Balancing the Cosmos
Location: Guatemala
Length: 22 min
Play with Windows Media Player: 300k or 700k
On a lake set amongst volcanoes in the Guatemalan highlands lies the contemporary Mayan town of Santiago Atitlan. As keepers of what they believe to be the very navel of the world, the people of the town keep the cosmos itself in balance by performing rituals that echo the ancient traditions of their prehispanic Mayan ancestors. This video features the ceremonies carried out by the townspeople during Easter Week, an outwardly Christian celebration with a surprising measure of ancient Mayan practices.
A film-in-progress by Andrew Weeks
Copyright 2000 Mesoweb.com
Web links:
- Art and Society in a Highland Maya Community: The Altarpiece of Santiago Atitlan (book)
- Balancing the Cosmos: Easter Week (Mesoweb)
- Maya Adventure (Science Museum of Minnesota)
- Maya Cosmology (Authentic Maya)
Mesoweb - Mystery of the Maya (Canadian Museum of Civilization)