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Mission Focus: The Mam People of Guatemala
April 7, 2025
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For more than 30 years, Aldersgate UMC has partnered with nonprofit organizations serving the Mam people in Guatemala.
The Mam people have lived in western Guatemala for more than 2,500 years. Descended from ancient Mayan peoples, Mam Maya remain one of Guatemala's many Indigenous people groups.
Since the Spanish Conquest, Mam Maya have endured a great number of political, social and economic pressures. Today, more than 600,000 Mam people continue to live in Guatemala's western highlands. Mam, their language, consists of 15 distinct dialects. Spanish is also spoken widely.
Many of today's Mam Maya wear traditional clothing, woven and sewn within local communities. Vibrant colors, stripes and geometric patterns abound on long skirts, shawls, infant slings, and other traditional garments. Textile weaving and small-scale agriculture support many Mam communities, which tend to be tight-knit and family-focused. Multiple generations in a family often live in one home and eat together around wood stoves, frequently sharing simple meals of corn tortillas, vegetables, fruit, eggs, and chicken.
Mam holidays, which include high points in the Christian year such as Holy Week and Christmas, often feature markets, parades, and marimba music along the streets. Catholic Masses, along with other Christian celebrations like baptism, also mark time among these communities; many of the Mam people are Catholic Christians.
Poverty presents an ongoing challenge. Many Mam people work hard to produce food, clothing and supplies for their own family units and communities. Many nonprofits who serve them focus on providing income-generating resources (like chicken flocks and sewing machines) for families' long-term benefit.
During Holy Week this year, Aldersgate UMC will lift up the Mam people to our community and request prayers and financial gifts. Stay tuned for more information coming on Palm Sunday. For now, please lift up the Mam Maya in your prayers, as we have done for more than 30 years.
Sources:
https://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu/cultures/nw08/summary
https://translatorswithoutborders.org/mayan-languages-of-guatemala-interactive-en/
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