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Itza Mayan boy has portrait taken
Apart from being hot and humid, air full of mosquitoes carrying
malaria and dengue, and fierce pressure from overpopulation and
development, the District of Petén remains one of the most beautiful
places in the world. The young man shown above is a descendant of the
Itza Maya, the last of the Mayan nations to fall to the Spanish after
a battle on Lago Petén Itza. However, the battle today is that over
resources like timber, petroleum, archaeological artifacts and
exploited fauna from parrots to jaguars.
The root of it may come from the thirty plus year civil war in Guatemala pitting the right wing army against the commie insurgents. One must add the collusion of the CIA and aid agencies with local developers, to say nothing of graft and corruption, greed and avarice. "Hey, this would make a great book," exclaims Rick. "Now where did I put my notebook, pencil and air-conditioned Kevlar jump suit." |