Corn and our ancestors

Voices and images: Mayan Ixil women of Chajul

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter Two: The culture of the Maya Ixil

1. Corn and our ancestors

For us, corn is very important because you sow it and harvest it and it satisfies our basic needs. It is the foundation of our nutrition. Without corn, we would not be able to survive and our children would not eat. It is the first thing that babies eat. From about six or seven months of age, babies begin to eat corn tortilla and, in this way, they are gradually weaned and their mothers are able to recover from the weakness induced by so much breast-feeding.

The Maya are called people of corn. This is because our ancestors used to say that corn was the sole sustenance of humans. They know the seeds very well, which ones will germinate and in what seasons. This is why they have to care for the corn so well, so that it not disappear. Furthermore, corn gives a special energy to those who eat it. Our elders always told us that there were four types of corn and each one had a different meaning. Yellow corn is the common corn and they say that it has more vitamins than the other types. Black corn came from our ancestors burning a lot of corn and that’s how it turned black. They say that white corn comes from the ashes of the corn that was burned, and they recount that when Jesus Christ died, his blood touched the yellow corn and turned it red. Since we do not know the whole history, we are going to consult with the elders to investigate further the reasons why they call us the people of corn.

During the time of la violencia, the army used to burn our planted fields and harvests so that we would not be able to eat. But they did it also so that we would not be able to cultivate the land or practice our rites and ceremonies. And this is how they tried to destroy our communication with our ancestors.