Life today is very "changed". While my father lived, he wouldn't allow us to wear pants or cut our hair. Now there is no one to scold us. Girls wore skirts and we all walked around barefoot, even if there were thorns on the ground. But in those times my father didn't want us to cut our hair. When he died my appearance began to change, although while he was still alive, I wore a tunic and had long hair. I was afraid that he would scold at me. We only wore a tunic with nothing underneath. It was Trudy who brought us underpants. At first we were scared but now everyone uses underpants. Women wore braids with feathers, there was no television and we knew nothing about the outside world. I would tell my father not to give away my little sisters, but ever since they were little, Father would force my sisters to go with whomever asked to marry them so that he could have sons-in-law who could help him work the cornfield and girls would marry starting at age 12. My dad used to give them away by force, now that's not the case. Now they are the ones who choose. My mother, Koh Paniagua, also told me that her father forcefully gave her away to my father, she was forced to marry whomever her father gave her to. Now that's not the case.
Young men in white tunics / Hombres jóvenes con túnicas. Naha Jan. 2010
My other mother, Koh María, also told me how she ended up with my father. She didn't love him and her father and mother wouldn't keep her at home anymore. She spent 5 months with him in order to "get to know him", she would bite and kick him, she would cry and she wouldn't eat at all. "Your father would hit me," she told me, "to force me, although with time I learned to love your father." The man whom she loved had already received another woman. Before, a man could have up to 5 women. Now the lives of women aren't so sad.
Generation after generation corn has been the basis of Lacandon existence, from planting the plant to cooking it, everything about corn has been passed down from one generation to the next. / Generación tras generación el maíz ha sido la base de la existencia lacandona, desde sembrar la planta hasta preparala en la cocina, todo acerca del maíz se ha pasado de una generación a la siguiente... Naha May 2010
They used to have to work by the man's side in the cornfield. Now customs have changed and I only have 2 nephews, who each live with their 2 wives in their houses. The women woke up and it's not like it used to be anymore. When there was no television, women found all of this normal, but since we got television women have changed. It was Robert Bruce who first brought a television [to Naha] and "made" electricity with a turbine. Since we didn't know what a television was we would all huddle together to watch it. Trudy became furious because she said that the lacandon customs were going to be lost.
TV has that effect on people everywhere, to destroy local culture. / La Television ha tenido ese efecto en todas partes, destruye la cultural local. Metzabok, June 2007
But the women saw that they could paint their lips, their faces, and they liked the dresses that they saw on "TV". At first only movies came, but with airplanes and the arrival of electricity [into our village] parabolic anthenae arrived too. My father, who was quite angry, finally accepted the "TV" set that was given to us by Robert Bruce, and they began to bring [more] movies.
Left: Woman with baby girl, both wearing full Lacandon traditional dress, the lady to the right is wearing what the Ladandon women wear today: regular, western clothes. Palenque May 2010
We didn't know how to eat from cans, we would only eat what we could grow [in our fields], but little by little we strarted eating other things. Trudy was the one who brought us cans, meat and she taught us how to eat. With time -little by little- everything changed. When soap operas appeared on TV the women didn't want to tend the cornfields or cook anymore, they would stay at home to watch"TV" and our customs were lost. We would ask ourselves, how? Now they use skirts, backpacks and we still maintain some of our customs, but not 100% like we Lacandones should.
Plastic. Plastico. Naha 2007
They became more civilized. They don't tend the cornfields, they paint their faces, they make themselves look pretty and they stay at home. For example: my mother never took breaks and she's very worn out, she would carry heavy loads, fire wood, and my two mothers worked very hard. They're sad because their fellow female companions didn't work as hard as they did and now they are in better health than my mothers are.
I myself tell my wife to not do anything heavy, not to carry any corn. "So that your health doesn't deteriorate when you're older," I tell her, "I want you to take care of yourself and to take care of our children. Dedicate yourself to cooking, [since] you can see that my mother is sick." The sunlight is very strong, and my wife feels badly that I work so hard but we do take some rest. "Go with my mother and with my sister," I tell her, "and help each other out." My mother made great efforts and now she's very sad, very tired and very sick and old, and her blood pressure goes up.
When the children are born women have to tie their stomachs but they didn't before, they would be right back working in the cornfields the day after giving birth. That's just how it was...
- Kayum García Paniagua and Carla Molina |
La vida ahora es muy “cambiado”. Cuando vivía mi papa él no dejaba que nos pusiéramos pantalón o nos cortáramos el pelo. Ya no hay nadie que nos regañe. Las mujeres tenían pura falda y todos andábamos descalzos, aunque hubieran espinas. Pero en aquel tiempo mi papá no quería que nos cortáramos el cabello. Cuando se murió se fue cambiando mi apariencia, aunque cuando él estaba vivo, usaba túnica y pelo largo. Yo tenía miedo que él me regañara. Nosotros usábamos solo la túnica sin nada por debajo. Fue Trudy la que trajo trusas. Al principio a nosotros nos daba miedo pero ahora todos usan calzoncillos. Las mujeres tenían sus trenzas con plumas, no había televisión y no sabíamos del mundo de afuera. Yo le decía también a mi papá que no diera a mis hermanitas, pero desde chicas, papa obligaba a mis hermanas a que se fueran con quien las pidiera para tener yernos que les ayudaran a trabajar en la milpa y desde los 12 años se daba a las niñas en matrimonio. Mi papá lo daba a la fuerza, ahora no. Ellas mismas escogen ahora. Mi madre, Koh Paniagua, también me dijo que su padre la entregó obligada a mi padre, a la fuerza tenía que casarse con el hombre a quien se la diera su papa. Ahora ya no.
Familia Lacandona disfrutando de una visita a Palenque. / Lacandon family enjoying a visit to Palenque. Palenque Mayo 2010
Mi otra madre, Koh María, también me contó como fue que paró con mi papá. Ella no lo quería y su padre y su madre ya no la recibieron en su casa. Pasaron 5 meses para que “se hallara” con él, lo mordía y lo pateaba, ella lloraba y no quería comer. “Tu padre me pegaba”, me contó, “para obligarme… hasta que con el tiempo lo quise a tu papá”. Al hombre que a ella le gustaba le habían dado otra mujer. Antes un hombre tenía hasta 5 mujeres. Ahora las mujeres ya no es su vida tan triste. Ellas tenían que trabajar al lado del hombre en la milpa.
Eventhough the three hearthstones have been replaced by a more modern device, the kitchen fire is still burning vigorously among the Maya of the highlands of Chiapas in Southeastern Mexico. / A pesar de haber desaoaracido las tres piedras el fogon del hogar está aún viva la llama en cada cocina del altiplano de Chiapas en el Sureste de México. Naja 2007
Ahora han cambiado las costumbres y solo tengo 2 sobrinos que viven cada uno con 2 esposas en sus casas. Las mujeres se despertaron y ya no es como antes. Cuando no había televisión la mujer encontraba normal todo esto, pero desde que llego la televisión las mujeres cambiaron. Fue Roberto Bruce el que trajo la televisión e hizo la energía eléctrica con una turbina. Como no conocíamos la tele nos amontonamos todos para verla.
En Metzabok, retornando de la pesca. / In Metzabok, coming home from fishing. Metzabok Enero 2010
Trudy se puso furiosa porque dijo que se iban a perder las costumbres de los lacandones. Pero las mujeres vieron que se podían pintar los labios, la cara, les gustaban los vestidos que vieron en la “tele”. Al principio llevó sólo películas, pero con las avionetas y la llegada de la energía eléctrica entraron las parabólicas y al final mi padre, que estaba muy bravo, paró aceptando la “tele” que nos regaló Roberto Bruce, y empezaron a traer películas.
Palenque was the meeting place for an afternoon filled with myths of creation and science and knowledge -spontaneously- and it carries a very special meaning for the Lacandon. / Palenque fue el punto de reunión para una tarde llena de mitos de la creación y conocimiento y ciencia -de manera espontánea- y tiene un significado muy especial para los Lacandones. /
No sabíamos comer de latas sino solo lo que teníamos sembrado, y poco a poco fuimos comiendo otras cosas. Trudy fue quien trajo latas, carnes y nos enseñó a comer. Con el tiempo -poco a poco- todo se cambio. Cuando vieron las telenovelas las mujeres ya no querían ir a la milpa ni cocinar, se quedaron a ver “tele” y se perdieron las costumbres. Nosotros nos preguntábamos ¿cómo? Ahora usan faldas, mochilas y siguen las costumbres nuestras, pero ya no al 100% como lacandones. Se civilizaron más.
Los Hach Winik ahora llevan el pelo corto y no usan más barbas ni bigotes. / The Hach Winik wear their hair short and have no beards or moustaches anymore. Naja, Enero 2010
Ya no van a la milpa, se pintan, se arreglan y se dedican a estar en la casa. Por ejemplo: mi madre nunca tuvo descanso y está muy desgastada, cargaba cosas pesadas, leña, y mis dos madres trabajaron muy duro. Están tristes porque sus compañeras no trabajaron tan duro y están mejor de salud.
Remando se puede conocer la hermosa Laguna Naja. / Rowing you may get to know the beautiful Naha Lagoon. Naja May 2010
Yo mismo le digo a mi mujer que no haga nada, que no cargue milpa. “Para que no te enfermes de viejita”, le digo, “quiero que te cuides bien y que cuides a los hijos. Dedícate a la cocina, [pues] ya ves a mi madre que está enferma”. La luz solar es muy fuerte, y a mi mujer le da lástima que yo trabaje tan duro pero si descansamos. “Ve con mi madre y con mi hermana,” le digo, “y ayúdense entre ustedes”. Mi madre hizo esfuerzos muy grandes y ahora está muy triste, muy cansada y muy enferma y se le sube la presión.
Cuando nacen los niños las mujeres se tienen que amarrar el estómago y antes no, al día siguiente de dar a luz ya estaban trabajando en la milpa. Así era antes!
- Kayum García Paniagua y Carla Molina |
