El Quetzal Issue 52 : September 2011

Latest news! Starting with this issue, El Quetzal will be published once a month, at the beginning of each month. Historically, we have published each Trecena separately, listing the 13 days in each issue of El Quetzal. With this issue, we are expanding the list of the Tzolk'in days so that it spans the entire month, and gives you a broader view of the energies coming up, not to mention more time to prepare.

Trecenas, we find, are simply too short and go by far too quickly! And what better time to resynchronize El Quetzal with the dual Gregorian/Mayan rhythms than the Muluc Trecena, the Trecena of Harmony...

For the list of days, look at the lower left of each newsletter.

We will still post the opening text of each trecena on the MCP web site, so be sure to visit www.maya-portal.net at any time during a given trecena to reconnect with its energy. Just click the "trecena" link in the upper nav, right next to the Tzolk'in calculator.

In two Maya communities in highland Guatemala—each speaking a different Maya language, Kaqchikel and Tz’utuhil—Maya men started painting in oil during the first half of the twentieth century. Their paintings represent a colorful ethnographic documentation of Maya culture, both secular and religious: women weaving, men making adobe bricks, children flying kites, Maya priests blessing corn, curanderos (healers) treating patients, people working in fields picking coffee, markets, and festivals with masked dancers.

Around 25 years ago, Arte Maya Tz’utuhil began working with Maya artists and organizing exhibitions. Our web site, www.artemaya.com, helps educate people about Maya traditions and culture through the paintings, and market work by the best Maya artists. The idea was that with a virtual gallery, the paintings would be cheaper, and a greater percentage could go back to the artists.

The web site has over 300 pages, several of which display the paintings for sale. One section shows works that each artist has done over their lifetime. Other sections include articles by anthropologists covering different aspects of Maya life, a section of the best photographs portraying Guatemala and the Maya, and a section on the traje (traditional dress) of the Maya.

For the past ten years, we at Arte Maya have published a wall calendar that features the Tzolk'in and Haab’ Maya glyphs for each day of the year, and superb paintings by twelve of the best Maya artists, including their photos and biographies. We hope you enjoy the 2012 Arte Maya wall calendar.

by Joseph Johnston, Director of Arte Maya

In 2010, we met a wonderful painter from New Zealand named Maree Gifkins who had been trained in the Australian outback by a traditional aboriginal artist. We were instantly taken with her exquisite attention to detail, her bold, vibrant colors, and this unusual artistic style that you simply don't see too often.

Maree was fascinated with the Mayan Calendar, and we were fascinated with her work—it was only natural that our meeting would result in a body of work related to the Calendar.

A few months later, Maree had produced the full set of twenty sacred Tzolk'in daysigns; by February 2011, she had put together an exhibit in Australia titled "Cycle of Time". These beautiful paintings now adorn the Mayan Calendar Portal's media gallery as a permanent online exhibit. Check out the MCP gallery and enjoy!

And for those of you living in New Zealand, we're thrilled to announce that Maree's "Cycle of Time" exhibit is open at the Hastings Community Arts Centre at 106 Russell Street South in Hastings, New Zealand, now through September 10. Hours are 9h30am through 4pm. Telephone: 06 878 9835.

If you're interested in purchasing any of the "Cycle of Time" daysign paintings, or commissioning the entire set from Maree, please email us at info@maya-portal.net for details.

Muluc / Toj   Original painting by artist Maree Gifkins