios de el siglo pasado y fue colocada en el proyecto Puerta al mundo maya en el ano 2001. Cancuen tiene muchas construcciones que se prestan mucha para el desarrollo turisco de esta region. Es bastante importante para nosotros el tratar de mantener nuestro patrimonio cultural en buen estado para que asi haya mas motivacion para personas de otros lados a visitar este lugar.

Well I just finished watching the final episode of Survivor Guatemala: Mayan Empire. I did not have the chance to watch all the episodes only like 3 or 4. I enjoyed watching the jungles of Peten, its Mayan ruins and its flora and fauna, especially the howler monkeys and their serenades. A female is a million dollars richer. Something weird happened during the episode. There was a group of four mayan priests and priestess doing a Mayan ceremony dedicated to earth. They had a rooster which they burnt and left as an offering. When the group of priests left, the four remaining survivors took it out of the ashes and ate it. Not long after that, a big storm starts with thunder and lightning. As you can imagine, they got really scared and even some of them try to pray for forgiveness. All in all, for me it was really exciting and emotional to see my beautiful land again even if from far away. I wish i had the opportunity to visit this Mayan city of Yaxha….I miss you Guatemala…. Hope to see you soon

MAYAN QUEEN FOUND IN STELAE.

This stelae just found comfirms the power women had in the Mayan civilization during the Preclassic Period. According to a team of arqueologist from Guatemala and the University of Calgary, the theory that in the Mayan world women did not have power was given a set back when a stelae found in Naachtun, Peten shows the existence of a Mayan queen. The site in the Dos Lagunas park, has been explored since 2002 and it is located in the virgin jungle of Peten. The discovery of this stelae is unique because it destroys the theory that the Mayan where only ruled by men. This stelae was found back in May but it was not made public until this week. This stelae belongs to the Preclassic Period and it is mentioned in other sites and in monuments in Tikal, Peten. Not much is know about this queen but by next year, after proper examination, it is hoped to know more. After the discovery of this stelae, efforts were put into effect to try and find the tomb so that the enigma and myth of women governing can be put to rest. Naachtun is located 90 km from Tikal and it was found at the beginning of the 1900’s. At the beginning no importance was given to this site, until it was investigated a little bit during the 30’s and 40’s. The first excavations on this site were during 2002, when this city come out of the jungle.

Como es una tradicion en Guatemala cada 7 de diciembre, se realizo la quema de el diablo en la capital y en los departamentos. Me recuerdo cuando era un nino y en mi departamento de Chiquimula se podia observar la quema del diablo. Segun la tradicion, esto se hace para alejar el mal occurido durante el ano para que no se pase para el ano nuevo. Los diablos son hechos de carton, tela, etc.

I was reading with a lot of sadness about the loss of many mayan articles from the site known as El Naranjo in the department of Peten. This place is mentioned in a list of the hundred sites more stolen from. There is no doubt that the loss of this mayan pieces are a great loss because every piece tells the story of one of the greatest civilizations of the world. This place located near Melchor de Mencos in the Peten deparment of Guatemala is not far from the border with Belize. The people committing this actions have destroyed entire buildings and mounts . In this place it is very common to find tunnels leading to places where sculptures, ceramic and sculpted pieces of stone have disappear. Let’s hope that measures are set in place to prevent this kind of action because it is not only Guatemala that loses its history but also the world.