Journey to Mesoamerica

Life experience can no longer be like Buddha Jumps Over The Wall. “…if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know”-1 Corinthians 8:2.  Life experience, for me, is more like the soup in a Hot Pot as I go about purposefully collecting many different ingredients for this pot of soup through my wanderings and globetrotting.

On the Feast Day of St. Margaret of Scotland in 2017, I left Vancouver on my second cultural pilgrimage to Mesoamerica. This time to ancient and colonial Nicaragua and Guatemala…to walk among the ruins…with the hope of feeling the presence of the Aztec and Mayan civilizations and a deeper understanding of their cultures.

Our first cultural pilgrimage, with our son Nigel, to Mesoamerica – Chichen Itza in 2008

Temple of the God of Wind and Castillo 2008

I had decided (on this second cultural pilgrimage to Mesoamerica) to visit specifically Nicaragua and Guatemala because, to me, these are two countries long forgotten by the West as we pondered over the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

On May 28, 2015, in a speech, the then Chief Justice of Canada, Beverley McLachlin, referred to Canada’s treatment of its aboriginal people as a “cultural genocide“ that began in the colonial period. This term “cultural genocide” (frequently and “fashionably” used in Canada) was actually first conceived by lawyer Raphael Lemkin, who in 1944 distinguished “cultural genocide” or “cultural cleansing” as a component of genocide. Although juxtaposed with the term “ethnocide” in the 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the term “cultural genocide” was removed in the final document!

Two pertinent provisions of the Declaration are Article 7 and Article 8.

Article 7 1. Indigenous individuals have the rights to life, physical and mental integrity, liberty and security of person. 2. Indigenous peoples have the collective right to live in freedom, peace and security as distinct peoples. They shall not be subjected to any act of genocide or any other act of violence, including forcibly removing children of the group from another group.

Article 8 1. Indigenous peoples and individuals have the right not to be subjected to forced assimilation or destruction of their culture. 2. States shall provide effective mechanisms for prevention of, and redress for: (a) Any action which has the aim or effect of depriving them of their integrity as distinct peoples, or of their cultural or ethnic identities; (b) Any action which has the aim or effect of dispossessing them of their lands, territories or resources; (c) Any form of forced pp transfer which has the aim or effect of violating or undermining any of their rights; (d) Any form of forced assimilation or integration; (e) Any propaganda designed to promote or incite racial or ethnic discrimination directed against them.

Aztec and Mayan civilizations and cultures

Civilization was probably born in Mesoamerica around 2500-1500 BC.  The history of Mesoamerica saw the birth, rise and fall of a series of cultures. However, much of Mesoamerican mythology and history was transmitted orally from generation to generation. Following more than a century of excavation, we now know more about these civilizations. Yet, we still know nothing about certain events that took place more than 500 years before the Spanish conquest because of the Mesoamericans’ willingness to blend fact with myth in historical accounts. However, the Spanish Conquistadors must also shoulder the major blame for the paucity of surviving remains as they vandalized and destroyed ancient images and artefacts. I am informed that even though three Mayan texts survived (and are held in European museums), most original writings were burned in the 16th-century.

Mesoamericans, not unlike our First Nations people, saw divine meaning threaded through nature and natural phenomenon. The Aztecs and Mayans worshipped a vast pantheon of Gods and Goddesses. An important central element of their civilizations was a human blood sacrifice to appease and propitiate their Gods. Classic-period inscriptions in ruins and texts suggest that both the Aztecs and Mayans were hungry for live prisoners; common folks were earmarked as slaves, and the nobles were destined for human sacrifice. Both Aztecs and Mayans performed sacrifices through ritualized conflicts. Victims were tied to sacrificial stones or posts and were slashed until their blood flowed freely onto the stones or the earth. War was understood to be a natural condition, and military conflict was a sacrament. The shedding of sacrificial blood was a sacred duty. They killed to preserve their culture and imposed theirs on others.

I was shown this sacrificial stone used in ritual blood sacrifice. Classic-period inscriptions in ruins and texts suggest that both the Aztecs and Mayans were hungry for live prisoners, and rival nobles were earmarked for human sacrifice.

Although recently constructed, this shows a writing system that combined logograms and phonetic symbols used by the Mayans.

The years 250 AD – 900 AD (the classic period) represent the full flowering of their civilizations. Archaeological finds and surviving documents provided intriguing insights into their development of mathematics and arts. They used a writing system that combined logograms and phonetic symbols. They also used a 365-day calendar based on sun movement and believed in a cyclical nature of time and three planes: Earth, underworld and heaven above. But their history also reveals their grim commitment to wars and savage human sacrifice. Their civilizations were built around corn cultivation. Corn was not only an economic generator but also a sacred crop. However, as I had my meals during my visits to these countries, I noticed that rice and beans have taken over corn as the staples in their diets.

Nicaragua

The last time the world paid any attention to Nicaragua, the country was mired in a decade-long civil war which began when the Sandinistas overthrew dictator Anastasio Somoza. Backed by the Reagan administration in the United States, the counter-revolutionary forces known as the Contras fought the Sandinista regime led by President Daniel Ortega. The conflict came to a peaceful end with the result of the election in 1990. The Sandinistas were defeated by the UNO coalition, led by Violeta Barrios de Chamorro.

On my birthday in 2017, I arrived at Corinto, a town on the northwest Pacific coast of Nicaragua. This municipality was founded in 1863, but it was not the focus of my visit to Nicaragua. What had earlier prompted me to visit this country was the colonial city of Leon Viejo, founded in 1524 by the Spanish Conquistadors. The city of Leon Viejo sits next to beautiful Lake Xolotlan and the active Momotombo Volcano. 

From the hill above where the old fort is buried, I took in the fabulous view of Lake Xolotlan and the Momotombo volcano.

Volcanic activity in the year 1610 destroyed the original town and buried it in ash. It became known as the “Pompeii of Central America”. In consequence of the massive eruption, the population relocated approximately 20 miles west and established what is now known as the city of León. The ruins of the old city of León Viejo were hidden for more than four hundred years and was only discovered recently in 1967. It is now designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On this journey, I decided to explore these ruins with the hope of getting a sense of the early history of this first ancient capital of Nicaragua. I could have googled and read about much of these, but I also recall someone once said: “I hear I forget, I see I remember, I do I understand”.

The site displays the 1524-1610 ruins of a city buried by ash, and my imagination got a little carried away walking around architectural digs such as these.

This UNESCO archaeological site – one of the oldest Spanish colonial settlements in the New World, provided me with an idea of its original layout and a glimpse into its past.

The pinnacles of one of the churches in Leon soaring towards heaven.

There were not many visitors on the site when I was there. For a UNESCO site, I found it relatively and unusually quiet.  As I walked around these ruins, I could, periodically, hear the singing coming from the Guardabarrancos – the spectacular Turquoise-browed national birds of Nicaragua. Leaving behind the ruins of this colonial city of León Viejo, I proceeded to the present-day Leon, which in reality is not modern and new but is rather a repository of Spanish colonial architectures with the pinnacles of churches soaring towards heaven.

The Cathedral of León is the largest in Central America.

The Cathedral of León is the largest in Central America. It is an important and historic landmark in Nicaragua. I decided to climb to the rooftop of this Cathedral. Although it is the largest Cathedral in Central America, the climb was relatively easy for me compared with what I experienced climbing up the Cupola of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican and the winding narrow staircase of St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

View from the top of the Cupola of St. Peter’s Basilica Vatican 2007

View from the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral London 2007

But as I respectfully walked on the rooftop of this magnificent Cathedral (with my shoes taken off at the last stage of the climb), I was able to also get in an unmatched view of the “colonial Spanish” city of Leon below.

The wooden Flemish altarpiece with the paintings of the 14 stations of the Cross behind.

The domes on the rooftop of Leon Cathedral

The main dome on the rooftop of this baroque and neoclassical-designed Cathedral.

Shoes were removed at the top of the Cathedral.

City view from the rooftop of the Cathedral of Leon. This city has retained much of its colonial-style streets and architectures.

Guatemala

As a Canadian, I often imagine Guatemala to be just another tropical country. However, it is not necessarily tropical because of the terrains. The terrains of this country give it varying and different climatic conditions. For the first time, my Spring jacket came out as I travelled up the highlands to an elevation of 2,260 metres (7,410 ft) above sea level. Guatemala is also a colourful country, but the colourful materials worn by the Guatemalans are not signs of prosperity. The World Bank classifies Guatemala as a “lower-middle-income” developing country. The Guatemalans have an amazing culture, but their social and cultural growth was probably affected by the arrival of the Spanish conquerors. Today, their music comprises several styles and expressions. From 1524 on, Guatemala was one of the first in the New World to introduce European music. Many composers from the Renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic, and contemporary music styles have contributed to all genres.

Among the ancient sites I visited, I spent more of my time at Iximche, the Kaqchikel Maya capital, from 1470 until 1524. When Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado arrived in 1524 (after the conquest of the Aztecs), he found the highland Maya kingdoms weakened by twenty years of internal warfare and the spread of the European plagues. From February to March 1524, he fought and completely defeated the Kaqchikel Maya and executed the K’iche’ kings.  At the time of the Spanish Conquest, Iximche was the second most important city in the Guatemalan Highlands.

On this journey, I learned that the Mayans practised a cosmological sort of spirituality before the arrival of the Spanish. Temples were often aligned with the cardinal directions and arranged specifically to mark events like the summer and winter solstice. Caves were regarded as sacred passages to the underworld. As I toured the ancient city and its ruins, I was also able to witness and observe, from a distance, an authentic Maya ritual.

By observing this modern Maya religious ritual, I gained a little insight into the rites often depicted in ancient Maya art.

The Mayan calendar is still being used in some places today, especially within the Western Highlands. This calendar is closely linked to the agricultural cycle, especially corns, considered sacred. Corn is believed to have been involved with the formation of man by the gods as told in the Popol Vuh, a K’iche’ book of mythos-historical narratives. The Popol Vuh includes the myth of creation, epic tales, and genealogies.

Temples at Iximche were often aligned with the cardinal directions and arranged specifically to mark events like the summer and winter solstice.

Temple 2 (the best preserved of the excavated temples) is a tiered pyramidal platform on the west side of Plaza A.  It has a stairway on the east side of the structure, providing access from the plaza. It faces the sunrise on the summer solstice. Like many buildings at Iximche, this Temple was also built in three phases.

Traditional religious beliefs and practices of the Mayans continue to persist through the process of inculturation. Certain cultural practices are incorporated into Christian worship and ceremonies when they are sympathetic to the traditions. Indigenous practices continue to increase because of the cultural protections established under the Peace Accords. The government has instituted a policy to facilitate traditional ceremonies by providing altars at every Maya ruin.

Indigenous practices continue to increase because of the cultural protections established under the Peace Accords.

The Peace Accords brought genuine achievements but mixed with some serious limitations. The first breakthrough important achievement was the Human Rights Accord, signed in March 1994. It was important not so much for any new concept of human rights because these rights had already been guaranteed on paper in the 1985 Constitution. It appears to me that external and endogenous factors continue to influence the development of their cultural system. The processes are complex, and the factors affecting their development were probably due, to a certain extent, to the relations between human groups and between humans and the environment. Regrettably, gender-based violence and femicide are still many problems in Guatemala. I read from the 2015 United Nations report that two women were killed in Guatemala every day. According to Guatemala’s national forensic investigations body, 222 women have been the victims of violent killings in the first four months of 2016 alone.

Evangelical Christianity has recently made an inroad into Guatemala. About one-third of Guatemalans now are Evangelical Christians.

Catholicism was introduced to Guatemala during Spanish colonial times. It continues to have an important role in the community even though there have been some tensions (not unlike in Canada ) between the church and other human groups. Evangelical Christianity has recently made an inroad into Guatemala. About one-third of Guatemalans now are Evangelical Christians. The rise of Evangelical Christianity in Guatemala began in 1975 when earthquakes destroyed several villages in the highlands. International aid agencies, many of them Christian, rushed in to help and ended up converting the population to Christianity. Another factor that contributed to the rise of Evangelical Christianity was the civil war of the 1980s. I was informed that during this terrible time, many Guatemalans found hope in a belief system that promised rewards in heaven despite an untenable situation in the present, in their worldly existence.

It has already been brought to my attention that some of the Guatemalan villages have almost been entirely converted to Christianity with incredible results. It is said that alcoholism, which was widespread in the town of Almolonga, is now almost entirely gone…

Just a thought:

Coming out of my comfort zone (like a frog jumping out of the well), I tried very hard to understand what it really is this component of genocide called “cultural genocide” in the context of human existence and in the process of inculturation. Throughout human history? As a pilgrim, walking humbly (with God’s help), I believe I can learn to understand who I really am in Christ. Perhaps understanding who I am in Christ would help me realize that we, as Christians, should not really be the same as (or follow) the rest in and of the secular world. I believe that unless I can understand what makes me different from the world, I will not make any difference in the world!

As a Christian, I am reminded of the following verse: ” Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.³ And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.⁴ And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt. ” – Joshua 24:2-3 (KJV).