Connecting Modern Maya with their Past

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We often forget that much of the knowledge we have about the ancient Maya was only recently acquired, usually through the work of western academics who come to excavate and decipher the ancients sites and writings. To bridge the knowledge gap between westerners and modern Maya curious about their past, there is an interesting movement called "Mam."

Mam is both the Maya word for "ancestor" and an acronym for "Mayas for Ancient Mayas." The group is described as a "movement — part academic, part spiritual — as the indigenous Maya reunite with their own past, reading the ancient hieroglyphic books and monuments, communicating with their ancestors."

Mam provides financial aid for modern Maya to attend workshops and conferences around the world where they learn about the latest advances in decipherment of the ancient Maya writing. They then encourage these students to help inform their elders, colleagues and children in Mayan-speaking communities. [LINK]