During the Mayan civilization’s Classic Period peak from AD 250 through 900, numerous impressive Mayan cities and suburbs stretched across southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Belize. The Maya had a complex system of government, developed sophisticated hieroglyphic script, and ran widespread trade networks (Stannard, 1992). They were masters of agriculture, astronomy, and mathematics.

Discrimination

Although Mayan civilization was in decline when Spanish explorers and conquistadores arrived in the early 1500s, it remained impressive. Yet immediately, the Spanish began maligning the Maya, labeling them as categorically uncivilized, inferior, and backward—savages who were worthy only of abuse and exploitation or death (Stannard, 1992). Spanish colonists and missionaries soon arrived, and carried on the campaign of discrimination and mistreatment that had been set into motion, rationalizing their actions as appropriate by the idea that the Maya were not fully human.

The Discrimination Will Not Die

Fast forward to today. The negative labels still hold. In their home countries, the Maya continue to be viewed as inferior and backward, and even unintelligent (anonymous Ladino adult males, personal communication, March 4, 2016; LeBaron, 2014). They are frequently ridiculed—explicitly—for their languages, customs, and clothing. Just as in colonial times, they are exploited as ultra-cheap labor—often earning so little for a day’s work that their children are chronically malnourished.

Currently, a steady stream of desperate, impoverished Maya cross into the United States daily with hopes of asylum or economic opportunity. Yet, along with their hopes is the understanding that anti-Indigenous discrimination and marginalization will likely continue in the United States. Even though Latino/Hispanic immigrants are often viewed as unwanted minorities in the United States (Weeks & Weeks, 2010), the Maya typically view the identity of Hispanic/Latino immigrants as less shameful, less stigmatized, more tolerated, and of higher status than an Indigenous one. Many, therefore, attempt to blend in with their non-Indigenous, Latino/Hispanic immigrant counterparts. The effort to blend in can take many forms, including speaking Spanish instead of their first language (if able), taking on a nonnative Mexican accent or dialect (even if they are not from Mexico), or wearing Western clothing. For the undocumented, there is real fear that standing out as Indigenous will more likely lead to deportation.

Disappearances Within the Classroom

In our research, we have seen time and time again that, in U.S. classrooms, the blending in may be achieved so well that educators do not know they have Mayan students. If asked about their ethnicity, many students will deny they are Indigenous. They may therefore end up placed into Spanish/English bilingual programs, resulting in great difficulty if they are not competent in Spanish. Because of this, these students may even end up being classified—incorrectly—as learning disabled.

Countering the Messages of Hate

Whether an educator knows for certain that there are Indigenous students in the classroom, Indigenous cultures—and all cultures—should be manifestly recognized as vibrant and valuable contributors to humanity. Demonstration of acceptance can profoundly counter the explicit messages of ridicule that Mayan populations have been accustomed to hearing for generations, leading Mayan youths to share their histories and embrace their own worth. Ultimately, the foundational work of teaching not only tolerance, but equality, acceptance, inclusion, and worth can set all students on the path toward educational achievement, as high self-esteem has been “associated with both higher educational aspirations and higher academic performance” (Portes & Rivas, 2011, p. 230).

Mayan Hip Hop as an Engaging Classroom Tool

A culture’s richness and contributory nature can be explored in the classroom via the cross-culturally accessible tools of music and poetry. Hip hop is a great place to start. Many students are drawn to the rhapsodic storytelling found in hip hop music, an attribute which links strongly to the Maya’s extensive oral tradition. Within this adaptable genre, local struggles of identity, personal agency, and belonging are contextualized. In the classroom, these struggles can be actively explored by having students analyze and annotate song lyrics, write their own music to share with classmates (or as a private journaling activity), or research the history of the genre and its artists. By introducing Mayan hip hop specifically, educators can simultaneously help non-Indigenous students take an interest in contemporary Mayan culture and foster a sense of pride and inclusion among the Maya in their classrooms.

Despite the multitude of Mayan languages currently spoken, any Mayan student will surely recognize the common cultural vocabulary contained within Mayan hip hop group Balam Ajpu’s song B’atz’ (Hilo del tiempo/Thread of time), which they perform in the highland Guatemalan language of Tz’utujil that is spoken by the Maya around Lago Atitlán. Familiar traditional instruments like marimba and flute support Tz’utujil lyrics that, in portions of the song, are ceremonially chanted in the prevailing manner of shamanistic rituals from various Mayan language backgrounds. Portions of the song refer to creation myth content from the Popul Vuh, an important historical K’iche’ Maya narrative. Balam Ajpu’s fluid integration of well-known ancestral stories with the hip hop genre for a contemporary Mayan audience allows listeners to reimagine what it means to be Maya in whatever local space they find themselves in. Discussion of such an engaging Mayan-centered song within the classroom can be affirming. If that is too difficult, just playing a song like Balam Ajpu’s Saq B’ey, with its Spanish and Tz’utujil lyrics, as students arrive and take their seats in class can communicate a welcoming acceptance that sets the tone for learning.

Using Mayan Poetry to Resurrect What Was Lost

Alongside the use of Mayan hip hop as an engaging cultural tool in the classroom, Mayan poetry can help educators instill an atmosphere that celebrates Indigenous heritage. Mayan poetry provides ample opportunities for cross-curricular lesson planning by touching upon literature, linguistics, history, and contemporary Indigenous studies. Although the Maya were one of the first literate Western societies, only four Mayan books—called codices—survived the colonial era after Spanish bishops ordered that other books be burned (Smith, 2005). Thus, the contemporary collection of Mayan poetry,Incantations, stands out for its invaluable preservation of Mayan knowledge and perspectives. The book, edited by Mexican-American poet Ámbar Past, features poetry that is both retold and created by Mayan women from the Woodlanders’ Workshop collective in Chiapas, Mexico. Ms. Past spent hundreds of hours recording, transcribing, and translating the women’s poetry from Tzotzil, a Mayan language spoken primarily in southern Mexico, into Spanish and eventually into English for a U.S. edition. In a 2005 article in The New York Times, she describes her experience: “I was so deeply moved hearing in these mud huts these breathtakingly beautiful verses, sometimes echoing verses and phrases spoken or written 500 years ago” (Smith, 2005, para. 4).

Like Balam Ajpu’s song B’atz’, some parts of the Tzotzil women’s poetry in Incantations reflect ancient words and themes found in the Popul Vuh, while other parts reflect common concepts and values found in contemporary Mayan culture. Here again, Mayan students from various language backgrounds will be familiar with these commonalities. Educators can therefore use this book as a medium to engage Mayan students from any background. These students may feel knowledgeable or empowered when the class is asked to unpack the meaning of the poems. Educators can also draw parallels between the Maya and other historically oppressed groups that were able to maintain traditions that easily could have been lost, with this book serving as a real-life example of strength and perseverance in the face of adversity. To further strengthen cross-cultural understanding between the Maya and their non-Indigenous peers in the classroom, students can be encouraged to write and share their own poems about topics found in the book that draw from their own experiences.

The Empowered Cross-Cultural Class

Contemporary Mayan hip hop and poetry are two accessible resources that can be used to help Mayan students feel accepted within the school environment and connected to their peers. By incorporating these materials into the classroom, we can pave the way for dialogue that is inclusive, respectful, and most of all, engaging. Use of these resources in the classroom may also result in Mayan students taking an active personal interest in discovering new music or literature in their native language—activities which ultimately instill pride and encourage the expression of Indigenous identity.

References

LeBaron, A. (2014). Partnership service-learning between Maya immigrants and the university: Searching for a path to Maya children’s success in the schools. In V. Kinloch & P. Smagorinsky (Eds.), Service-learning in literacy education: Possibilities for teaching and learning (pp. 195–210). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

Portes, A., & Rivas, A. (2011). The adaptation of migrant children. The Future of Children: Immigrant Children, 21(1), 219–246.

Smith, D. (2005, May 11). The poetic hearts of Mayan women write large. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/11/books/the-poetic-hearts-of-mayan-women-writ-large.html

Stannard, D. (1992). American Holocaust: The conquest of the new world. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Weeks, G., & Weeks, J. (2010). Irresistible forces: Latin American migration to the United States and its effects on the South. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press.

Maria Konkel is an ESOL and Spanish K–12 educator who currently develops English-language proficiency tests.