Sunday, May 4, 2014
Tz'utujil cultural survival
As with any long-standing cultures, the Tz'utujil are struggling to uphold their traditional culture. Since the Spanish conquest, their religion has been combining and forming almost a new religion with Catholicism. This change may be considered as they are losing their religion, but it could also be strengthening their ties. On a website based from the Tz'utujil Maya around Lake Atitlan there is a quote of what could happen. "Even more unfortunate (and stupid) is the fact
that the most important of the rock carvings on Chuitinamit, the jaguar, was covered over with cement by the idiot who owns the land... he didn't want anybody trespassing on his land. This is a major crime against the national patrimony and will definitely be reported to the Ministry of Culture. Something needs to be done, or Chuitinamit will become just another field of rubble!"
that the most important of the rock carvings on Chuitinamit, the jaguar, was covered over with cement by the idiot who owns the land... he didn't want anybody trespassing on his land. This is a major crime against the national patrimony and will definitely be reported to the Ministry of Culture. Something needs to be done, or Chuitinamit will become just another field of rubble!"
Chuitinamit is a main pyramid in the area, and a symbol of he Tz'utujil's past. This pyramid and the symbols such as the jaguar are very important to the culture and could disappear if nothing is done.
Tz'utujil migrations and Diaspora
While some other cultures will spread across the world, going to different countries or just different areas, the Tz'utujil seem to stay in one spot. They have a stable economy and agriculture around Lake Atitlan and have a simple relationship with most surrounding cultures so there doesn't seem to be a need to leave. Even through the Spanish Conquest the Tz'utujil stayed firm in holding their lands.
Tz'utujil and their Neighbors
While there are many cultures and tribes throughout Guatemala, the most important neighbors to the Tz'utjil are the Kaqchikel,since they both occupy the area around Lake Atitlan. During Spanish conquest, the Kaqchikel allied themselves with the Spanish to gain power over the then ruling Tz'utujil. In the end that plan did not work out too well for the Kaqchikel. The Spanish still enslaved the Kaqchikel and then the Tz'utujil, for obvious reasons, distrusted them. Over the years i assume they have become better towards each other, but there is still probably some tension. As of now they live and trade together around the Lake, helping the economy boom.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Birds of The Tz'utujil
In the entire region of Guatemala, there are a total of 706 species of birds. Only 1 of those species is extinct, which is the Atitlan Grebe, Podilymbus gigas. That species just so happens to be from the Lake Atitlan region where the Tz'utujil inhabit. This extinction seems to have occurred by major alterations to the habitat in which they lived. Out of the 706 species, and 1 extinct, only 14 are threatened species, which is 2% of the birds. They live seemingly in tune to the people who live in the area without that much destruction.
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Tz'utujil Cosmos
The Tz'utujil Cosmos is what they believe about the world such as religion. Before European conquest, they had believed in traditional Mayan religion such as a sun god, etc. After the Spanish came they introduced Catholicism and Protestantism, which are now prominent in their culture. In some cases, there is a combined religion of Catholicism and traditional Mayan religion. A lot of ceremonies held hold true to traditional Maya practices, but are often times held in the honor of a Catholic patron saint. There a few ideas about death and afterlife in the culture. A tradtional belief is that after death one part of a person is regenerated into descendants and another part goes into the sky to assist the movement of the sun. Another belief is that only those who are sacrificed or die as a child proceed into heaven.
World of the Tz'utujil Maya
The world of the Tz'utujil Maya people is basically how they make a living and their cultural landscape. They have been consistent throughout the years with how they make a living. Most Tz'utujil still participate in an 'agrarian' society of agriculture. They mostly grow two main crops: coffee and maize(corn). Due to the magnificent landscape that surrounds their homes in the Lake Atitlan region, tourism has started to become a sufficient way to profit. Also, a common livelihood in the Tz'utujil people is weaving. They are one of the few cultures to still create the dyes from plants they use.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Guatemala, Homeland of the Tz'utujil
The homeland of the Tz'utujil Mayan people is the country Guatemala, which is south of Mexico in Central America. More specifically, the Tz'utujil people live in the Lake Atitlan region. The enitre Guatemalan area is mostly moutanous and humid and the same goes for around the lake. Surrounding the Lake are three 10,000 foot volcanoes, Santiago, San Lucas and San Juan. The lake itself was formaed by a volcanic explosion, and is now known as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.
http://www.worldlakes.org/lakedetails.asp?lakeid=8522
http://globetrottergirls.com/2010/12/lake-atitlan-guatemala-villages/
http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcguatemala.htm
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
History of the Tz'utujil
The history of the Tz’utujil Mayan people is a colorful one.
The first documentation of the people begins in the “Post classic period” or
A.D. 1200-1524. The Tz’utujil arrived as small bands of warriors, entering the
Lake Atitlan region, which is now their homeland. Along with them came the
ancestors of the Quiches and Cakchiqueles or Kaqchikel, who are neighboring
cultures. At this point the Quiche were the dominant culture in the area. It is unclear who arrived in Guatemala first,
but by 1250, the Tzutujiles were settled around the lake. Sometime around 1470,
the Tzutujiles took part in a great revolt against the Quiche Empire, resulting
in its fall. The Tz’utujil then became even more militaristic, until a period
of strife occurred between the remaining quiches and also the Cakchiqueles,
which ended their rule. When the Spanish arrived in Guatemala in 1524, the
Kaqchikel had seized a majority of their territory. When the Spanish arrived, they enlisted the
Kaqchikel to help in their conquest of the Tz’utujil. The people then had
absolutely no rights and were treated as the property of their conquerors. They took their land, and made the people
purchase overpriced goods and also influenced a huge population decline. In-between
1524-1547, the population went from 48,000 to 5,600. A lot of that decline was
due to diseases brought by the Spanish. Not only were they treated terribly,
but they also were sometimes chosen to be a slave and each family were subject
to send a tribute to the current head of the town. By the late 19th century,
Guatemala began to mass produce coffee, which took away a plethora of the already
slim, remaining Tz’utujil lands. There was a severe amount of land loss, just
as their population was rebounding lead to many difficulties the culture faces
today.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Intro to the Tz'utujil Maya people
I am embarking on a journey for information about the Tz'utujil Mayan Indians of Midwestern highlands of Guatemala. I plan to find as much knowledge about their culture as I can without actually visiting the people. So by searching through books and over the Internet, and maybe even interact with someone from the culture, whether in person or through technology, I should be able to inform anyone who wishes to know about the Tz'utujil Maya people. Over the next few weeks I will have different posts about all of the aspects of the culture and here are the links to those posts.
- History of the Tz'utujil
- Guatemala, Homeland of the Tz'utujil
- World of the Tz'utujil
- Tz'utujil Cosmos
- Birds of the Tz'utujil
- Tz'utujil and neighbors
- T'zutujil Migrations and Diaspora
- Interview
- Tz'utujil Cultural survival
- References
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