Guatemala’s Maya mark 500 years of resistance

Indigenous people in a Mayan village in Guatemala marked 500 years of “resistance” after Spanish colonization this Saturday with walks, ceremonies, dances, music and demonstrations of ancestral ball games.

The event began with the indigenous peoples of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras walking from the center of the city of Tecpan (west) to the archaeological site of Ichimche, in a “counter-celebration” of the arrival of the first expedition to Guatemala. Spanish Conquistadors 1524.

During the day, indigenous groups took part in a “500 Years of Struggle Historical Memory Tour” in Iximché, the ancient Mayan city where Spanish conquistadors established Guatemala’s first capital.

In that city, Mayan descendants dance to marimba music and burn resin around fire circles made from dozens of colorful candles.

“We are commemorating 500 years of resistance. This was a brutal and violent invasion,” said Pakal Rodríguez, a member of Kaqchikel Taq Molaj, a group that Guatemalan indigenous people The entity that organizes the commemoration.

“Today we are not celebrating the 500th anniversary, but honouring our ancestors. 500 years ago, the massacres began, these territories were invaded,” lamented Marco Tulio Pichiya, an indigenous member of the Ralk’wal Pa Tz’iya’ group. “Racism, discrimination, genocide, massacres are not worth celebrating (…), we as indigenous peoples are resisting,” he insisted.

He recalled the city being burned down by Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado and criticized the local municipal authorities for organizing events to celebrate the arrival of the Spaniards. “Those attitudes, those actions are shameful,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ixmukane Álvarez, who comes from the same entity as Pacal, said it was necessary to “make these journeys of memory to thank and honor the struggle of our grandparents.” “We believe it is necessary to talk about the trauma of the invasion to begin to heal the entire population,” he said.

Alvarez thanked his grandparents because “they taught us the way to never give up despite pain and suffering; that we always have hope, that we always have joy, and that we always fight for life.”