In the Yucatecan peninsula, every aspect of community life is influenced by Mayan culture. Although the strong presence of tourism, or maybe thanks to it, this feature suddenly appears very evident… and it will be more and more evident, travelling towards Chiapas and Guatemala. The ancient history of Mayas reflects itself not only on the impressive ruins, craftsmanship, flavorful cuisine, traditional clothes and dances, but also on the smiles and looks of the people we meet around, at the same time curious and ashamed. A history full of pride and love for freedom. The truth is that after 500 years of submission, Mayan people faces the chance to recover its dignity and consciousness of being carrier of an incredibly refined culture. Its power is demonstrated by the fact that a major part of population (inclusive young people) still speaks the native language. It is the best condition to guarantee the socio-cultural continuity of Mayan people, even though discriminations and conformation attempts are still going on.
Sometimes we feel Mexico is proud of its extraordinary cultural variety just to strengthen its touristic attraction, but it is not ready to completely accept the ethics of equality.
