Mayan descendants struggle to survive

At its peak, Maya was one of the wealthiest civilizations in the Americas, but the Mayan and Central American and Mexican societies now face discrimination, exploitation and poverty. .

In Guatemala, where half the population is the native descendants of the once glorious ancient civilization, the Mayans are becoming victims of genocide.

The brilliant culture is the focus of global discussion today, as all humanity is watching the "end of the world", marking the end of the May 5,200-year-long Mayan calendar. However, the current situation of the indigenous Maya people is a topic that has not been noticed by anyone.

Maya magicians are performing a purification ceremony during the welcome activity
on December 21, the end of the calendar Counted long and opened a new era in Guatemala.

"Indigenous people have always been considered a poor working class, and this still exists today," said Alvaro Pop, a Guatemalan anthropologist, member of the UN Standing Forum. Indigenous issues said. "They are seen as a tool and are not central to public policies."

Mayan civilization reached its heyday between the 250s and 900s, but faded away around 1200. Three centuries later, during the Spanish invasion, the Maya were deprived of all land. , push into poverty and become a slave.

Today, an estimated 20 million to 30 million direct descendants of this civilization exist in southern Mexico, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, where the most popular Mayan indigenous people.

In Guatemala, the Mayans stood on the social side, with limited access to education, health and other basic services. Their native language is also not officially recognized.

In the indigenous community, with 42% of the 14.3 million people in Guatemala, the poverty rate accounts for 80%. Nearly 60% of indigenous children suffer from chronic malnutrition, the infant mortality rate is so alarming that only 40 out of 1,000 children survive, according to the United Nations Development Program data.

In the Mexican state of Chiapas, poverty and exploitation led to the establishment of Zapatista National Liberation Army in 1994, attracting the attention of the community.

A Mexican dressed in a Maya costume
at a tourist destination in Mexico. (Photo: AFP)

However, perhaps the most expensive price that the Maya tribe paid was during the Guatemala Civil War that lasted from 1960 to 1996, in which the army opposed the left-wing guerrillas.

"There are objective reasons that make poverty worse and lead to discrimination against indigenous people , " said Pop.

More than 600 massacres in indigenous communities were recorded during that time. Tens of thousands of Anglo-Americans sought their way to refuge in southern Mexico during the military crackdown, according to a UN report in 1999.

Under the territorial policy conducted by the dictator at the time Efrain Rios Montt, the ruler in 1982 and 1983, most villages were flattened.

In the midst of the persecution, indigenous activist Rigoberta Menchu ​​emerged as a bright spot. Her strong condemnation of the massacres helped her receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992.

"Armed conflict has been used as an excuse to eliminate indigenous peoples, both physically and mentally," Menchu ​​said.