Victor Montejo: The Living Maya

Summary

Victor Montejo, a Jakaltek Maya and anthropologist, shares insights on the Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and the pan-Maya movement. His experience spans academia, politics, and activism, illuminating the challenges and triumphs of Indigenous representation in contemporary society. Montejo's work not only highlights cultural preservation but also advocates for human rights and sustainable community development.

Key takeaways

• 1Victor Montejo: Jakaltek Maya scholar, activist, and author pivotal in Indigenous rights movements.
• 2Authored 'Voices from Exile: Violence and Survival in Modern Maya History,' which won the Race, Ethnicity and Politics Award.
• 3Served as Minister of Peace in Guatemala, focusing on reparations for victims of armed conflict.
• 4Proposed the National Day of Indigenous People of Guatemala and the Law of Consultation for Indigenous Peoples.
• 5Major publications include 'Popol Vuh: Sacred Book of the Mayas' and 'Maya Intellectual Renaissance.'

Source

Transcript excerpt

I think most of you know that I am a Mayanist, have been for over thirty years, not longer, and had a fascination with indigenous people, but most notably, my connection to the Mayan culture is very, very strong and dedicated. I am writing and continue to write a book on the Maya. And when I say I'm a Miaist, that's actually an archaeological term. It means somebody who is focused on Mayan culture, mane development, everything in between. That could be excavations, could be new discovery, could be the cosmology. And I've had close relationships with my elders and scholars. Unfortunately, my friends have all passed away. One passed away, Carlos Barreros passed away during COVID and he passed very quickly. He got ill and he passed away. And my other friend, whom Butt's men, passed away not by a bug or virus. He was just he wasn't that old. He was in his seventies and he just wasn't well. And I was. Sad when he passed because I had a really long relationship with him. He kind of came into focus when I was a program director for a conference and I wanted to have an indigenous panel of experts. This is a and I said, I always talk about this. This was during the Dances with Wolf Kevin Coosner where he interacts with the Lakota and we get the sense of who the natives are. And I wanted to have a panel that kind of provided us information on native points of view native culture, and so I developed this panel. Three of the panelists were from the movie Dances with Wolf, and then there was Humbots, who was a Mayan, and then there was a I think there was was five. There was another person. ...

Excerpt from Earth Ancients, Jul 11, 2026. Rights remain with the original creators. Hear the full episode at the source.