Support non-profit journalism and perspectives from around the world. See all those languages? The Lingua project at Global Voices works to bring down barriers to understanding through translation. Meet 10 activists who use digital media to strengthen and promote Mayan languages in México Learn about the inspiring story of one of the grantees selected for the 2024 Mayan Language Digital Activism Fellowship organized by Rising Voices the author shares about her experience in activism and the project through which she seeks to promote her native language within her community and online My name is Cristina Agustina Álvarez Díaz; I am 22 years old. My community is called Amatenango del Valle, in Chiapas, Mexico, the land of pigeons and jaguars of clay, land of Indigenous artisans. Amatenango del Valle is a small Tzeltal community but with great culture My community is unique in having magical hands that mold beautiful pieces I am Tzeltal, and for me, language represents our identity, it is what we are and what we do, it is a clear identification of being Amatenanguero. I am currently a community educator through the National Council for Educational Development (CONAFE) program and I recently graduated in agroforestry engineering since I am interested in carrying out activities related to the countryside and rural people while highlighting my mother tongue and my roots at all times A few years ago I started carrying out projects in my community I worked mainly with women artisans to exchange knowledge that would allow them to strengthen their skills I participated in a project related to women's rights In this space I learned facilitation tools to encourage people to express themselves in their language I am implementing the “Welil Amatenango Processing” project which involves making short videos about food processing I am certified in this topic by my degree and I would like to share this knowledge with my community I decided to work with children and adolescents Among the activities that I am going to carry out is to travel in the territory to collect fruits and then make some foods such as jams I want to help children learn about the foods that are produced in their community strengthen their language and learn things that may even help them generate an income in the future Digital media and technology facilitate the connection between people inside and outside the community so we are going to create videos to share this knowledge with more people strengthen the importance of the Tzeltal language I have been able to notice that there are barriers to implementing language preservation projects one of them being the lack of financial support as well as the lack of support from the community so I try to make my projects have practical elements that are of interest to the community and that in the long term allow for generating some income to sustain themselves over time One of the things that has always seemed important to me is not losing our language since not all people have a language that gives them identity and we the youth have the great responsibility of maintaining and preserving our cultural identity I would like to continue learning communication and education tools to continue creating projects that prioritize community collaboration and participation as well as the preservation of our language I would like to see a change in the value given to Indigenous languages ​​within my community I would love to see people more capable of expressing themselves in their native language wherever they go without fear of being discriminated against or even criticized for speaking their native language I would also like to empower the producers and farmers of my community so that they can see the value of their products as raw material and the possibility of processing them themselves This post is from Rising Voices, a Global Voices project that helps spread citizen media to places that don't normally have access to it. 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For more information please read our Fundraising Ethics Policy Special thanks to our many sponsors and funders In the Tzeltal indigenous community of Amatenango del Valle half an hour outside of San Cristobal de las Casas colorful splashes of traditional pottery mark the town out as unique and cement its position as a Pueblo Magico In a town renowned for the quality of its craftsmanship one of its most notable artisans is 40-year-old Juana Gómez Ramírez a sacred animal for the Tzeltal and other ancient indigenous cultures has been an object of worship among Mayan peoples for millennia It symbolizes the power and ferocity of the deities Gómez fixes this essence of the jaguar in clay honing her community’s unwritten history into tangible form who both sold their wares on the side of the road in the same pueblo in which Juana and her family still reside alongside a loose cooperative of artisans and family makes life-sized jaguars that are painstakingly crafted over the course of weeks — sometimes even months — and then hand painted in minute detail standing next to one of the creations in her workshop “I was inspired by the pictures in the textbooks we used as children in school and I made my first statue at the age of 12.” to whom she has handed her knowledge of the craft have existed at the spaces between international fame and the relative isolation of an unknown Chiapas indigenous community her jaguars have made their way to exhibitions and auctions in the United States she was recognized as a Grand Master of Popular Art there is a two-year waiting list for her commissioned works due to the time it takes to create the jaguars and the sheer number of people seeking her artwork her jaguars are fundamentally Tzeltal: they are made of the community The statues are all unique and are often transposed from the mental images of her team of nearly 30 equally idiosyncratic people They dig their clay from the earth around the pueblo part of a long tradition of searching out raw material locally to be used for sculpting practical items The clay is dried and stored at the family home and the dyes used for painting the jaguars are all derived from plants found in the area Gómez elects not to use intermediaries to sell her works and barring the exceptions mentioned above she chooses not to exhibit her works in galleries “It is much easier to keep the soul of the work this way,” she said “The craftspeople are not paid a fair price for the pieces when they are sold through other parties and economic success through external means often leads to a loss of sociocultural memory So external input makes it very easy for the artist to lose their sense of their heritage — as well as the importance of the history of the community — without even really realizing.” where they learn about her work and bask in the warm demeanor and hospitality of one of Mexico’s most renowned artisans they will be invited to partake of a cup of the ceremonial fermented corn drink Pox is used as a welcoming beverage across much of Chiapas a state otherwise known for frequent roadblocks and a tendency towards militant isolation Chiapas is Mexico’s southernmost state and exists in a state of seclusion partially because of its topography and geographical location — characterized by steep mountains and cavernous valleys Whereas in Yucatán and Oaxaca you may find broad swathes of land that belong to relatively unilinear groups of indigenous people in Chiapas there are a number of disparate communities that are idiosyncratic in their appearances their massive disenfranchisement by the Mexican government has meant that the indigenous peoples of Chiapas have also not always had the wherewithal to stand up for themselves They have often found themselves at the mercy of foreign land grabbing and the encroachment of modern customs customs threaten to wipe out their ancient historical traditions have had to find other means of keeping the wolves at the door often representing themselves through art that’s disseminated nationally and internationally as a way of recognizing the innate talent and cultural tradition of a place By sharing her story and the story of the women who came before her Her jaguars are not activism per se; the international popularity of her creations and the ensuing opportunity for showcasing the artisans of Amatenango del Valle allows Gómez and her family to support a paradigm shift that decenters the colonizing voice that’s threatened their people’s independence for centuries Shannon Collins is an environment correspondent at Ninth Wave Global an environmental organization and think tank ADVERTISE WITH MND COMMUNITY GUIDELINES Subscription FAQ's Privacy Policy Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC Photo via Solidarity