综合一区欧美国产,99国产麻豆免费精品,九九精品黄色录像,亚洲激情青青草,久久亚洲熟妇熟,中文字幕av在线播放,国产一区二区卡,九九久久国产精品,久久精品视频免费

World / US and Canada

Once-thriving Mayas struggle for survival

(Agencies/China Daily) Updated: 2012-12-20 07:51

At its peak, the Mayan civilization had one of the richest cultures in the Americas. Today, ethnic Mayas in Central America and Mexico suffer from discrimination, exploitation and poverty.

In Guatemala, where nearly half of the population is indigenous descendants of the once-mighty ancient civilization have even fallen victim to genocide.

Once-thriving Mayas struggle for survival

A Mexican man wearing a costume performs at a tourist area of Playa del Carmen in Mexico. Pedro Pardo / Agence France-Presse

The rich Mayan culture will be in the global spotlight Friday when revelers - and doomsday watchers - will mark the end of a 5,200-year era as sketched out in the elaborate Mayan calendar. But the plight of indigenous Mayas in the region will likely go undiscussed.

"The indigenous population was always seen as cheap labor, and this persists to this day," said Guatemalan anthropologist Alvaro Pop, a member of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. "They are seen as a tool and are not the focus of public policies."

The Mayan civilization reached its peak between the years 250 and 900, but then slipped into decline around 1200. Three centuries later, during Spanish colonization, the Mayas were dispossessed of their lands and reduced to poverty and servitude.

Today, there are an estimated 20 million to 30 million direct descendants of the ancient civilization living in southern Mexico, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, where the indigenous group is most prevalent.

In Guatemala, ethnic Mayas often find themselves on the margins of society, with limited access to education, healthcare and other basic services. Their native languages are not officially recognized.

Within the indigenous community, which accounts for 42 percent of Guatemala's 14.3-million-strong population, the poverty rate is 80 percent.

Nearly six in 10 indigenous children suffer from chronic malnutrition, and the infant mortality rate has hit an alarming rate of 40 per 1,000 live births, according to the United Nations Development Programme.

Previous Page 1 2 Next Page

Trudeau visits Sina Weibo
May gets little gasp as EU extends deadline for sufficient progress in Brexit talks
Ethiopian FM urges strengthened Ethiopia-China ties
Yemen's ex-president Saleh, relatives killed by Houthis
Most Popular
Hot Topics

...
虹口区| 上饶县| 喀什市| 荥阳市| 湖州市| 娄底市| 上栗县| 东丽区| 镇巴县| 扬中市| 綦江县| 紫云| 抚远县| 泽普县| 伊吾县| 阆中市| 凤山县| 福鼎市| 衡阳市| 松滋市| 通河县| 高雄市| 英山县| 松滋市| 平罗县| 山东省| 天津市| 湖北省| 彩票| 林州市| 绍兴县| 长沙市| 临沂市| 阜南县| 普陀区| 呼和浩特市| 延川县| 遵义市| 青海省| 乐东| 大城县|