Tourism hurts native Mayans
Rachel Metea
Issue date: 3/8/10 Section: News
|
A town with an autonomous status within Mexico, Chamula is one of the few indigenous Maya villages within the Mexican state of Chiapas where foreigners are allowed to enter.
Outside police or military are prohibited from the village of Chamulas. The town possesses its own laws, many which work to uphold traditional Maya values. Taking pictures without consent is strictly prohibited, and when the law is ignored it is not only acceptable but common to find your camera smashed into smitherarines.
The Maya were at their height from 250 to 900 A.D. but the clicking sound of their ancient Tzotzil language can still be heard in the mountains of Chiapas, Mexico. The Tzotzil Mayan language that has been preserved for more than 1,000 years is now spoken in markets where outsiders such as DePaul students shop for Zapatista key chains and trinkets to bring home to Chicago.
"The Maya are slowly being relegated to a tourist attraction," said senior Jessica Schuh who said she witnessed a Mayan girl listening to an i-Pod just five minutes after the girl begged her to take a picture of her for money.
Mayan law in Chiapas strictly forbids the photography of a Maya person without consent. Whether this is because they feel it takes away from their culture or if it is because they can make money by charging tourists for their photo is up to debate.
"It becomes a human zoo if you go and just take pictures of people," said junior Kevin Gorey, an international studies major.
"The more the Maya appease tourists and let them into their community, the more their culture is eroded by the effects of tourism and globalization," said Schuh, a Marketing and Spanish major.
"It seems as if the Mayans are trying to market their culture in the process of globalization," said senior Andres Rodriguez, an anthropology major.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
Moving Pods
posted 3/08/10 @ 12:32 PM CST
So Mayans don't like it when people move in? I would think the Mayans would have been better off with visitors coming, it should be good for the economy. (Continued…)
Anon
posted 3/10/10 @ 12:53 PM CST
You're right tourism is good for the economy. The Maya lost pretty much all their good farming lands to international business. Tourism would give the Maya an industry to focus on and increase their total output. (Continued…)
israel travel
posted 4/13/10 @ 8:13 PM CST
I would say that tourism hurts environment, not only certain population around the globe. somebody said these days that Avatar situation could be found in Amazon. (Continued…)
Post a Comment