According to Indemaya, 67 percent of the Yucatecan population considers itself as Maya

Mérida, Yucatán, (August 11, 2021).- In Yucatán, 67 percent of its population is assumed to be of indigenous descendants, that is, of Maya origin. This was indicated by the director of the Institute for the Development of Maya Culture (Indemaya), Eric Villanueva Mukul, during an event to recognize the trajectory of members of this community.

In the framework of the International Day of Indigenous Peoples, the state government recognized the work of 16 men and women who for many years have preserved and promoted Maya traditions and customs in the state, at home, and abroad.

The director of the Institute presented the distinctions to Basila Tzec Uc, midwife from Yaxachén, Oxkutzcab; and Juan José Ramón Guzmán, music minister, who performed the score for the National Anthem in Maya (Maaya T’aan, Mérida).

Similarly, awards were given to Addi María Ay Ché, from Chichimilá and Engracia Chan Tut, from Tekit, for strengthening traditional Maya gastronomy; María Elisa Chavarrea Chim, from Chumayel, Maya poet and writer; and Rosa Elena Basto Collí, artisan of the sewing technique, “Xmaikte”, from the municipality of Tekax.

Also, the writer Miguel Ángel Cervantes Aguilar; the chronicler Efrén Torres Rodríguez; the jaranero teacher Jesús Orlando Várguez Medina; the family of Jaraneros Cámara Mejía; the X-men, Federico Cabañas López; and the tourist guide Gregorio Cabrera Perera, all of them from the municipality of Tekax.

In a special recognition, Yucatecan migrants Ariel Balam Díaz de Akil and Héctor Daniel Chan May from Oxkutzcab were awarded for the opening of their restaurants “Mi lindo Yucatán” and “El Rincón Yucateco”, respectively in San Francisco, California, United States. These restaurants have been operating since 2015.

Similarly, Gilberto Cetina Cachón, from Mérida, was recognized, who from 2001 to date has already opened, together with his father, two restaurants in Los Angeles, California, United States, both named “Chichén Itzá”.

In the presence of the Secretary of Cultures and the Arts, Loreto Villanueva Trujillo, the state official assured that Indemaya has chosen towns, cities, and communities that represent the cultural development, not only of their home towns but of the entire state of Yucatan.

“We have been doing it this way because Yucatan is one of the stated where the majority of its inhabitants, about 67 percent, are assumed to be indigenous descendants, in this case, of Maya origin,” he stated.

In addition, the director of Indemaya highlighted that Yucatán is one of the states where, despite the fact that the Maya language has been losing ground, it continues to be one of the regions with the highest percentages of indigenous language speakers. Maya is spoken approximately 25 percent of the state’s entire population.

Source: La Jornada Maya