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Guatemala:
PRESERVING MAYAN CULTURE WITH TECHNOLOGY
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Here
is the story of the beginning,
when there was not one bird,
not one fish, not one mountain.
Here is the sky, all alone,
Here is the sea, all alone.
There is nothing more
—no sound, no movement.
Only the sky and the sea.
Only Heart-of-Sky, alone.
And these are his names:
Maker and Modeler,
Kukuklan,
and Hurricane.
But
there is no one to speak his names.
There is no one to praise his glory.
There is no one to nurture his greatness.
~
From Popol Vuh,
the Mayan Book of Creation
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MAYAN
CULTURE
Early History
The
Mayas were primarily traders with the Teotihuacán city-state
in central Mexico. With the collapse of Teotihuacán society
in the sixth century, Mayan socioeconomic development faltered.
The absence of one governing body, such as existed among the
Aztecs, also contributed to the decline. While many Mayan city-states
flourished between 600-800 AD, and though the people had common
traits and beliefs, the great Mayan centers in the central lowlands
fell into ruin, abandoned and reclaimed by the rainforest. The
northern lowlands continued to prosper, however. By the time
of the Spanish Conquest, Mayan civilization was in a struggle
for survival that lasted more than 500 years. Today, there are
over six million Mayas living in Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize.
more..
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