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Celebrating Mothers, Pillars of Mayan Culture - Mayan Hands

By A Mystery Man Writer

Last updated 20 Jun 2024

Did you know that ever since the Spanish conquest more than 500 years ago the transmission of Mayan culture has been largely in the hands of women? When the Spanish burnt the sacred books of the Maya, the women continued incorporating secretly into their cloth the symbols that recreated the Mayan sacred world view. Even today, there are hidden worlds portrayed in many of the modern huipiles. For all these centuries the women remained in their villages while the men were and still are pressured to leave, steeped in their culture, nurturing the new generations into their native Mayan languages and traditions. Mayan women have defended staunchly the Mayan vision of the world, regardless of the oppression and discrimination they suffer as a consequence in their encounters with non-indigenous Guatemalans. They hope their children will live in a more tolerant, less oppressive