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雅思阅读:现代玛雅人渴望融入新纪元

来源:网络 2012-12-25 编辑:PMC_ivy 雅思托福0元试学

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2012年12月21日,玛雅历法中为期5125年的“长历纪元”结束,进入新纪元。当所谓的“末日论”让古代玛雅人成为世人瞩目的焦点时,生活在墨西哥的现代玛雅人则对这一天寄予希望——玛雅文明得到拯救,玛雅人走出被社会排斥的阴影、融入新纪元。


  Some Mayans living in Mexico, who descended from those who drew that calendar more than 5,125 years ago, hope they can walk out of the shadows of the old cycle and be included in the development of the country。

  Mexican writer Juan Villoro recently said the Mayans, like many indigenous Mexicans, "are revered as museum pieces."

  "The Mayans of the Classical Period are history, but the Mayan of the current period has no history," Villoro wrote in his column in newspaper Reforma。

  A report from the National Autonomous University of Mexico said that, of the 5.5 million illiterate in Mexico, about 34 percent were indigenous people。

  In Mexico, one in 62 indigenous people is Mayan。

  A study conducted by the National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples Peninsular Unity Center showed two of 10 Mayans have no income, and five of 10 Mayans have a daily income of only 3 to 6 U.S. dollars。

  Only one out of 10 Mayans earn more than 17 dollars a day, only 5.59 percent have completed their high school and only 2.94 percent have a bachelor''s degree。

  "Illiteracy among the indigenous population triples the national average," the report said。

  For the 800,000 Mayans living in the southeast of Mexico, the beginning of a new era can be interpreted as the beginning of inclusion into society。

  "Opportunities simply are not the same for Mayan," said July Hoil, one of the few Mexican archaeologists working in the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza in southeastern Mexico。

  Hoil, a PhD in history who has studied farming problems in Mexico, said that for a "common Mayan," leaving a village to go to college was "difficult."

  "To go to college you have to leave town and compete in the entrance examinations with the people of the cities that have better education," he said。

  The paraphernalia unleashed around a confusion about the supposed end of the world had put the Mayans in a showcase before the world, said John Smith, a U.S. tourist who visited Chichen Itza。

  Tourists from all over the world have come to different states of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Belize, looking for "mysticism" of one of the oldest cultures。

  "Most people just come one time and never return," said merchant Chay Santiago。

  "They see us, buy a craft, take pictures with us but do not know us. We are admired as part of history, but they did not know we actually still live here," Santiago said。

  The majority of the Mayan population in southeastern Mexico live a rural life, not engaged in trade and tourism。

  "It is true that the government is trying to include us, building more and more bilingual schools (Mayan-Spanish), but it is still not enough," tour guide Dzul Diego said。

  "It''s amazing that of all the Mayans in Yucatan State, only 60 percent still speak Mayan, some people refuse to speak it for shame or emigration," Diego said。

  Meanwhile, many others consider the beginning of the new Mayan cycle an opportunity to gain energy for a better future。

  Around 3,000 visitors came to Coba, an ancient Mayan city in the north of the state of Quintana Roo。

  "I came because I purify myself with the last sun of this Baktun," said Alberto Rodriguez, a native of Mexico City who used his vacation to travel to this place after learning that he approached the end of an era。

  "I did not think that was the end of the world, but if a cycle changes, I just want to use it for a renovation," said Rodriguez, who climbed the 48-meter Nohoch Mul to enjoy the sunshine。

  "I knew this (the doomsday) was a joke. If the last day really arrived, how could there be so many tourists, and you reporters do not need to come over," Kateri Hansen, a Norwegian tourist said。

  Mexico''s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said 50,000 people had visited the 30 Mayan archaeological sites open to the public Friday and the sites closed as normal after the celebration of the end of the cycle。

  The archeological sites in southeastern Mexico, including Chichen Itza, Tulum and Palenque, and Chiapas have received the highest number of tourists, with 28,000 visits, while central Mexico''s Teotihuacan received 10,000 visitors。

  2012年12月21日,玛雅历法中为期5125年的“长历纪元”结束,进入新纪元。当所谓的“末日论”让古代玛雅人成为世人瞩目的焦点时,生活在墨西哥的现代玛雅人则对这一天寄予希望——玛雅文明得到拯救,玛雅人走出被社会排斥的阴影、融入新纪元。

  玛雅后裔的希望不是没有根据。墨西哥作家胡安·比略罗在《改革报》专栏中写道:“经典时代的玛雅人已成为历史,如今的玛雅后裔没有历史。”

  墨西哥国立自治大学揭晓的研究数据显示,墨西哥国内现有文盲550万人,其中34%是土著人,土著人的文盲率是墨西哥平均水平的3倍。具体到玛雅人,仅有5.59%的玛雅人完成*教育,2.94%的玛雅人拥有硕士学位。“社会对玛雅人不公。玛雅人的机遇比普通人少得多,”墨西哥国内屈指可数的玛雅裔考古学家和历史学家胡里奥说。对于一个普通玛雅人,离开村庄去上大学不是一件易事。

  在经济收入方面,玛雅人的现状也不容乐观。统计数据显示:每10名玛雅人中就有2人没有经济收入,5人日均收入在3至7美元之间,仅有1人日均收入超过17美元。此外,“除面临墨西哥穷人的普遍困境外,土著人还面临一定程度的民族歧视,经常受到社会排挤,”胡里奥说。

  所谓的“末日论”使得远离尘嚣的玛雅人重新登上历史舞台。来自美国、加拿大、德国、俄罗斯、我国的游客纷至沓来,参观访问这些散落在墨西哥、危地马拉、萨尔瓦多、洪都拉斯和伯利兹的玛雅文化遗址,感受玛雅文化氛围,欣赏几千年前玛雅人创建的计年历法和天文体系。“玛雅人现在红遍全球了,”参观奇琴伊察遗址的美国游客约翰说,“我也来这里吸收点玛雅能量。”

  不过,奇琴伊察的工艺品小贩圣地亚哥不认为这股热潮会持续很久。“多数游客都是一日游,他们再也不会返回这里。他们在这里*传统手工艺品,和我们这些玛雅后裔合影留念,但是他们并不了解我们,只是把我们当做历史的一部分来欣赏,事实上他们对现代玛雅人的生活一无所知。”

  “目前有80万名玛雅后裔居住在墨西哥,仅有60%会说玛雅语。这一古老的语言在逐渐消失,很多年轻人因为害羞而不肯学,还有一些移民海外再也没有回来,”导游迭戈说。不过,迭戈也称赞近几年来墨西哥政府帮助玛雅人融入社会的做法。“现在有越来越多的双语学校(西班牙语和玛雅语),这*是*存玛雅语言和文化的好方法。”

  胡里奥认为,了解过去有助于看清未来,“如果人们关注玛雅文化,就不会对12月21日产生‘*末日’的误解。世人也会更加宽容地接纳玛雅人。我们玛雅人希望在新纪元里更好地融入*。”


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