Camp Compromise

I think Grace makes a very good point in stating that the idea of transculturation may frighten the Maya people because such a movement would only make it more difficult to hold on to their beloved traditions. In my mind, transculturation appears to be a means of development. The saying "It takes a village to raise a child" is one that could be compared with this particular situation for the Maya.

The indigenous peoples of Guatemala have struggled for centuries to maintain their own unique ways of life. The Spanish first disrupted their isolated communities and forced these peoples into congregaciones where unique identities had the fate of being mixed and tainted among many others. The relocated peoples were exposed to completely novel ways of life when they were forced to move. Although the majority of the Mayas made it clear that they would have nothing to do with the Spaniards and their colonization, they could never truly be the same following this initial contact. The Spaniards attempted to form villages composed of the different departments and communities of the Maya, which were at the time strongly resistant. The indigenous groups wanted to function as they once did, in their own individual communities, raising the next generations to perpetuate their customs.


Although many circumstances have changed and many different events have taken place throughout the history of Guatemala, some indigenous peoples have tightly held on to their traditional customs. Personally, I believe that this act of sticking to tradition is honorable. Even in my own family, I greatly appreciate many of the traditional things that we do. When it comes to the issue of development, however, the traditions and customs of the Maya alone do not appear to be the best solution. In the light of development, I see the indigenous peoples as the child. Not in a condescending way as has been mentioned in previous readings, but as a child who has so much potential and just needs some help to develop in that potential. That is where the village comes in. Within the village, there are so many different people with different ideas. The different people and their ideas could be likened to the idea of transculturation. On an even smaller scale, those various people could represent the different Mayan traditions. The weave points of pop mentioned in DeHart's work is said to symbolize the "interconnectedness and interdependency that characterize Mayan collective tradition" (141).

I believe that as an organization, CDRO should be commended for defining what it is from what it is not. This juxtaposition allows for the representation of the traditional culture as well as other cultures that may aid in development. Personally, transculturation doesn't appear to be such a bad idea as long as the Maya people maintain their identity as well as traditions of their culture. This, however, is much easier said than done. The Mayas have been battling outside forces for many years and have seen certain customs cease to exist. I can completely understand the fear of introducing foreign ideas, but I also feel as if a compromise between the two would make for a great success in terms of development. Once again, compromise is easier said than done.