maya CULTURE BOOK
the TRUE History of the Maya Culture of
Momostenango, guatemala
Gregorio and Dona Maria Itzep Chanchavac with Llyn Cedar Roberts
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MAYA CULTURE BOOK PROJECT
Project Directors: Llyn Cedar Roberts and Jeff Eissfeldt
In the spring of 2018 on the sacred Guatemala journey to work with Maya Elders, our group was elated to meet and work in ceremony with Gregorio and Dona Maria Itzep Chanchavac. Following the journey Llyn Cedar Roberts had email correspondence with Gregorio's father and Don Maria's husband, Don Rigoberto Itzep. Don Rigoberto shared his desire to publish a book he had written about protecting and rescuing the practice of his people's Maya spirituality without mixing it with another religion, and their deep desire to preserve and speak their native tongue, the K'iche language.
The book depicts the true history of Don Rigoberto's mountain village of Momostenango and its reconstruction. It emphasizes the importance of respect for the principles and content of the Maya culture. The goal and objective is to generate voices of wisdom in the conscience of future generations. Explained is the origin of the Maya ceremonial locations, the Maya Calendar festivities, the K'che language, Maya spirituality and with vital recommendations for the Maya Culture.
Project Directors: Llyn Cedar Roberts and Jeff Eissfeldt
In the spring of 2018 on the sacred Guatemala journey to work with Maya Elders, our group was elated to meet and work in ceremony with Gregorio and Dona Maria Itzep Chanchavac. Following the journey Llyn Cedar Roberts had email correspondence with Gregorio's father and Don Maria's husband, Don Rigoberto Itzep. Don Rigoberto shared his desire to publish a book he had written about protecting and rescuing the practice of his people's Maya spirituality without mixing it with another religion, and their deep desire to preserve and speak their native tongue, the K'iche language.
The book depicts the true history of Don Rigoberto's mountain village of Momostenango and its reconstruction. It emphasizes the importance of respect for the principles and content of the Maya culture. The goal and objective is to generate voices of wisdom in the conscience of future generations. Explained is the origin of the Maya ceremonial locations, the Maya Calendar festivities, the K'che language, Maya spirituality and with vital recommendations for the Maya Culture.
Another important focus for the book is to create awareness about protecting the sacred and natural resources of Momostenango, such as: Cliffs, Thermal Baths, Rivers, Forests, as well as to protect Maya Ceremonial Sites and to disseminate information about how Momostenango was formed. The completed document will contain 30 pages of color and black and white photos, 60 pages of text - for a total of 100 pages.
Objective: To ensure that the general population especially teachers, children, young men and women, return to or take back their Cultural Values.
Rationale: This book is educational and formative in nature. It provides historical and essential information to the general population because in the present time the historical descriptions of our original indigenous peoples are based on the colonial vision and written by non-indigenous scholars. Therefore the need to disseminate the work in this documentary entitled: “Recovery and Reconstruction of the True History of Momostenango.” This work is based on an old document from the year 1647 containing the voice and stories of a real old man from those times. Almost 25 years have been spent studying and deciphering this old document.
Background: Momostenango is a Maya-Kiche village located in the North-West of Totonicapán, in the Western highlands of Guatemala. Its population consists mostly of Maya K'iche' descent. 70% of the Momo people live rurally - most are small farmers growing beans and corn (and some wheat) for their own families and communities. Momostanengo plays an important role as a ceremonial center in the Maya-Kiche world.It has been a ceremonial center for over 1,000 years and is a Mecca of Maya spirituality. The Maya calendar is followed more closely there than in any other traditional Maya community. Momostenango has many outdoor public altars and shrines. Maya daykeepers, priests and community spiritual advisors, as well as those from other communities and tribes, do sacred ceremony in Momostenango, which has been a place of pilgrimage for more than a thousand years.
UPDATE: OMEC has provided the financial support for the initial publication of 1,000 books ($4,000). The books have been, dispersed to the villagers of Momostenango. Our final goal is to support the publication of an additional 1,000 books ($8,000 total investment) for the Momostanengo community.
Objective: To ensure that the general population especially teachers, children, young men and women, return to or take back their Cultural Values.
Rationale: This book is educational and formative in nature. It provides historical and essential information to the general population because in the present time the historical descriptions of our original indigenous peoples are based on the colonial vision and written by non-indigenous scholars. Therefore the need to disseminate the work in this documentary entitled: “Recovery and Reconstruction of the True History of Momostenango.” This work is based on an old document from the year 1647 containing the voice and stories of a real old man from those times. Almost 25 years have been spent studying and deciphering this old document.
Background: Momostenango is a Maya-Kiche village located in the North-West of Totonicapán, in the Western highlands of Guatemala. Its population consists mostly of Maya K'iche' descent. 70% of the Momo people live rurally - most are small farmers growing beans and corn (and some wheat) for their own families and communities. Momostanengo plays an important role as a ceremonial center in the Maya-Kiche world.It has been a ceremonial center for over 1,000 years and is a Mecca of Maya spirituality. The Maya calendar is followed more closely there than in any other traditional Maya community. Momostenango has many outdoor public altars and shrines. Maya daykeepers, priests and community spiritual advisors, as well as those from other communities and tribes, do sacred ceremony in Momostenango, which has been a place of pilgrimage for more than a thousand years.
UPDATE: OMEC has provided the financial support for the initial publication of 1,000 books ($4,000). The books have been, dispersed to the villagers of Momostenango. Our final goal is to support the publication of an additional 1,000 books ($8,000 total investment) for the Momostanengo community.
Author: K'iché Maya Priest & Day Keeper, Rigoberto Itzep Chanchavac, the author of this book, is Quiche Maya Elder, Priest and Daykeeper. He is the director of Maya Mission Wajshakib Batz of Momostenango, Guatemala. Don Rigoberto and other Elders and Priests from Momostenangostrive to retain their traditional Maya ways, without religious overlay from other sources. This renders them a rare resource for the Maya Cosmovision
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