July 20, 2007, Indigenous languages: Maya, By Kathleen B. Bohné, Mythology of the mural, Who Let the Dogs Out? A Lawyer, Of Course!, By Amir Efrait, Amigos announces new plans and a new consultant, Caring for the elderly, Bilingual secondary school to open in SMA, Callejoneada a memorable treat, By Atención staff, Fifth annual House & Garden Tour volunteer picnic, So long, Sarah!

The Mayan languages—there are 30 living ones—constitute a large and important family of Mesoamerican languages, and one of our most vital links with the long, complex history of the Maya civilization. There are still an estimated 3 million speakers of Mayan idioms in Mexico, Guatemala and Belize; the different languages share many similarities in grammar and vocabulary, enabling linguists to recreate “proto-Maya” as their common ancestor.

They estimate it was spoken as far back as 4,000 years ago. The hieroglyphic writing system would have been a later acquisition and was likely inherited from the ancient Olmec civilization, whose glyphs are yet to be deciphered. Perhaps the most widely known Maya language is Yucatec, which has 500,000 speakers and was one of the major dialects of Classic Maya civilization (along with Tzotzil, Chol, Chontal and Tzeltal).

After the Spanish conquest, knowledge of the ancient Mayan writing system was lost, as missionaries actively discouraged the indigenous peoples from writing in their own logo-syllabic script (one composed of pictoral glyphs as well as phonetic ones), instead converting their language into the Latin alphabet.

However, as interest in this mysterious civilization grew in the 19th century (particularly after the release of Frederick Catherwood’s and John Lloyd Stephen’s bestseller about their adventures in the Yucatán in 1841), attempts were made to decipher the thousands of intricate glyphs carved into stone, jade and pottery and painted on a few remaining paper codices. It took decades of research (some still ongoing) to accomplish the almost complete decoding of this elusive writing system, now the best understood in Mesoamerica. This has brought to light a wealth of literature, history and sacred writings: “the Mayan writing system …was a rich and expressive script, capable of faithfully recording every nuance of sound, meaning and grammatical structure in the writer’s language” noted the late researcher and epigrapher Linda Schele. Much like Chinese and Arabic, the writing system of the ancient Maya acted as a standard form of communication, even when the different spoken languages were nearly unintelligible. If you are interested in further exploring the gradual recovery of this ancient language, try A Forest of Kings by Linda Schele and David Freidel, and In the Language of Kings by Miguel León-Portilla and Earl Shorris.

The following excerpt is from the Songs of Dzitbalche an ancient manuscript discovered in Mérida in 1942, written in Yucatec Maya.

FLOWER SONG (Kay Nicte)

The sweet,
The beautiful moon
Has risen
Over the forest,
And begun
Its start
To the middle of the sky-
The sky where it will suspend
Its radiance
Over the earth
And all the forest.

Only fragrant is the passing breeze
And its sweet perfumed smell.
Its center comes
To the middle of the sky,
Just lighting the earth
With its glow.
Over everything there is happiness
For all good men.

One has arrived inside
The womb of the forest,
Where there is not even anyone stirring
Who can counterspy

On anything
Whatever
We may come
To do.

One has brought rose blossoms,
First flower blossoms,
Dog jasmine blossoms,
Tangleflower blossoms;
One has brought copal
And cane vine;
Likewise black tortoise shell;
Likewise new quartz and flint
And new cotton,
New spinning sockets,
Great green flints,
New weights,
Fresh conch;
Likewise a quantity of turkeys,
And new sandals:
Everything is new, even the ties for our heads,
So that we can gather nectar,
And thus we can skim the flowers.

Thus is ancestry ended;
It is done.
We are here then in the heart of the forest
At the edge of the stone pool
To await the appearance
Of the beautiful smoking star over the forest.
Shed your clothes!
Remove your hair stays!
‘Til you are
As you arrived

Here
On this earth,
Oh virgins,
Maidens of the changing moon.

From In the Language of Kings by Miguel León-Portilla and Earl Shorris

Mythology of the mural

A first visit to the Sala Quetzal in the Biblioteca Pública is enthralling, mesmerizing and quite overwhelming. There is so much to absorb that spinning around seems the only approach. But the mural tells a story, a clear cosmogony in 12 panels. We will present this narrative along with the relevant images over the next weeks in an effort to enhance understanding and enjoyment of this spectacular mural. We continue with panels five and six.

Atención staff

It was said that on the ninth level there existed a great lizard who devoured the hearts of men to keep them from suffering nostalgia. This accomplished, they arrived in paradise some as birds, some as the acolytes of the God of Rain.

The women too are warriors and companions of the Sun God; they are goddesses.

Life and death are conjoined—a cosmological view that allowed for joy in knowing what to expect in this paradise which is found in the heavens and consists of three levels. At the highest level resides the divine couple Omeoteotl, man and woman made flesh as the primordial couple.

In ancient times warriors clothed themselves in the skins of jaguars, panthers or the feathers of birds. There were two groups, tigers and eagles.

Both participated in elaborate battles that served no purpose other than to gather victims for sacrifice. The hearts were then delivered to the gods.

In the 10th century, however, this practice was prohibited by the priest Ceacatl Topiltzín Quetzalcóatl. He sent offerings of flowers and butterflies. The gods were benevolent with this prince. Tula is believed to be the first place to make offerings in this way, and the first place to practice monogamy in the worship of Quetzalcoatl, God of the Eternal Sun.

There is unity in the pre-Hispanic world through the heroic figure of Quetzalcoatl, a man of great wisdom, the one who leaves us waiting for his return. The masculine forces gather together to ascend the pyramids. On reaching the cusp they find Quetzalcoatl.

Who Let the Dogs Out? A Lawyer, Of Course!
By Amir Efrait

The Law Blog did a double-take earlier this year when a partner left a successful New York firm to help less-fortunate people. But what about leaving law to help less-fortunate canines in a developing country?

That’s the story of Jim Karger, the subject of the Wall Street Journal article in 1997 titled “An Outlandish Labor Lawyer Gets No Objections from Staid Clients.” At the time of the article, Karger was based in Dallas and had won more than 60 anti-union campaigns as head of law firm Karger & Associates, which he says counted Jack-in-the-Box and Greyhound as clients.

The firm was, in a word, colorful. In its annual calendars, Karger and his employees dressed in military fatigues with semiautomatic weapons and as a biker gang, with Karger in a spandex weightlifter’s suit (pictured above; Karger is third from right). Enclosed in one calendar was the official law-firm tattoo, designed by Karger’s wife, Kelly, that featured a lizard head on a woman’s body.

“I had the giant house and the fancy cars . . . stuff that had been defined to me as evidence of success,” he says. But he also grew hostile at corporate America for creating the problems he was helping to diffuse, he says, and says he grew tired of solving problems that would later be repeated.

So in 2001 Karger stopped practicing law, sold everything and moved to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. In 2003, after seeing that there were “thousands” of homeless dogs in the region, he and Kelly started “Save A Mexican Mutt,” an animal rescue group that takes dogs such as Goku, a male terrier (pictured, left), out of pounds and off the streets; rehabilitates, spays and neuters them; and finds them homes in the U.S.

About once a month, the couple hops in a van with a dozen dogs and drives north to drop them off with their new American owners. So far SAMM has placed more than 200 dogs in about 15 states including Texas and New York.

Karger, 55 years old and a father of three (and owner of eight dogs), spends half his time working for SAMM, which he funds, and much of rest as a management consultant. He also does a little labor law on the side, but only for clients who let him do it his way by addressing the fundamental problems that led to employee discontent. It’s “not the standard Sherman’s March to the sea,” he says, but a chance to “leave the place better than I found it.”

This has been reprinted with special permission from the Wall Street Journal Online.

Amigos announces new plans and a new consultant

Amigos de Animales announced this week its partnership with the City of San Miguel to build a new municipal dog pound and to expand their current program of dog and cat sterilization. They have also announced that Lisa Wandler, a five-year resident of San Miguel and former marketing consultant from Washington, DC, will be joining their team as Director of Development in order to seek funding for these new endeavors.

Amigos de Animales is a San Miguel based, non-profit organization dedicated to alleviating the suffering of companion animals by controlling their overpopulation through free sterilizations and by educating the community about humane treatment of animals. Since their founding in 2002, Amigos has operated on more than 5,200 animals through their “blitz” campaigns held several times each year in different colonias and through the regular work of their cooperating veterinarian, Dr. Octavio Capitan.

Recently, Amigos reached an agreement with the City of San Miguel on a joint venture for the construction and maintenance of a new municipal dog pound, or Canine Control Center. The Center will be built in phases but is slated to include kennels for the dogs captured by Ecología, a clinic and kennels for sterilizations and a crematorium. The City has allocated 8600 square meters of land near the new municipal buildings on the Salida a Querétaro. They have also agreed to match any funds raised by Amigos for the Centers construction, the total cost of which is estimated at US$350,000.

As a result of closer cooperation with Ecología, Amigos has also increased the number of sterilizations performed per month to almost 300—more than doubling their operating expenses. And they continue to increase the number of animals sterilized during their “mini blitzes,” now performed monthly in outlying colonias. While a tremendous achievement for Amigos, the addition of so many surgeries to their monthly workload also poses a tremendous challenge for them financially.

To meet this challenge head-on Amigos, with the help of Wandler, will be launching a capital campaign for the Canine Center and will be seeking to develop new sources of funding for Amigos operating expenses. According to her, “Amigos risks becoming a victim of its own success, for without increased funding they will not only be unable to fund the Canine Center but they also risk losing their ability to maintain their sterilization programs, so vital to the welfare of the animals and to the quality of life of sanmiguelenses.”

For more information about Amigos de Animales, or to make a contribution, contact Lisa Wandler at lisa@amigos-sma.org or call her at 044-415-111-4723.

Caring for the elderly

TAU, the nonprofit organization dedicated to helping San Miguel’s poor, elderly population, needs help and is appealing to the general public so it can continue its operation. This all-volunteer group has been successfully operating for over 30 years but has recently suffered from a lack of supplies and funding and is in urgent need of support. TAU is an essential resource in the lives of many of San Miguel’s elderly. Sra. María Carmen Gonzales de García heads the organization and opens her home every Tuesday morning to provide a week’s supply of food to those in need. What used to be a bountiful bag of fruit, beans, rice and other nutritional items has dwindled down to a meager sack. The elderly are also assisted with health services and are always extremely thankful for this support.

Any contribution of money, food or clothing would be of great assistance and extremely appreciated. Sra. María Carmen Gonzales de García currently has two rentable spaces connected to her home which are available now and will provide funds for the program. Donations, volunteers and inquiries should be directed to Mesones 63 between 2-5pm, Monday through Friday.

Bilingual secondary school to open in SMA

The Waldorf elementary school in San Miguel, Los Charcos, is beginning a secondary school this year with the addition of their seventh grade. The school has recruited a very distinguished teacher from the United States, Gideon Weick, to be both Director of Pedagogy and teacher of the seventh grade. Mr Weick has 15 years of experience in Waldorf pedagogy and has completed 30 years of study in anthroposophy, the basic educational theory developed by the educational reformer Rudolf Steiner. Los Charcos is also bringing Yolanda Mujica from the Waldorf School of Cuernavaca to be in charge of the Spanish language curriculum (history, Spanish literature, geography, handwork workshops and workshops of sculpture in wood and clay). Two other additions to the faculty will be Virna Luna from the Waldorf School of Sunbridge, NY, to work with all of the students in eurhythmy. “According to Rudolf Steiner, there are specific connections between the sounds of certain letters and the organs of the human body. For this reason,
eurhythmy, which expresses the various sounds of language and music in movements of the limbs, is not only an art, but also a means of healing.” Chorus, violin, movement, art and handwork are all part of the Waldorf curriculum.

Los Charcos is a bilingual school in which students receive an equal amount of subject matter in both English and Spanish. For more information, contact the administrator at admissions@waldorfsanmiguel.org or visit our web page www.waldorfsanmiguel.org.

Strolling musicians, dressed in the traditional costumes of medieval Spain, winding through the cobblestoned streets of cities like San Miguel are a familiar sight to residents and frequent visitors, but a memorable treat to those who just happen upon a callejoneada some Friday or Saturday evening.

There are several groups here in San Miguel, including the Tuna Oratoriana and the Tuna Normalista. It was the Oratoriana that began the traditional callejoneada, wandering through the streets with a gathering crowd, all singing favorite songs, sipping wine and stopping to serenade at the occasional balcony. The Tuna Normalista performs every Sunday at the Biblioteca for the House & Garden Tour. They have an extensive repertoire, but one can count on a few special favorites and it adds a great deal to be able to sing along at the top of one’s lungs, so we’ve included the lyrics of a few of those very special songs.

Fifth annual House & Garden Tour volunteer picnic

On a gloriously sunny and warm day, volunteers of the House & Garden Tour enjoyed their fifth annual volunteer summer picnic at the scrumptious home of Lou Vogt (behind the fountain). Oh, what amazing and diverse food they brought! Tables were groaning under the weight of all those salads, appetizers, main courses and, of course, a plethora of desserts. A great time was had by all and it was a lovely way for the volunteers to get to know each other away from their normal Sunday working duties. Thank you Lou, for offering your beautiful home, and thank you to all the volunteers who slaved over hot stoves creating wondrous delicacies for all to enjoy.

We will be saying goodbye to our copy editor, Sarah Gozan, quite soon and we’ll be sad to see her go. Sarah has been at the Atención since January of this year, several months before I came on board, and it was her patience that saw me through the unique quirks and eccentricities of “the system.”

For every typographical error that slipped past her, there were a million that didn’t and for every item that slipped through the cracks, there are ten million that could have and didn’t. Proofreading articles, or worse, Que Pasa, at midnight, after having read it all half a dozen times is a special kind of torture, or at least it should be. Befuddled, slap-happy, dazed, amazed and just plain brain-dead, all come to mind.

We’ve shared many late nights and early mornings; we’ve debated politics, movies, skirt lengths, taco fillings, you name it, it’s gone back and forth between us. But most of all, we’ve shared a lot of laughs and a very similar sense of the absurd.

At age 26, Sarah has lived in Ireland, in Spain, in cities all up and down the Atlantic coast, in Tampico and of course here in San Miguel. And those are just the places she’s lived; her travels on the other hand would fill the page. “How?” I wondered. “Couchsurfing,” she said. Duh! Well it was new to me but apparently not to legions of travelers who have embraced the four-year-old website as a means to travel the world on a shoestring. It boasts members on every continent; who knew there were couches in Antartica…

Now Sarah is heading off on an altogether different adventure—a year in Pittsburgh, living within a Jewish community, time enough to immerse herself and come to the decisions that will shape the rest of her life. We wish you well Sarah. We’ll miss you.

Nancy, Larizza, Jesús, Isis, Sandra, Noel, Ana Lilia, Anja and Kennedy