Ein Regengebet aus San Juan Sacatepéquez (Guatemala)

Abstract

The social, economic and cultural life in Guatemala is determined by two different societies. One of them, the Ladino society, as it is called in Central-America, has its roots in Europe, and the other one, the Indian society, dates back to precolumbian times. One of the means to convey Indian ideological values and their corresponding standards are oraciones cofradiales. Some of those composed in the Cakchiquel language are presented here for the first time written down. They characterize Indian identity, among others, as being part of a hierarchical order following the supreme commandment to maintain the unity of cosmos, nature and man. The persevering of the Indians in their own religious cosmovision enabled them to preserve during centuries their collective identity and the cultural independence of their comunidad indígena, and at the same time, to adjust them to the changed conditions of a new time.