A Brief Introduction

The indigenous Mayan Indians of Central America are settled in locations such as Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Belize – extending all the way into Mexico and the Yucatan peninsula. While most of the Maya’s records have been destroyed by their Spanish colonizers, the remaining artifacts indicate that the Mayan people were not only highly advanced for their time period, but also made great leaps in many fields such as astronomy, business, and language. The Mayas were innovative in their trade systems – which mainly consisted of bartering crops, preservatives, or rocks - such as salt, cacao, and mineral obsidian. These indigenous people even developed a formal government hierarchy, allowing them the ability to invade and overthrow surrounding villages. Their hieroglyphics show us their development of linguistics, making them one of the first early people to have recorded both their speech patterns and its evolution. The Mayan people also knew how to hunt, fish, and build. The ruins found in all the aforementioned regions are testaments to a once great civilization. The mystery of the Mayas disappearance in 900-1000 A.D is something that baffles many researchers today. Our blog’s purpose is to share with the public some of the interesting facts about the lifestyles and traditions of the indigenous Mayan Indians.

Reference:

2010 Maya Civilization, Ruins and Culture In Central America. Electronic document,
http://www.globalsherpa.org/mayan-civilization-ruins-sites-culture-calendar-2012

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Marriage

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The Guatemalan-Indian Village

The Mayans in San Pedro, Guatemala have a different way of meeting and getting married. Many cultures practice arranged marriages. However, the Mayans are not obligated to have an arranged marriage. The boys have few opportunities to meet girls.For the most part, the male will approach the female (between the ages of twelve and sixteen) as she has a pot on her head and delivers a speech to try and woo her. It is a sign of bad luck if the female drops the bucket and sometimes she will even eat a piece of the broken clay pot in order to change her luck.
Many woman are not very attracted to courtship. They will be obligated to fulfill all of her husband's sexual demands and her mother-in-law may not get along with her. The longer she prolongs the marriage, the wider panel she will have to choose, which means she has more power. Many of the girls enjoy gossiping about their swains, which are the men who try to woo the women, because that moment in time is when the girls are popular.
After the girl agrees to the marriage, the man sends her gifts for months. When the two finally get married, the male usually moves in with his wife and her family. They usually do this because it is less likely for a male to have problems with his father-in-law than it is for a female to have problems with her mother-in-law. The male shows his respect by sweeping the patio in the morning and bringing firewood for the family in the evening. However, in other situations, the man goes to the woman's house and she takes some clothes to run away with him. Eventually, the burden falls on the woman to please the man. Although these traditions are a huge part of Mayan culture, many do not do this anymore.

Reference
Tz'utuhil, Arte Maya 
     2013   Life in a Guatamalen Indian Village. Electronic document,

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1 comment:

  1. UnknownJuly 21, 2013 at 11:20 AM

    REFLECTION

    When we think about culture, many of us think about the traditions that one ethnic group abide by. For example, the Mayan culture has certain traditions when it comes to marriage. More specifically, by using cultural relativism we come to the realization that there is no right or wrong way for marriage to exist. Although the Mayans’ marriage process is different from that of Americans, it should be understood that every culture is different and each ethnic group should be culturally sensitive when it comes to learning about other groups. Not only is cultural sensitivity essential in the learning of other cultures, but one should not think ethnocentrically about other cultures.
    Ethnocentrism, as discussed in lecture, is the belief that one’s culture is superior to other cultures due to differences between ethnic groups. Racism also develops from an ethnic group thinking ethnocentrically. This is dangerous to all cultures because no one human being is superior to another. As mentioned in a video shown in lecture, there is only one race: the human race. We are all equal human beings that should not be discriminated against. This is important to consider while reading about the Mayan marriage traditions. Although there are arranged marriages, this doesn’t mean that American marriage is better or worse. The world should consider taking a more anthropological approach when it comes to learning about other cultures at any time, whether it be in an Anthropology course or in a real-world situation.


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