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Here's a prediction: with the imminent US release of Mel Gibson's new film Apocalypto media interest in Maya culture is going to be higher than normal. Not a hard one- but here's another: despite inciting a discussion of Maya history, there'll be very little accompanying airing of the challenges facing the modern day Maya living in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. In fact, partly due to how the film is being trailed, many may even believe that Maya culture is extinct.

This from Wikipedia: “Mel Gibson filmed Apocalypto mainly in Catemaco and Paso de Ovejas in the Mexican state of Veracruz. Gibson uses the Yucatec Maya language in Apocalypto, in the same way he used Aramaic and Latin for his religious blockbuster The Passion of the Christ. Apocalypto features a cast of unknown actors from Mexico City, the Yucatán, some Native Americans from the United States, and locals from Los Tuxtlas and Veracruz. While Gibson is financing the film himself, Disney has signed on to release Apocalypto for a fee in certain markets.”

Reservations about Gibson and Disney producing a film about Maya history aside, this is a rare example of a large distribution film looking at Central American history (pre-European colonisation). But we'll have more to say on this once we've seen it!

For all the ins and outs on the production of the film: check out the Apocalypto Watch blog.

UPDATE: (05-12-2006)

The reviews are starting to roll in. No mention of Maya culture here on the BBC. If this one from The Guardian is anything to go by – doesn't appear to be much hunger to actually talk about the film- and not the filmmaker (tempting as it is):

However, this new piece in The Guardian (Mark Stevenson – Associated Press Writer) comes closest to contradicting my prediction of an absence of discussion of the present day:

For a different take on the film read this review from Traci Ardren who is assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Miami:

UPDATE: (09-12-2006)

Mysteriously, a report from Reuters used the above quote we pulled out three days ago on this blog, and attributed it to Ignacio Ochoa, director of the Nahual Foundation that promotes Mayan culture. These articles appeared in The Guardian, BBC, Channel 4, and ITN under the title 'Mayans slam film'. Now the BBC appears to have corrected this and quoted Traci Ardren directly -and changed it to 'film angers Mayan groups'. The BBC even links directly to Traci's article. Slow papers like the Independent are way off the pace and using the old attribution for the 'racist' quote (09-12-2006).

Ignacio Ochoa kindly responded to us and has categorically denied this is his quote. Ochoa doubts the film will increase stereotyping of the Maya beyond what it is already. Ochoa's concern is that the “ancient Maya civilization” commonly referred to is more an ideological construct. This constructed concept has been used by the likes of the Guatemalan State as a kind of systematic colonialism to control indigenous movements in Guatemala during the civil war up to the present day. The real danger for the present day Maya is that Guatemalan politicians are blocking their participation in local development. Ochoa cites the COCODE system as an example of this. Ochoa agrees that any hint by Gibson in the film, just as in the school books many Guatemalans have to read, that it took the Spanish conquest of the Mayas to 'civilize' them is totally unacceptable.

Wouldn't it be great if the media could go beyond the mudslinging (the need for controversy) and examine the issues at stake for a change? They might even check with the people they're quoting- rather than just recycling the news.

Traci has also brought to our attention the film The Fountain which has recently had a US release (22-11-2006) and is also influenced by Maya culture. The film's director Darren Aronofsky has described how concepts in the film such as the Tree of Life and the Mayan underworld Xibalba come from the Popol Vuh. This is certainly another film worth comparing and contrasting with Apocalypto in terms of how big budget films are depicting Maya culture at the moment. So what made Aronofsky interested in Maya culture?

“I've always been fascinated by the Mayas. I was a sophomore in college, and me and some friends drove a cheap car to Palenque, Mexico, to the Mayan ruins. We were in the abandoned Mayan plaza, and there were these huge anthills. I was standing in the center of a huge dead civilization that had been taken over by another civilization of another species. It was a moment of chaos. I realized that civilizations die and others take over. I went back to school and took some classes on Mayan culture. I've been fascinated ever since by their first Adam and their tree of life, so that made me want to connect them to this story.”

UPDATE: (10-12-2006)

As more people are watching Apocalypto in the US (we still haven't in the UK) there seems to be an increasingly stronger reaction against it. Professor Gerardo Aldana is the latest to enter the fray with a pretty damning critique. NISGUA appear to be beginning a campaign to boycott it.

Can't help but feel though that it would be better to counter the inaccuracies presented by Gibson through informing potential audiences, as Gerardo Aldana and others are doing. Never had Mel down as a stickler for historical accuracy ever since Braveheart- nor as a filmmaker is he the first to present a cinematic vision at odds with known historical fact. But it's probably better to use this current spike in public interest in Maya culture and history to educate and not lecture.

UPDATE: (17-12-2006)

Another interesting take on the film this time from Robert Parry on Consortiumnews.com. Parry turns the tables and points out the US's role of the more recent Apocalypto of the Maya in Guatemala. There's also this great review by Kanishk Tharoor in Open Democracy: “Mel Gibson's Mayan blockbuster is an imperialist Christian dream but otherwise an imaginative, historical and cultural worst nightmare”.

UPDATE: (31-12-2006)

With the approach of the UK release date- the reviews are flying thick and fast. Philip French in the Guardian loves it- but doesn't mention Guatemala. The Times' Cosmo Landesman thinks it's bloody fantastic. Philip Sherwell in the Sunday Telegraph has this interesting article, which concludes 'They're nothing like us' after conferring with Professor Bartolomé Alonzo Caamal who has pursued 'his mission to keep the Mayan language and culture alive':

The book by Miquel Dewever-Plana makes an important contribution to the recuperation to historical memory and dignifying of the victims of one of the most tragic conflicts in Latin America. Here's more information from the press release on the website:

There's a low quality video clip with the book's author and Ana Maria Menchu Tum speaking about the book in a recent press conference.

This just in from our compañer@s in Guatemala with an update on the extradition order for Gen Efrain Rios Montt et al… looks like there could be some movement in the next few days. Watch this space…

Here's the news as reported in Prensa Libre and Siglo XXI (01-12-2006). Or CERIGUA (02-12-2006). The Spanish authorities have corrected the mistake about missing out reference to Rios Montt:

Also in the news was the revelation that Spanish judge Santiago Pedraz recently visited Guatemala (El Periodico):

Perhaps we may even have news on the case before Guatemalans 'burn the devil' (Quema del Diablo) on 7th December – a day reserved, according to tradition, for the burning of the old and bad to make way for the new.

Wednesday, 6th December- food at 6.30pm, talk at 7.30pm (Café prices apply)

Venue: La Ruca, Gloucester Road, Bristol

Meet Guillermo Chen, director of the Fundaciòn Nueva Esperanza, Guatemala

On the 10th anniversary of peace in Guatemala, Guillermo Chen, director of the Fundaciòn Nueva Esperanza talks about how an inspiring cultural education project is giving hope to the continuing struggle for justice, indigenous rights and identity in Guatemala.

˜Education for indigenous children is the only way to combat intolerance, build a lasting peace and improve quality of life for our communities’

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This December marks the 10th anniversary of the signing of Peace in Guatemala. The 1996 peace accords brought an end to a bloody 36-year conflict, in which 200,000 people, (the majority indigenous Mayans) died or ˜disappeared’.

The peace accords set out a framework for transforming Guatemalan society through principles of democracy, equality and respect. The reality is that the government has made little progress. Violence and human rights abuses in Guatemala are rife and the justice system is incompetent. Inequalities of land distribution, wealth and access to education are increasing.

Progress has been left to the inspiring and courageous work of civil society organisations.

The Fundaciòn Nueva Esperanza is one such organisation. It has developed a unique philosophy to educate children of Mayan Achi descent to participate and contribute to society whilst maintaining their threatened language, traditions and cultural values.

Ffi; Contact Stuart on 07791 034138

Voluntary donations requested

For the tech junkies among you, Xeni Jardin, co-editor of Boing Boing (one of the world's most popular blogs) is currently out and about and posting from Guatemala. She's been posting on an electic range of issues and topics, including: violence against women campaigning, filesharing in Guate, and making tortillas…

It's also worth flagging up the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group who get a mention on Xeni's blog and Xela Teco which is “a new micro manufacturing enterprise concerned with the fabrication, installation and repair of low cost environmentaly sound infrastructure improvements. Xela Teco is located in Quetzaltenango Guatemala, and aims to serve NGOs and the general populace in the greater Quetzaltenango region”.

By Michael Fernandez

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As we approach the ten year anniversary of the signing of the peace accords in Guatemala, the question of what has actually changed since then has obviously arisen. From reading articles, opinion pages, and indeed talking to countless people who have lived their entire lives in the country, the general consensus seems to be 'very little,' and most would agree that the Guatemalan government has completely failed to implement the agreements reached back in December 1996. Evidence of this failure is everywhere: the scourge of impunity that continues to prevail in Guatemala – nowhere more evident than in the lack of progress in the genocide case against Ríos Montt and his high command; the glaring inequalities and extreme poverty in a country where an estimated 75% of the population live below the poverty line; and the continuing violence and intimidation against those struggling to improve the human rights situation and bring social justice to Guatemala.  

My time working as an international accompanier in Guatemala with ACOGUATE has given me the opportunity to see first hand the lack of progress since 1996, and indeed how many of the original causes for the outbreak of the internal conflict back in 1960 are still prevalent to this day. While many accompaniers spend their time living in communities and accompanying witnesses involved in the genocide case, I was asked to form part of the so-called 'short term' team, which accompanies other individuals, communities and organisations that are under threat due to their work or their struggle for justice. The main case I have been involved in, that of the sacked farm workers of the Finca Nueva Florencia, is clear evidence of how land and labour rights are continuously denied to the campesinos of Guatemala, and how the power of the large landowners in the country continues unabated.  

In March of 1997, less than three months after the signing of the peace accords, 38 families of the Finca Nueva Florencia formed a union to negotiate with the landowners for better pay and working conditions. This was in large part due to the fact that, despite the wealth of OTTMAR SA, the company that owns this mainly coffee producing plantation, workers received less than ‚¤2 per day. Just one week later, in violation of article 209 of the Code of Work, all members of the union were sacked. Ever since then members of the union have been fighting for compensation for salaries not paid since that date and for their reinstatement. Despite 13 decisions in the courts in favour of the sacked workers, including two the Constitutional Court, the conflict is yet to be resolved, and the landowners have been able to continually delay and block any court rulings with countless appeals and motions.  

Many of the union members have left, simply unable to fight for so many years, while a systematic campaign of intimidation and reprisals from the landowners has been waged in an attempt to force the remaining eleven members to give up. For the four families who continued living in their houses on the plantation in particular, the hardships have been devastating: their electricity and water have been cut off; their children have not been allowed to attend the school on the plantation or use the playground; they have been denied access to the farm's health clinic, with children being refused vaccinations despite the fact that the vaccinations were a government programme; they are not allowed to cut firewood on the plantation; letters have been sent to all the landowners in the area urging them not to give the sacked workers employment; and security guards have been installed to harass and intimidate them.

Since May of this year the intimidation has been particularly severe. On the 11th May, with OTTMAR claiming not to have the funds available to pay the sacked workers their compensation, the courts awarded two parts of the plantation to the union. Faced with the prospect of losing very profitable land, the landowners stepped up their campaign of intimidation, with a massive increase in the number of armed guards, dressed in military uniform. Shots were fired outside the houses of the families living on the plantation, a particularly horrific experience for their very young children, and the brother of the main union organiser was held with rifles pointed at him for simply cutting weeds. The workers also received notice that the guards had been ordered to shoot them if they entered the coffee plantations on the farm. Accusations have been made to the Office of Public Prosecution (Ministerio Público), but as yet, no investigation has been made into these intimidations.  

In the face of all this, the union members approached ACOGUATE about the prospect of international accompaniment. Since then we have been visiting them at least every two weeks in an attempt to show the landowners that there is international attention on this case, in an effort to dissuade them from further intimidation, and as an act of solidarity, offering the union members vital moral support. The effects of our presence have been noted, and according to the union members the level of intimidation, in particularly the gunshots in front of their houses at night has diminished. However, the intimidation does continue, and while shots being fired at your house once a week is better than every night, it is still an unacceptable situation.

I feel extremely privileged to have been able to visit and get to know the sacked workers of Finca Nueva Florencia. Their stories of hardship and tales of injustice have been truly eye-opening, and reflect many of the wider problems of Guatemala. I have been continually amazed, however, by their courage, conviction and determination to see this struggle through to the end, and this too is a reflection of the efforts of countless numbers of people and organizations throughout Guatemala. They retain hope and are now at a critical stage in their case. With the landowners running out of motions and appeals to block the case, the workers may soon get the land they are owed. The process is far from complete, however, and many obstacles remain, but the hope that is now there shows that through the efforts and sacrifices of courageous individuals and the hard work of numerous organisations and civil society working together, changes can be made.  

The fact of the matter, however, is that it should not require so much suffering and so many years of struggle to achieve justice. In a clear demonstration of how the peace accords have not been implemented, the Guatemalan state, by allowing the case to last for nearly 10 years, has completely failed in its duty to uphold its own laws, and to ensure the economic security of its people. Ten years is far too long to wait for justice, and it is too long to wait for the implementation of the peace accords, which once provided Guatemalans with real hope. It is time now for the Guatemalan government to bring about serious changes in the country, end the culture of impunity and ensure that land and labour rights are respected in accordance with the law.

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Background Information

Amnesty International USA has really informative section on its website about the land rights issue in Guatemala. The section includes video testimony from many of the key actors on the issue in Guatemala.

Including: researcher Sebastian Elgueta who explains AI's main concerns regarding Guatemalan land rights; Juan Tzib who talks about how the current Guatemalan laws affect campesinos (rural workers); Ingrid Urizar who talks about the difficulties campesinos face accessing the courts; and Daniel Pascual who talks about the current government's policy of evictions.

You are invited to an evening of inspiring conversation with guest speakers on Tuesday 5th December at 7-9pm at Latin American House Association, Priory House, Kingsgate Place, London, NW6 4TA.

Speakers include:

* Guillermo Chen, Director of the Fundación Nueva Esperanza, which provides bilingual education (Spanish and Maya Achi) in Rabinal, Guatemala.
* Jules Wilkinson, Guatemala Solidarity Network
* Carol Herbert, mother of two adopted children from Guatemala, who would like to propose the creation of a young persons group in the UK for children eight years old and over of Guatemalan birth

Refreshments will be provided – older children are welcome.

For further details contact: Carol Herbert carolinah61 [at] hotmail.com or 020 8209 1078.

This film 'The Short Life of Jose Antonio Gutierrez' is an interesting documentary following the story of a Guatemalan caught in the crossfire – literally and metaphorically. Here's a review of the film from Rotten Tomatoes.

You can read the report from Fergal Keane on the BBC posted at the time of his death. I'd also recommend reading Arte-Sano's blog post on the film who went to see it at the Latin American Film Festival in San Francisco. Here's a taste:

This is just a quick heads up about the Human Rights Watch Film Festival which is co-presenting three films with Discovering Latin America Film Festival between 23 November and 3 December:

Visit www.discoveringlatinamerica.org for full details.