MACHI and the Julian Cho Society (JCS)

As educators, members of MACHI believe that our greatest contribution is in providing local Maya descendants with increased opportunities to reformulate relationships with the pre-Hispanic past. Our objective, providing information about the pre-Hispanic period (from an archaeological perspective) and the importance of protecting archaeological remains, is intended to provide communities with the tools necessary to make informed decisions about the value of Maya cultural heritage. It is our hope that by opening an avenue for dialogue about Maya cultural heritage, that the projects initiated by MACHI and its local collaborators will foment in the Q’eqchi’ and Mopan Maya speaking peoples of Toledo a sense of stewardship over ancestral sites. In the long run we would like to promote the sustainability of this project, (and all MACHI educational programs) by assisting local community leaders and primary schools in constructing village “owned” educational projects on the same topic.

The Toledo Educational Workshop Series was designed in collaboration with the Julian Cho Society (JCS) of Punta Gorda, Belize (under the direction of Ms. Cristina Coc), as a first attempt at education on archaeological conservation in Toledo. The program was intended to run as an itinerant lecture series traveling between over two-dozen Maya communities. Short lectures using PowerPoint were accompanied by screening of DVDs on relevant topics and interactive games. Mr. Morvin Coc, trained by Dr. Reiko Ishihara in February and March of 2007, led the workshops. Coc lectured in the Q’eqchi’ language and enlisted the help of other JCS staff and volunteers for Mopan lectures. Booklets were produced in Mopan, Q’eqchi’ and English to be distributed to community members following each lecture (see below).