Formalized support to Maya people representatives in Quintana Roo

After years of operating under the discretion of the authorities, the state issued the rules of operation for the support program for Mayan dignitaries, the amount of which was set at 2,700 pesos bimonthly.

The rules were published in the Official Gazette of the State of Quintana Roo and will become effective this year. This program will operate exclusively in the municipalities of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Tulum and Lázaro Cárdenas, the three municipalities where the Mayan communities that operate under the military religious system are concentrated.

To become a beneficiary of the program, beneficiaries will be asked to submit the original application form, with signature or fingerprint; original and copy of official identification (INE, passport, ID card, among others); Clave Única de Registro de Población (Curp); original and copy of proof of address.

“In the case of accreditation as a Mayan dignitary, the executing agency will verify that the person requesting the support is on the list of Mayan Dignitaries, and that his or her name is the one provided by those responsible for the Centers”.

During the administration of Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez, the discretionary support to the heirs of the Mayan culture was observed on several occasions by the State Superior Audit Office, because in some cases there was no evidence that the support had been delivered.

In Quintana Roo it is estimated that there are more than 1,500 members of the five Mayan ceremonial centers, however, only 490 make up the religious structure such as dignitaries, priests, traditional judges, a general (the position of general is the highest rank for the Mayans and they consider that there should only be one general in the entire region).

The religion of the Maya is based on the veneration of the “Talking Cross” in the so-called churches, sanctuaries or ceremonial centers that are sacred spaces.

There are five ceremonial centers of the Holy Cross throughout the state: Tixcacal Guardia, Chancah Veracruz, Chumpón, Tulum and Cruz Parlante, which are attended by families from nearby communities to fulfill their obligation to temporarily guard by standing guard for eight to fifteen days.

The origin of the Talking Cross dates back to the Caste War, a Maya rebellion that began in 1847 against the non-indigenous population that had subdued the Maya for several decades. The cross appeared in a cenote, it spoke to the Maya to guide them in their struggle, encouraging them not to give up.

TYT Newsroom