“You don’t have anyone in your family?” the indigenous woman asked me. There was a long pause between us. She stared at me for a while and then moved on. In Guatemala, I was strolling in Antigua city when a Maya woman selling handicrafts approached me. “Would you like to buy this?” she showed me … Read more
It was mid-September. The sky was deep blue, and the landscape had turned into dry grassland. I cycled across the border of Bolivia and entered Peru. My first city in Peru was Puno. Earlier, someone had recommended to me that I should visit the nearby floating islands in Lake Titicaca. So in Puno, I went … Read more
We humans have limited cognitive capacity when it comes to social relationships. At any given time, we can maintain meaningful relationships to a maximum of 150 people. They are the ones we can easily cooperate with and care about. We consider the rest of the people as strangers, and by nature, it is not easy … Read more
Today is the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples! When the European colonizers arrived in the Americas, the indigenous population was diminished by 80–90% within the first few centuries mainly due to epidemic diseases the new settlers had brought with them. The colonizers destroyed indigenous empires and butchered natives to capture gold and land. … Read more
I see a swami talking to an indigenous man in colourful regalia—a Christian priest shaking hands with a Sikh—a rabbi talking about the need to overcome the ongoing Islamophobia—and a Muslim scholar condemning the recent terrorist attack on a synagogue. Hundreds of people sit together on the floor of the Langar Hall and share communal … Read more
Some 2,000 years after the Blackfoot people first inhabited the Calgary area, one of their descendants has set up a Mohkinstsis Camp in the Calgary downtown, right next to the largest court facility in Canada. The modern history of Calgary begins in the 19th century when John Glenn became the first European to settle … Read more
This particular drum I have here is made out of a buffalo. We never harm an animal to make our instruments. We never harm an animal to make our outfits. We never take feathers from a bird that’s alive unless it comes off a nest and falls to the ground. Then we put down tobacco … Read more
Today, some 2 million Native Americans inhabit the United States, making less than 1% of the country’s population. There are 567 federally recognised Indian tribes, each with its own history and culture. Another 150 tribes are currently petitioning for federal recognition. Since the arrival of Spaniards, about 200 tribes have gone extinct. Today, the tribes … Read more
When Hernando Cortes and his six hundred Spaniards arrived in Mexico City in 1521, the indigenous Aztec people believed that the white men must be the promised gods returning at last from across the Gulf of Mexico. Thus the Spanish conquistadors entered the city, not only as welcomed guests, but also as gods coming home. … Read more
[stag_dropcap font_size=”80px” style=”normal”]A[/stag_dropcap]s I stepped down from the bus, my head spun like a top. I barely managed to stay on my feet. I had just finished a tour of a tequila factory where I was invited to taste the samples, but that proved too much for me. This town is so well known for … Read more
Chichimecas were nomadic people who lived north of the Valley of Mexico. They lived by hunting and did not occupy a fixed place. The Spanish described them as barbarous people who fiercely fought against the foreign intruders. Despite the forty-year-long Chichimeca War, which was the Spanish Empire’s longest and most expensive war against any indigenous … Read more
A visit to the charming colonial Mexican town San Cristóbal de las Casas is not complete if one does not visit its nearby indigenous villages Zinacantán and Chamula. There is a picture of them in every tourist agency office and tourism brochure. These villages are somewhat different as even today the locals staunchly maintain their … Read more
Marta is from San Antonio de Aguas Calientes and comes to Antigua every day to sell handicrafts here. A few of days ago, I took some photos of her and her friends at the Central Plaza in Antigua and promised that I would come back soon to give them the pictures. So today, after my … Read more
The Mayas are indigenous people of ancient Mesoamerica, which now comprises of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Maya people make up 40% population of Guatemala. The traditional clothing of Maya people exhibits colourful patterned designs on women’s blouses and skirts. The blouse, called huipil in Maya language, is generally hand woven with heavily … Read more
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