Learning Through the Maya People

Christine Coc spoke at UMD on October 19, as part of the Ben and Jeanne Overman Distinguished Speaker Lecture Series.

The struggle between the Maya people and the Belizean government can teach people to fight for and pursue a better world for future generations. Cristina Coc, UMD alumni and prominent Maya Leaders Alliance member told of her people’s fight for indigenous land and preservation rights against those in power at the Marshall Performing Arts Center on Thursday, Oct. 19.

The Mayan community has inhabited Belize and its surrounding areas for thousands of years on their indigenous lands. Not only do they call the land home, but they also take care of the land with the knowledge that others after them will continue to benefit from their careful conservation efforts.

In the mid-1990s, the government of Belize allowed the logging and clearing of almost half a million acres of Mayan land, without consent from the Mayan community. These lands hold an ancient sacrality to the Maya people, as well as standing as the source of their food and necessary resources for living. Due to this, Coc and the other MLA members began to organize and lead their communities through fights for justice.

Though their struggle is ongoing, the Maya people have celebrated many achievements from this battle for rights. By working together, they have shown that no matter what resources someone may have on their side, they can still achieve great things. Having a “burning passion” is what makes the difference, Coc said.

The Maya people know and understand the importance of leaving things to be used and enjoyed by future generations. In a video presented by Coc, Alfonso Cal, a fellow MLA member, explained that when gathering resources from the forest, they do so in a way that leaves little to no destruction and leaves plenty for future generations to cultivate, use and protect. 

To properly prepare themselves for the oncoming legal battles, Coc said they had to learn the ways of the law. Because of her informal study of the law, she referred to herself as a “bush lawyer.”

“We could never own the waters, the forests – we are stewards of them,” Coc said. “The law was a way to protect what we were put on this earth to protect.”

Coc drew attention to indigenous groups everywhere struggling for rights, just as the Maya people continue to do. She asks that people will join and support the fights for these communities globally, and support efforts to protect their rights and land.

“It’s cool that they pulled an [alumnus],” Samuel Schmall, a sophomore at UMD said. “It makes it feel like we can do something.”

If the world can heed the example of the Maya community, as well as leadership like Coc’s, there will be a greater chance of leaving a better world for generations to come.