Francisca's ancestors are Mayan. Here is little something about the Maya civilization from
Wikipedia if you'd like to learn something new.
The Maya civilization extended throughout the present-day southern Mexican states of
Chiapas,
Tabasco, and the
Yucatán Peninsula states of
Quintana Roo,
Campeche and
Yucatán. The Maya area also extended throughout the northern
Central American region, including the present-day nations of
Guatemala,
Belize, northern
El Salvador and western
Honduras.
The
Maya peoples never disappeared, neither at the time of the Classic period decline nor with the arrival of the
Spanish conquistadores and the subsequent
Spanish colonization of the Americas.
Today, the Maya and their descendants form sizable populations
throughout the Maya area and maintain a distinctive set of traditions
and beliefs that are the result of the merger of pre-Columbian and
post-Conquest ideas and cultures. Millions of people speak
Mayan languages today; the
Rabinal Achí, a play written in the
Achi language, was declared a
Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by
UNESCO in 2005.
The Maya civilization shares many features with other Mesoamerican civilizations due to the high degree of interaction and
cultural diffusion that characterized the region. Advances such as writing,
epigraphy, and the
calendar did not originate with the Maya; however, their civilization fully developed them. Maya influence can be detected from
Honduras,
Belize,
Guatemala, and western
El Salvador to as far away as central
Mexico, more than 1,000 km (620 mi) from the
Maya area. Many outside influences are found in
Maya art and architecture, which are thought to result from trade and cultural exchange rather than direct external conquest.
Thank you for singing for us, Sarah.
