mayan turtle star

▲ Inspired by a five day hike through the tropical jungle of northern Guatemala to one of the biggest archaeological sites of the Mayan Pre-classic era (2000BC - 250CE). El Mirador, alongside the discovery of nearly 60,000 previously unknown Mayan structures, raises questions about the history of world civilisations. 

▲ El Mirador was considered one of the largest city states of the Maya, supporting upwards of one million people at its peak. It is situated in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, which protects 2.1 million hectares of tropical forest of the Peten department. It is the heart of the Maya Selva region, which covers 4 million hectares of forest, spanning Guatemala, Mexico and Belize.

▲ The hike was organised through Carmelita, a traditional Maya community cooperative from Peten, who have protected 54,000 hectares of land through a government concession, overseeing the conservation, management and ecological extraction of natural resources.

▲ The current situation at El Mirador regarding its preservation is a peculiar one. Lead archeologist, Dr. Hansen seems to be lobbying to legally redefine this region of the Maya Biosphere Reserve from El Mirador to Calakmul in Campeche, Mexico, with the intention of privatising the land in a series of misleading claims about the factors that currently threaten it.

For more info you can read the following articles:

Teena Clipston, The Fight for the El Mirador Basin - https://teenaclipston.com/dr-richard-d-hansen-and-his-fight-for-the-el-mirador-train-and-wilderness-area/

Rainforest Alliance, The Secret to Stopping Deforestation in Guatemala - https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/in-the-field/community-the-secret-to-stopping-deforestation-in-guatemala/

https://mayabiospherewatch.com/jungle-theme-park-threatens-conservation-efforts/

▲ The Turtle Star (An Ak Ek) features prominently in the Mayan creation myth. It has been astrologically placed as the equivalent of Gemini / Orion, and the three stars named Alnitak, Saiph, and Rigel are embedded in its shell. These three stars form an almost perfect equilateral triangle in the sky and are mirrored in the alignment of the pyramids at El Mirador and other sites in Mexico. They also form the basis of the Mayan household as the three hearthstones.

▲ This project will raise funds for the continual support of well regulated forest preservation initiatives, firstly for ecological reasons, secondly to encourage a general interest in astrology and symbolism, and thirdly to show how the sacred knowledge we seek to preserve must remain in the hands of the indigenous people who still actively participate in it. 

▲ Protecting the forests through continual support and funding for local management schemes, like the one currently in use in Guatemala, will ensure that the rights of the local people and their traditional methods of cultivation will remain protected and properly represented. It is not merely our task to preserve the natural habitats that nurtured this ancient knowledge into existence, but to ensure that the architectural, astronomical, botanical, spiritual and other such achievements of ancient civilisations remain alive, and are not simply reduced to assets that favour private economic interests above everything else.