Ceremony on the San Andrés Mountain

Voices and images: Mayan Ixil women of Chajul

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter Two: The culture of the Maya Ixil

3. Ceremony in the Andrés Mountain

This is a sacred place where many pilgrims come, especially on the second Friday of Lent. It is believed that the hills in Chajul are the mightiest kings because in other regions they are queens. That’s why they are visited, because they work miracles, so people come to Chajul from other regions. The people come because they have faith and have hope in what the future will bring. The intentions of the pilgrims are to adore and give thanks to God through good and pleasing scents and sacrificial offerings.

The Andrés Mountain is among those on the edge of town. Many of the other sacred hills as well as the sacred places of our ancestors have disappeared due to the war.

The three Mayan priests at the Andrés Mountain are getting ready to perform a ceremony. They are gathering the candles and their incenses for the celebration of the religious ritual. This circle of candles will burn and then they will begin to speak with God. Because they believe in the Maker and Creator of the Universe, the Mayan priests offer God their thanks for the things of every day, for the harvest and for the rain, for the dry season, and for good health.

They always know the special days for their gatherings and the names with which to call on God. There are 20 Mayan priests who participate. When they see that it is necessary, they gather to carry out the rite so that God provides everything to ensure that no one dies of hunger and to prevent drought. They will follow the ceremonies so that God may give us life on earth.

We know that the Mayan priests are still carrying out these traditions that belonged to the ancestors. Although these rites were not practiced during the time of war, now they are beginning again. The priests are organizing themselves to return anew to the traditions and wisdom of our ancestors, which they carry out for the protection and well being of the people.

But a lot of this had been forgotten because, on account of la violencia, they stopped practicing the rites and Mayan priests no longer existed. Many people were saying that it wasn’t right, that our priests weren’t believing in God, that they were confused because they believed in many gods. They said that for the Mayan priests, the gods were the rain, the air, the sun, the mountains, the moon, the wind, and the rivers. But it’s not that way. The people - and also the Mayan priests - believed in only one God; it’s only that they had to go to a sacred place to practice the traditional ceremonies.

Seventy-five years ago the religions of today did not exist; the Ixil people only practiced their traditional religious rites and there were many Mayan priests. Back then, the indigenous people were learned and they had many excellent gifts. They did not know how to read or to write, but because they were wise people they knew what to do to care for their families, they were learned about their natural medicines, about disciplining their children, they had a great respect for God and showed a great care for nature, such as plants, trees, animals, how to care for mother earth, how to go about communicating with nature, and how to go about loving things. In terms of their belongings, they had an abundance of farm and domestic animals, and an abundance of crops, such as corn, beans, chiles, tomatoes, and other products. The entire natural world is a source of life for living beings, because without it, human beings would not be able to survive because no one can live without oxygen, without rain, without water.

I imagine that it was a healthy life for them, because everything was harmonious and peaceful. But they were already prophesying that times were going to change, that a time would come when there would be much war and great poverty; many people would kill each other and many would become so rebellious that they would no longer respect the traditions and the culture, and the indigenous wisdom would start to disappear - so said the ancestors.