Guatemala City, Guatemala August 9, 2008  

Speech by President Alvaro Colom Caballeros 

Honorable representatives of the Council of Elders of Guatemala, Vice president of the Republic, Ministers, Diplomatic  Body, friends of the Republic that accompany us today. In this day, most likely, not all of us who are here present in this plaza can comprehend the significance of this event. Today I come dressed in Kashlan because I come from a Kashlan family, I didn't have the honor to be born into an Indigenous village.   

In June of 1994 I was honored and blessed by the Heart of the Heavens to meet Don Alejandro Cirilo Perez Oxlaj. He has had the patience to teach me, to teach me those principles, the 20 days of the Mayan calendar, that ancestral wisdom. I continue to be his student. Because I was not born into an Indigenous village, I didn't received the Mayan education from my birth, instead I entered into it in my later years.  I have had the honor to meet many of the Indigenous Elders that are here today. We have shared many things together in these past 14 years.  (The president addresses some Elders here and mentions specific memorable incidents he had with them in places like Iximche, Peten, etc.) 

It is this connection with them, this walking at their side, learning from them, this is what has transformed my life. It transformed it so much that it has made me the President now.  

Today I can say this, in 1999 (referring to his running for the presidency for the first time) Grandfather Alejandro Cirilo told me:  Go ahead, try it, learn thru breaking your teeth against those political parties, but you will not win.  In 2003, running for the second time, I still was short by a few months of being 52 years of age, In the Indigenous tradition, if you are not 52 you are not ready, and  you should not be governing your pueblos, not until you reach the age.  

Today we respect the way, the traditions, the wishes and desires and the visions of Don Alejandro to do this event  like he wanted it to be. Today is a moment for all of us; and especially for the media today I am going to transmit a clear message: The cosmovision of the Mayas is not by the  number of Indigenous ministries. The cosmovision of the Mayas is not how many folkloric acts the government presents. The Maya Cosmovision is lived, every minute and every day, under the 20 basic principles of life. You live life with a profound respect under a system of consensus and councils. 

I have decided to govern for the Indigenous pueblos and villages; it is there where in reality the Maya cosmovision is consolidated. That communitarian solidarity, that solidarity with the mountains, that solidarity that allows for each village, each municipality to have their own council of elders. The  National Council of Elders has existed among them for thousands of years. I had my first encounter with them on June 9, 1994; at that time they were able to gather 372 elders, and in 1995 we were able to bring about a historical gathering that was held in Huehuetenango,  there were 440 elders gathered together.  At my Presidential Inauguration, the National Council of Elders was invited, for the first time, to participate in a presidential inauguration.  

I come as Kashlan because I come from a Kashlan family. One day, teasingly, I said to the Maestro (Don Alejandro Cirilo):   " Look, whenever I am with you, I steal a piece of your culture". Today Don Alejandro not only has an inauguration ceremony, he will continue like we all have known him, this Wandering Wolf. He who has wandered to many countries,  has been the messenger of the Mayan Elders. Today he simply has an official title.  But what I can assure you of, Don Alejandro, my maestro, is that you have a commitment from me, that these paths that we have walked together and thousands of paths that you have walked with many friends that I see here today, like Rolando, forever with his cameras, so many years to now.  Today is the time of Pullchij, today is the time of Kayub, today is the time for Tikal, Waxactun,  El Mirador. Today is the time for Nimajay! Today is the time for you! Let us take advantage of this.  

I also want to share that on Monday we will recognize the new council of FODIGUA, a Foundation for the Development of Indigenous Programs, a foundation that was created in 1995 by many of us who are here present, but that throughout the pass of  the years its objectives and original intentions were changed.  Now we are going to have a foundation dedicated to the Indigenous issues, a foundation dedicated to the preservation of the cultures, the preservation of the languages, and the establishment of the "Casas Grandes" (Nimajay, the house of knowledge), for the guarding and preservation of the knowledge and wisdom of the Elders, a foundation that will, in reality, support the Council of Elders and execute their visions, their prophecies, and the love for their people.   

I know why we took a long time to celebrate this inauguration ceremony, it is because the Indigenous people don't speed things up, nor obstruct them either. They consult first and go from there. 

My Maestro, today is the day of the Big Melodies, the day of the Short Melodies. May the Heart of the Heaven illuminate you and that you may always have the wisdom and strength to present yourself to your Indigenous communities as beautifully and with dignity as you have always done it in your travels around the world. May the Heart of the Heavens continue to guide you, Grandfather Cirilo. It has been a great honor as President to incorporate you into my Colom team.   Today I have a gift for you, master, it is not a physical gift but yesterday I was in El Mirador, less than 72 hours ago they discovered a new area there. There are some sculptures, Master of extraordinary beauty! 

There is Jun Junajpu carrying the head of Junajpu and, or Ixbalanque. That was just less than 72 hours ago. I believe this to be a message, because today is 8 Kan in the Mayan calendar, and the Mirador was the Kan Empire. So, for this to be discovered yesterday and today being the Maestro's inauguration ceremony, this is great, and a great inheritance. This is an important piece of the culture. This is not of the past, this is of the present. Some day, Grandfather Cirilo, we will understand how the Mayas would come and go and keep their permanent presence in this marvelous lands of God. Welcome to our working team, Maestro, knowing that we will always treat you with respect, with admiration,  and with a profound admiration to the Council of Elders. 

Truthfully  I do believe this is a great day of festivities for the Maestro and his family, I saw his daughter Suli and Elizabeth, thank you for providing solidarity.  And now my Master, go on and continue traveling the world in benefit of the Pueblos Mayas, Xinca and Garifuna as you have always done it. Thank you very much.  
 
 

Grandfather, Ambassador Alejandro Cirilo Perez Oxlaj speaks: 

Your excellency, Mr President of the Republic, your excellency, Mr Vice-President, honorable First Lady, you are not here today, but likewise thru the media greetings from my people. Distinguished  Ministers of the Catholic and Evangelical Churches, because for us you all are our brothers and sisters and as such we must walk together in search for peace. Honorable Ministers of State, Honorable Military and Diplomatic Body, Consuls and Ambassadors of different countries that are here present. Honorable Mayors of all Indigenous communities, you who have preserved our culture and ancestral traditions.  

First and foremost thanks to our Creator for keeping our culture alive, for the creation and revival of Nimajay, la Casa Grande, the home of wisdom; the home from where all of our great people have come from, like my ancestors.  It is from here that our greatest astronomers, greatest archeologists, greatest astrologists have come from; those who traveled in  their space ships reaching the stars and nowadays we find their work in our observatory centers; like our President just announced, they recorded their findings and left them engraved in stone for us, now we find them in the great ancient cities; for us they are our writings, our school, they are not for entertainment.  Here we learn how to live in peace, and also know why and for what are we here.  So, today, in this moment I will mention the names of some of the greatest elders who are now part of our history.  They were great authorities who gave their lives for their country, for their children, for their people, for their culture.  (Grand Father names many of those Indigenous heroes from Guatemala and from other parts of the continent).  They were killed in different ways, mutilated, decapitated, hanged, and in many other horrible ways. But they left us their great teachings that are still alive today. It is for that that we are here today. 

This assignment that I have received today is a load that has come to me. This is a load of responsibilities. In the Maya tradition this are the carriers of time, (Los  Cargadores del Tiempo). I want to tell to all my con-nationals and members of different organizations, I have not invited you before because I was not an authority. Now, today, I tell you: Come! let us unite!, let us come together all into council, without distinction of color or creed. Let us do something for our Guatemala. All of you, welcome!.  With the strength of all of us together lets do something for our Guatemala.  We can not blame the President. One person can not attend to everything. That is why this Institution for the Indigenous  Pueblos has been created. 

This Institution is not for competition with any one; on the contrary, it gives relief to the Ministries of State, because we the Indigenous people will always move under the laws of our culture, we will always have our traditions, we will always have respect in the way we know it. And we know how the world is, how our life is.  For example like with my brothers from the area Mam and the area Canjobal, we know how they have been treated.  For example they have their names differently than ours, so when they want to register the names of their children they are rejected and they are treated badly.  I ask of you, Ministers of State, let's forget about racism, let's walk together, we are beings of equal value.  

To the people:  I am at your service. I don't have one day of school, even less college or university, but that is not that important; the Mayan life is different.  Only remember that my ancestors, those great beings, those discoverers of time, they never had knowledge of an occidental education, yet today you can still see the marvels that even in present time continue to be exploited by the department of tourism.  It is in the path of our Ancestors that we are walking. I am following the steps of my Ancestors, without violence, without hatred, without intrigue because the Mayas know that valiant men deal with dialogue, while the cowards with their weapons.  

What we need now, without distinction of race, color or creed, is to understand that we are all humans and we have the same necessities; your hunger, your sadness, your pain, your loneliness, we have it too. Many of our brothers have things in excess, they are accumulating money in foreign banks that has been received in the name of the Mayan Pueblos. Now is my turn to be in the front, I ask you before God and our Mother Nature, Honorable Ambassadors of International Countries, help us, give us a hand so that we can get going and be able to accomplish our goals, those goals that we are here to do. Our previous government officials have only used us to ask for money in our behalf, have received money in the name of the Mayan pueblos, but that money has remained on paper and finally having another destiny. Now, I ask of you honorable Diplomats, do something for us, and you will see that everything that we receive will be invested in those things that the people so much need.  

The work that we are to do now is no more than a support for the government, it is like putting an additional arm in the President,  because we know how far we are going to walk. The story of the past, has been that where a vehicle was able to reach, that was as far as they were willing to travel, and those who live beyond that point, they were left abandoned.  This is the image that still remains.  We have walked with our elders and we have traveled to those furthest distances and I know for a fact that it has been done without any financial help.