Under the shadow of the great ceiba: the worldview of the Lacandon

Abstract

The Lacandon ethnic group is one of the few Mayan groups that has managed to preserve its own culture conceptual referents without strong external influences . Though its origin is still uncertain and the date of his arrival in the Lacandon Jungle is hypothetical ( centuries II XV and XVIII) , the study of oral tradition and its mythical and ritual collections can determine that between this group and the Maya lowlands groups from colonial times there is a clear cultural affiliation that makes it possible to reconstruct their particular worldview . Unlike other Mayan groups ( Tzeltal , Chol , tojolabales ), which were uprooted and settled in outlying areas , thus losing many of the elements of their social and cultural universe , the Lacandon have remained tied to his native forest , which is considered real men . for this reason , we suggest that the cosmological images collected in the oral tradition are representative and meaningful one, rooted in old ways of thinking contemporary native Mayan worldview whose function is to reproduce the cultural identity of the group.