International Day of the World’s Indigenous People, was without massive public events

MERIDA, Yucatan – In response to the health contingency in Covid-19 and on the instructions of Governor Mauricio Vila Dosal, the International Day of the Indigenous People was commemorated yesterday without massive public events in Yucatan, informed the Director General of the Institute for the Development of Mayan Culture (Indemaya), Eric Villanueva Mukul.

The official explained that the United Nations created the event in 1994 to safeguard the knowledge and diverse manifestations of the sector, and that this year’s theme is “Covid-19 and the resilience of the indigenous people”, and that it is very representative of the entity, where more than 28 percent of the population is Mayan-speaking.

He also said that the agency had already planned several activities to celebrate this important day, which had the support of the president, who, during his administration, has had as a priority the promotion of Mayan culture.

This is manifested through the actions carried out by Indemaya, such as support for the craftsmen’s guild, teaching of the Mayan language, preservation of traditional medicine, advice to Yucatecan migrants, and guidance on both legal and human rights, he said.

The official added that, unfortunately, the coronavirus forced to modify all the schemes; this was not the exception and, therefore, it was necessary to dispense with what had been prepared around this day, unlike 2019.

He also stressed that, despite the pandemic, the Mayan community is standing tall, making use of their ancestral knowledge and values; creating alternatives, and showing their customs, crafts and, above all, their language; proof of this is the practice of their traditional medicine, with which they have relied on the prevention of Covid-19 or to treat other diseases.

For all the above, on behalf of the Executive, Villanueva Mukul recognized the Mayan population of Yucatan, which continues and will continue to captivate the entire world with its cultural richness.