Nick+-+CD+-+SP13

__Name:__

Izel Yaotl (meaning "Unique Warrior")

__Culture:__

The Culture of the People of Maya

__Language:__

The people of the Maya culture are known for their extremely diverse language. They speak Spanish, Kriol and English, but have created their own, vast set of Mayan languages descending from Proto-Maya, dating back more than 5,000 years ago. At least 6 million Mayans speak these languages throughout Mesoamerica and Central America. Between 21 and 29 differentiations of the languages of Maya are recognized by different parts of the region. While the languages have no distinct ties to other language families, commonalities may have come about from living and interacting around people using languages other than Mayan around Mesoamerica. The fact that some tribes and Mayan civilizations speak English would be beneficial to the role of an Ambassador because you would be able to easily communicate information because English is one of the most commonly used languages around the world.

__Beliefs:__

The people of Maya did not necessarily practice a certain religion, but instead, worshipped many Gods. Some of the important Gods they worshipped were Itzamná, Kukulcán and Chac. The afterlife was something that was also very important to the Mayans. When rulers died, they were buried in lavish tombs, and the majority of Mayans travelled to the Underworld. In the Maya culture, you would only travel to heaven if you died in childbirth or through human sacrifice. The Mayans also heavily practiced science, learning astronomy and mastering the concept of determining the solar year, which helped them determine a lot of things in the natural world around them. These beliefs would be beneficial to the role of an Ambassador because they are very different beliefs than cultures currently active in the world today, so the culture of the people of Maya can provide a different outlook and perspective on different situations.

__Behaviors:__

The Mayans believed strongly in the idea of sacrifice. This includes human sacrifice, as well as sacrifice of other living things, such as animals. As with most cases of sacrifice, these sacrifices were made to please and make the Gods happy. Methods for sacrifice included, but are not limited to, decapitation, though weapons like arrows or spears, or even throwing the body into a deep, limestone hole. The sacrifices also happened during ballgames, and the losing team was most likely sacrificed. The Mayans believed that this truly turned each game into an “epic battle of life and death.” Overall, the sacrifices are made to appease the Gods, and also, as they believed, create new life. In benefitting the role of an Ambassador, the sacrificial behaviors of the Maya can relate to the willingness to participate in practices or behaviors that benefit a greater good or the society as a whole.

__Values:__

The people of the culture of Maya have many values, such as love, gratitude, care and respect for the environment and humanity. They also have many important values that are centered around the family. They valued the practice of respecting your elders, because once a child turned five years old, they would begin to help care for their elders, as well as do other household chores. The people of Maya also valued teaching their children everything they needed to know to become proper parents and adults. After all, they were expected to become fully independent at age fifteen. Along with respecting elders, hard work was also a crucial value of the Mayan culture. The children did not go to school, but rather helped around the house and possibly the family’s farm, tending to whatever needed to be done, so hard work was crucial. Overall, the Mayans valued a very family-centric life, which was extremely important to their culture. These values will be beneficial to the role of an Ambassador because they are many of the same values and morals that other cultures believe in, so they will be able to form connections with others different than them.

__Cultural Changes/Undesirable Characteristics:__

As the world is currently very familiar with, December 21st, 2012 was deemed the “end of the world,” or, “the apocalypse.” This was due to the Mayan calendar resetting itself, and just refreshing its cycle like it has in many years past. People have jumped to conclusions, as well as twisted words to come up with a false accusation. The Mayans never predicted or documented this date as the fall of our world, but instead, have documented it as the start of the beginning of a new cycle.

This cycle is dated back to the ancient Mayan civilizations, where time and astrology were key factors to their culture, and in some cases, still are in the remaining indigenous groups. According to tribes of Mayan people in Mexico near the Yucatan Peninsula, the very smart and intelligent people in this world have fallen into the trap of the media, as well as those who have distorted Mayan history, to believe that the world would have actually ended on December 21st, 2012. Indigenous tribes of the Mayans from Guatemala even went as far as travelling to New York City to reach out to the U.N. to describe the meaning of the date in their culture. Don Tomás Calvo, the representative, explained that the beginning of a new cycle in the Mayan calendar only happens every 64,000 years, and is to realign the principles, values and priorities of the Mayan culture, not the downfall of the Earth as we know it.

__Bibliography:__


 * Primary Sources: **

"I Met with the Mayans; They Said the World Isn’t Ending Anytime Soon!" Interview by Mariam Magsi. The Express Tribune Blogs - The Big Picture. N.p., 20 Dec. 2012. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. < [] >.

"Saving a Mayan Game of Sacrifice." The Chronicle of Higher Education 51.16 (2004). U.S. History In Context. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. Document URL http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA147100028&v=2.1&u=pl7053&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w


 * Print Sources: **

Mayan Elders, at the UN, Call for New Era of Harmony. New York, New York: UN, 25 Oct. 2012. PDF.


 * Secondary Sources: **

Out of Egypt: Mayan Sacrifice. Discovery. Discovery Channel, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. < [] >.

"Mayan Religion." ReligionFacts. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. < [] >.

"Human Sacrifice Among TheÂ Maya." About.com Ancient / Classical History. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. < [] >.

Moshman, Rachael. "Mayan Culture and Classroom Values Lesson Plan." Yahoo! Contributor Network. N.p., 14 Sept. 2011. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. < [] >.

"Top 10 Fascinating Facts AboutÂ TheÃÂ Mayans." Listverse. N.p., 21 Sept. 2009. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. < [] >.

"Maya Peoples." Maya Peoples - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. < [] >.

"Mayan Languages." Mayan Languages - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. .