Reconstructing a ceremonial site

Chapter Two: The culture of the Maya Ixil 

2. Reconstructing a ceremonial site

Previously, these were the only religious rites that the people practiced and they believed in God. They used to burn copal and now they also include candles, incense, kuxa, sugar. It all depends on the religious traditions of each town and whether they had some saint or image with which to represent or remember God. Many people used to go to the oratory there in Juil where the Mayan priests came to perform ceremonies. The people visited the oratory with candles and incense during the Pilgrimage on the second Friday of Lent.

Our ancestors were very wise about the names of days and they had beliefs about the sacred days. They also used to celebrate the saints to give thanks for their farm animals and the family’s crops, for the harvest, when they experienced illnesses, when in economic need, when they had a petition, and for the rain and the sun. This is what our ancestors used to believe and practice.

But in the time of la violencia when there was so much war, this is the place where the army used to capture and hang many campesinos who were coming off their lands at the end of the day. In 1981 the army burned down the house of the crosses, the oratory of Juil. Thus we saw how the army repressed the people, destroyed their sacred places, and attempted to destroy their religious rites.

That’s why the people adopted other types of religions. These religious traditions of our ancestors have been forgotten or been left behind. I would feel very happy if the traditional religious practices, la costumbre, would once again be practiced so that we could follow and respect the wisdom of our ancestors and preserve our values. Before they mistreated us but now it’s not that way because we indigenous people have our rights.

Before, the ladinos discriminated a lot against the indigenous people, but now we can defend ourselves. We, the indigenous, have to respect ourselves and be who we are. We should never change our trajes, our languages, or our identity. If the indigenous people work for their pueblo and if they think of some projects to carry out, then there will be many changes in each community. We have to fight for our people to improve our future.