2012 Traveler in Guatemala Wonders Whether to go to Mexico
In a July 29, 2008 blog post, Juan Valdez says he’s presently in Guatemala. He contemplates going north into the Mexican state of Chiapas.
I am thinking of going north into Chiapas in Mexico but am not sure I will learn much more about the Maya Long Count and the 2012 cataclysm being forecast by some, because less than 25% of the inhabitants of the province are of Maya decent and most of them don’t even speak Spanish.
The reason I find this excerpt interesting is that, based on my reading, I thought that the inhabitants of Chiapas were especially dedicated to preserving their culture. In addition, I’d read that many of the Mayan people, continued to dress in colorful traditional outfits decorated with local designs, are especially reluctant to be treated as fodder for tourists’ cameras.
I guess I assumed this meant that the state of Chiapas was a Mayan stronghold. But, what do I know? I’m just reading and this fellow is there. What does he mean by saying that most of them don’t even speak Spanish? That they speak only Mayan and therefore he can’t converse with them so why go to Chiapas, anyway? Or, that they speak English and therefore aren’t in touch with their Mayan roots so they wouldn’t know anything about the Maya Long Count Calendar or 2012?
Something else I found interesting–further in his blog he says that because he’s in the mountains in Guatemala, it’s cool. Amazing! I’m sitting in Virginia where it’s very hot but we’re so much farther north than Guatemala.
Copyright 2008 Carol Chapman
