The Ch'ol Maya of Chiapas

The Chol Maya of Chiapas, a collection of essays by leading scholars, explores the history and culture of the Chol Maya, who are direct descendants of the Maya of the Classic period. It reveals continuity between contemporary Maya rituals and beliefs and their ancient counterparts, and includes archaeological data and three Chol folktales. The volume offers a fresh perspective on Maya culture as it has evolved and endured over the ages.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 274 pages
Publication date: 17 October 2023
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press

The Chol Maya, residing in the western Mexican state of Chiapas, hold a direct lineage connection with the Maya of the Classic era. By delving into their history and culture, the volume editor Karen Bassie-Sweet, along with the esteemed authors assembled here, unveil a remarkable continuity between contemporary Maya rituals and beliefs and their ancient counterparts. Through evocative and insightful essays by renowned scholars of Maya culture, The Chol Maya of Chiapas, the first comprehensive collection dedicated to the Chol Maya, takes readers on a captivating journey into ancient caves, unveiling fresh dimensions of their cosmology. In contemporary Chol culture, the contributors uncover a wealth of historical material, skillfully interweaving it with archaeological data to yield surprising and enlightening insights. For instance, the colonial and twentieth-century descendants of the Postclassic period Chol and Lacandon Chol offer a window into the history and conquest of the early Maya. Several authors examine Early Classic paintings in the Chol ritual cave known as Jolja, which depict ancient cave ceremonies reminiscent of Chol rituals performed today, such as petitioning a cave-dwelling mountain spirit for health, rain, and abundant harvests. Furthermore, other essays explore deities associated with caves, mountains, lightning, and meteors, tracing the enduring continuity of ancient Maya beliefs across centuries, particularly in the ancient origins of contemporary rituals centered around the Chol mountain deity Don Juan. To complement the scholarly content, an appendix presents three Chol folktales, accompanied by their English translations, rounding out the volume. By charting both literal and figurative paths to earlier trade routes, pre-Columbian sites, and ancient rituals and beliefs, The Chol Maya of Chiapas offers a fresh, richly informed perspective on Maya culture as it has evolved and endured throughout the ages.

Weight: 528g
Dimension: 177 x 254 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780806193076