A PRE-COLUMBIAN MOSAIC
OF LATIN AMERICA
Linguistic Diversity within the
Maya Cultural Region
The more people know their own rights, and
the more they respect those of others, the
better the change that they will live together in
peace. Only when people are educated about
human rights can we hope to prevent human
rights violations, and thus prevent conflict, as
well.
Kofi Annan
Human Rights Day 2000
Rigoberta Menchú Tum
Grade Level
Grades 7 -12
Curriculum Area
Social Studies • World Cultures
Overview
The word Maya often evokes images of pyramid temples, ruins, rainforest, and at times
sacrifice. Even though most of the focus on education regarding the Maya is about the
past, many people forget that the Maya are still alive and well. They continue to
preserve many of their cultural traditions. On my last visit to Quetzaltenango (Xela),
Guatemala, I saw an indigenous man hauling a cart of goods on foot down the main
street while being followed by modern day cars and trucks. What is unique about the
Maya is the diversity of ethnic groups. Visiting the different pueblos in the highlands of
Guatemala allows one to notice the distinctions among the various ethnic groups.
Clothing identifies which town a particular ethnic group inhabits. The colors and patterns
within each specific pueblo are the same colors and patterns of dress that everyone
within that ethnic group wears. It is an important form of cultural expression. In addition
to the cultural expression of an ethnic group by their clothing, each Maya region has a
specific dialect. There are 3 million people who identify themselves as Maya and
together, the ethnic groups speak over 28 different dialects. This linguistic diversity
further isolates Maya groups, therefore allowing them to retain their cultural
characteristics. This linguistic diversity is another important cultural characteristic that is
often overlooked when teachers discuss the Maya. Students assume that all of the
Maya people speak one language. This lesson seeks to bring about an understanding
of the linguistic and ethnic diversity within the Maya cultural region. How did this
happen? One only needs to visit the highlands of Guatemala to understand the rugged,
isolated terrain of steep, volcanic peaks or rainforests which continue to isolate groups
of people, allowing for the use of Maya dialects to function as an important tool for
communication and transmission of culture.
Objectives
To gain an understanding of the linguistic and ethnic diversity within the Maya cultural
region students will create a linguistic/ethnic map of an assigned Maya cultural region in
which they will identify the diversity of languages as an important indicator of cultural
expression.
Students will notice that the Maya is an umbrella term for many different ethnic groups
which retain their customs and culture from Pre-Columbian times due to geographic
isolation.
Students will look at the effects of this diversity on communication among the different
Maya ethnic groups and the situations that have evolved due to modernization and
development.
To understand that global issues and challenges are interrelated, complex, and
changing, and that most issues have a global dimension.
To develop informational literacy about global issues using the Internet for research by
reading an excerpt from a biography.
Key Words
Maya Cultural Region
Composed of Southern Mexico (Yucatan & Chiapas), Guatemala, Belize,
Honduras, and El Salvador.
Indigenous
Native to a particular region. Describe the people of the Maya cultural region
who retain their traditional, Pre-Columbian ethnic groups.
Linguistic diversity
Many different languages that are spoken in one area.
Rigoberta Menchú Tum
A Quiche Maya Guatemalan woman who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 for
her efforts to bring attention to issues of civil rights for the Maya ethnic groups.
Ethnic group
A group of people with the same cultural traits, language or customs.
Cultural characteristics or traits
Characteristics that tell about an ethnic group such as history, food, clothing,
rituals and ceremonies, language, art, and music.
Activities
Activity
Review briefly the geographic location and cultural characteristics of the Maya both past
and present. Ask students to review what they know about the Maya from other classes
or experiences. After students reflect on their prior knowledge, tell the class that the
Maya is a term that is used to define a diversity of ethnic groups. Each ethnic group has
their own style of clothing, customs, history, and language that identifies them. The
teacher will then point out on a large map where the Maya cultural region is: Southern
Mexico (the Yucatan & Chiapas), Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador.
Activity - Role Playing
Students will then be assigned to act out a frequent scenario that occurs in Guatemala
and is due to the diversity of languages/ethnic groups. The teacher will ask students to
imagine that they are on a huge plantation in Guatemala picking coffee to earn some
money so that they can spend the rest of their year in the highlands living off their land
by farming. The teacher will go around the room with an envelope full of labels. (See
labels below after Bibliography) Once each student has a label, all students will look at
them and try to find people of the same ethnic group as the name on the label. The
students must do this without speaking any English but use body language or chime out
the word written on their label. Once each group has found people of their same ethnic
group they will sit down together and wait until all of the people have found their group.
When each group has found their match the teacher will tell them that they will be
spending the rest of the class working with their ethnic group.
Activity - Making a Map
All students will be handed a linguistic map and asked to find where their ethnic group
resides. Once they have found it, they will pick a color and shade in their cultural region
on the map. Next a student will be asked to trace an overhead map of the Maya
linguistic/ethnic diversity for the entire class to use as a guide in understanding the
diversity of the Maya. Teacher will tape a poster board to the chalkboard. Then project
an image of the overhead map of the Maya region onto the poster board via an
overhead projector. Next the student will trace the outline of the Maya region with a
pencil or marker. Once the large map is completed, each individual Maya ethnic group
will go up to the map, paste their label onto the sheet in the region where their group is
located. The student groups will color code that region and make a key on the map to
illustrate the diversity of linguistic and ethnic groups. During time when the large map is
being drawn, the teacher can prompt the students to answer questions about the roleplaying activity or about the linguistic/ethnic diversity worksheet. Some examples of
question are: What was difficult about finding your group and only being able to
communicate via body language or one word? Which group is the largest ethnic group?
Which is the smallest? Looking at the map, why do you think that there are so many
different ethnic groups? How does language tell us about a particular culture? Students
should complete the linguistics map by the end of the class period.
Activity
Students should review their prior activity from the day before. Students should be able
to explain geographically where the Maya cultural region is located. Students should
also be able to recall what they learned from the previous lesson about linguistic
diversity as an identifier of the different Maya ethnic groups? Students should then be
instructed that the word, which identifies their ethnic group, is the same word for the
language that is spoken. For example, the Quiche Maya are those that live in the
Quiche region and speak the Quiche language. Students should then look over the
linguistics map and realize that in each colored pocket a different Mayan language is
spoken.
Activity
The teacher should then introduce Rigoberta Menchú Tum as a Quiche Maya woman
who won the Nobel Peace Prize. Teacher will tell the students that they will complete a
worksheet by responding to Rigoberta's first hand experiences dealing with the ethnic
diversity of the Maya. Students should then break up into their small ethnic groups from
the previous day and answer the questions on the worksheet. Upon completion, the
whole class will share their findings and what they learned. Teacher should review the
objectives at the end with the class.
Activity
Create a Global citizen, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, webpage with a photo gallery of world
concerns and efforts by activists, architects for peace and citizens concerned for
creating truth through the power of social action. Read as background: Soldiers of
Peace-United Nations Peace-Keeping, Architects for Peace, Speak Truth to Power.
(Listed in the Resources)
Activity
Another activity that can be used to introduce students to the Maya Cultural Region is
showing the film, Ancient Civilizations for Children: The Ancient Maya. This film
introduces students to the characteristics of cultural expression and weaves the past
with the present to aid students in visualizing the Maya people and their history. The film
is co-narrated by middle school students and my students absolutely LOVED it. If you
show the film, have the students make a list on a piece of paper of the following
characteristics of cultural expression: food, clothing, language, rituals and ceremonies,
artifacts, history, art, and entertainment. Have your students then write down an
example of each that they find in the film. Have your students share their findings with
the whole class after the film is over. Have them relate it to the fact that all of these
characteristics contribute to an individual person's or group's identity. Each Maya ethnic
group has its own identity, which is defined by characteristics of cultural expression.
You can use this activity as a source for analyzing the Maya cultural region or any other
cultural region.
Resources
I Rigoberta Menchú. Elizabeth Burgos-Debray, ed. New York, New York:
Verso. 1983.
The Maya Cultural Region: A Linguist Map. Thuan Nguyen. Burlington: Copyright by
Thuan Nguyen. 1999. (Reproduction only for educational use without profit.)
The Two Crosses, Todosantos. Hans Namuth. Los Todosantoseros. Photograph of
Todosantos.
Internet Links
Ancient Civilizations for Children Video
http://www.libraryvideo.com
Ancient Mexico
http://ancientmexico.com/
Lowland Maya Cultural History
http://www.marc.ucsb.edu/elpilar/maps/trailguides/trails2.pdf
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights: Organization of American States –
Guatemalan Maya-Quiche Population and Their Human Rights
http://www.cidh.oas.org/countryrep/Guatemala93eng/chapter.3.htm
El Maies: Los Mayas – The Maya
http://www.mesoweb.com/
Weaving the Fabric of the Cosmos
http://www.mesoweb.com/features/fabric/fabric00.html
Mayan Family of Languages – Map
http://www.sil.org/mexico/maya/00i-maya.htm
Languages of Guatemala and Belize - Map
http://www.larutamayaonline.com/history/idiomas2.html
Mesoweb
http://www.mesoweb.com/
Collapse: Why Do Civilizations Fall?
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/collapse/index.html
Textile Art of Chiapas Maya
http://www.sci.mus.mn.us/sln/ma/chiapas.html
Rigoberta Menchu Tum Live Broadcast
http://www.worldtrek.org/odyssey/latinamerica/rigoberta/transcripteng.html
Rigoberta Menchú Tum
http://nobelprize.org/peace/laureates/1992/tum-bio.html
Rigoberta Menchu Tum Home Page
http://www.indians.org/welker/menchu.htm
Kaqchikel Mayan at the University of Kansas
http://www.ku.edu/~mayan/links.html
Mayan Community of Todos Santos
http://www.stetson.edu/~rsitler/TodosSantos/
Globalearn
http://www.globalearn.com
Human Rights Education Resource Center
http://erc.hrea.org/
United Nations
http://www.un.org/
Maya Language Labels
Maya Language Labels
Print these out and depending on how large your class is, look at the worksheet
containing the map of the Maya Linguistic/Ethnic Groups. Determine the number of
labels that you want to print up for the different Maya ethnic groups based on ratios. For
example, the smallest group such as the Motozintlec might only have one person with
that label in the class for example. While the Quiche might have two or three labels
printed up. All labels that are printed up are then placed in an envelope where students
pick one for the Role-Playing Activity as listed above in the Day 1 procedures.
Chontal
Motozintlec
Kanjobal
Yucatecan
Quiche
Chorti
Lenca
Chol
Mam
Ixil
Mopan
Cakchiquel
Zoque
Jicaque
Tzeltal
Tojolabal
Itza
Kekchi
Tzutujil
Pipil
Tzotzil
Chuj
Lancandon
Pokomchi
Pokomam
Xinca
Worksheets
The Difficulties of Linguistic Diversity: How Do People Communicate?
Name:
Directions:
Think about what you know about the cultural region of the Maya and answer the
following questions individually. Then compare your answers with a small group and
share your thoughts with the whole class.
1. Describe the geography of Guatemala and Mexico. What physical features has
contributed to the large number of different Mayan languages?
2. Read the following passages or quotes by Rigoberta Menchu Tum a Quiche
Maya woman. Respond to them and describe the problems that are caused by
the diversity of indigenous languages in Guatemala.
"All of the workers on the coastal estates, in coffee or other things, are Indians who
either live there at the fincas or emigrate there to work. They're all Indians but from
different ethnic groups who speak different languages. This makes it very difficult for
us because the linguistic barriers prevent any dialogue between us Indian, between
ourselves. We can only understand the people from our own ethnic group, because
we can't speak Spanish and we can't speak the other languages. So although we
want to get close to the other groups, we can't." (Page 40. Burgos-Debray,
Elizabeth, ed. I, Rigoberta Menchu. New York: Verso, 1983.)
What types of problems do you think this creates when people are housed together and
they cannot communicate?
Describe two or three ways in which people try to communicate?
Imagine that you are walking in Rigoberta's shoes for a day. You are working on the
finca picking coffee. Describe the feelings that you might have trying to communicate
with others.
"The landowner was speaking (Spanish), and the overseer started translating
what he was saying. They told us he said we all had to go and make a mark on a
piece of paper. That would be a vote; I imagine that it was a vote. We all went to
make our mark on the paper. They gave my father one and my mother showed
them the place to put their mark. I remember that the paper has some squares
with three or four drawings on it. So my parents and my older brothers and
sisters marked the paper in the place the owner told them. He warned us that
anyone who didn't mark the paper would be thrown out of work at the end of the
month. Anyone who was thrown out would not be paid. The workers were forced
to mark the paper." (P. 26 Burgos-Debray, Elizabeth, ed. I, Rigoberta Menchu.
New York: Verso, 1983.)
In what ways does the diversity of languages and the loss of communication allow the
indigenous people on the fincas to be taken advantage of or exploited by others?
What language is the language of power in Guatemala?
Since Spanish is the language that has been used by schools to communicate, what
impact do you think that will have on the indigenous people and their diversity of
languages?
With roads, widespread travel and trade, satellite TV, and increased contact between
the indigenous groups, do you think that will cause the loss of their native tongue?
Find the smallest sections of spoken language on the linguistics map. What do you
predict will happen to them in 50-100 years? What will happen with the extinction of
native languages? How will it change the separate indigenous cultures?
The Maya Cultural Region: A Linguistics Map
Guatemalan Children Wearing the Clothing Unique to the Town of Todosantos
Youth Soccer Game in Todosantos, Guatemala. The Boys Behind the Goal are Wearing
the Red and White Striped Pants Unique to the Town
The Guatemalan Military Made Signs Easily Seen From the Air in Order to Land in
Particular Villages, Often to Massacre the Inhabitants
Lesson Plan Written by Christina Ann Dick Milton Junior, Senior High School
Printed from RETANET, A Pre-Columbian Mosaic of Latin America: Linguistic Diversity within
the Maya Cultural Region. 2005-01-08 23:47:29. RETANET Resource for Teaching About the
Americas http://retanet.unm.edu/