Ri Laj Mam and Maximon: A Native American Saint One day I stood with Don Manuel Mendoza, one of the greatest authorities on the Mayan Tzutujil tribe, on the shores of beautiful Lake Atitlan in the town of Santiago Atitlan in the heart of the Guatemalan highlands. I asked him to tell me the story of Ri Laj Mam. “Long ago,” he said, “there was a respectable old man, perhaps the oldest of the Elders, though no one knew his age for sure. He was an extraordinary man. After the conquest, the Spaniards divided up all of the land that used to be ours. They gave us their world and even brought documents from their king in spain supposedly certifying that we legally owned small plots knowns as indigenous communal property. Since we had been forewarned of the grand design for this period, or katun, we didn’t protest. However, the Spaniards ambition was more powerful than their documents or their word. As increasing numbers of Spaniards came to live in nour lands, the conquistadors decided to take back what little they had given us, raped our women, killed wantonly, and forced us to work constanly without any regard to age or condition. Our leaders has told us we must endure it was our Grandfathers prophecy if we didn’t want our entire people and tradition to disappear. This was the state of affairs whten one of the greatest men to have survived the cruelty and killings decided to come out of hiding. This great Chi Mam, Possessed superior Knowledge and power and had the ability to counteract the worst spells and sorcery. He was famous among our people, though we hadn’t seen him perform any wonders for a very long time. Ri Laj Mam, as he known, was furious with the way things were and began encouraging people to rise up aginst their oppresors. In addition to all of the torture, suffering, and death, thre were the Spanish priest and firars who came to teach their commandments and their truths in order to subjugate, persecute, and enslace us. What sort of future coul we hope for under these conditions? “Ri Laj Mam first went from house to huse and then began coming tho the town square. Incredulous, the Spaniards tried to arrest him, but he always managed to slip away trough the crowd. Our peoples spirits were lifting, so the Spaniards sent a large regiment to capture and imprison Ri Laj Mam the next time he came to the square. To their great surprise, however, he scaped and was out in the plaza the very next day stirring up the population with even more fervor. They took him again, this time handcuffing him and using heavy chains to hang him from a dungeon wall. But Ri Laj Mam was out in the main square again the next morning as if nothing had happened, inciting his fellow citizens to act. He was caught once again, handcuffed and bound, and this time guards were posted both inside and outside the cell. However, his guardas fell aslepp that night, and he escaped once more. The Spaniards couldn’t believe it. Unable to keep him in custody, they asked some Tlaxcaltec sorceres whom they had brought with them for help. Their combined strength was enougt to counteract our grandfathers power. The next time he was caught, these sorceres were sent to guard him, and he was unable to escape. The Spanish authorities called the townspeople to a meetin, where they tried Ri Laj Mam as a subversive and withch . he was decapitated, and they set his head on a pole that they placed in the middle of the square to illustrate their power and terroriza the indigenous people. Suddenly, this Chi-Mam appeared on the other side of the plaza. Whenever they rushed to grab him, he would turn up across the square. News later came that he appeared in several towns at once with that same ability to disappear right under the noses of the guards who were trying to catch him. “Emotions were running high, and the people were organizing a revolt. The other Elders and Chi-Mams called a meeting, and the great Ri Laj Mam appeared as they were discussing matters.He asked them to combine all of their power and magic arts to vanquish the conquistadors once and for all. The elders reminded him of our grandfathers prophecy and asked him to stop because his actions would only lead to the complete annihilation of the great tradition. They knew they had to accept the grand design and simply endure this period of darkness and death the time would come when light and wisdom would return. This great Chi-Mam agreed to accept the grand design and the Elders counsel. He then asked them and the entire clan to let him live with his people forever, where he could protect them from injustice and help them whenever they needed it. He therefore sent them to find a tree that would take his spirit. The Elders set out to search for such a tree, but nonoe would accept the honor. They finally asked one of the oldest trees in the forest, and it told them to look for the tzite or coral tree, that grew on the coast. They went and found one willing to accept this sacrifice. After various ceremonies, they cut down the tree and carried it back, necer letting it touch the ground and without any women being present, as their tradition required. ‘’Before the ceremony that would allow Ri Laj Mams spirit to become part of the tree, he asked the Elders to cut it into four pieces and send once to each of the four cardinal points, from which he would safeguard the tradition and ease his people suffering” The story does not end there. Evil returned to our lands after a very long time, toward the end of the century before last. A governor came to power who favored his compatriots, stripped us of what little land we had left, and took many of our children for forced labor. We were once again slaved by a malevolent, cruel man. At about the same time, the governor had been told to appoint the learned Don Francisco Zojbel as judge in our town. The son of an influential Spanish father and a mayan mother, Don Francisco had beel born here and raise in our tradition by the Grandfathers, so he empathized with our suffering. He immediately began setting things right, revoking the privileges that the governors friends had been given and curtailing thir excesses. He also gave the land back to everyone who had been stripped of it, this becoming our community benefactor and protector. All of this, of course, enraged the kaxlanes, or white men, and they plotted to have Don Francisco assassinated. First they hired a group of bandits who ambushed and shot at him several times, but none hit their mark. Then they tried to kill our beloved, powerfull benefactor by planting a servant in his house who poisoned his food at the first opportunity. Don Francisco ate heartily of that meal but didn’t get so much as a stomachache. Finally, at a loss for what do next, they chased after him on horseback as he was returning to his village. Whe they rounded a corner at top speed, by some miracle his executioners horses suddenly took fright. Several became mired in the mud, and quite a few were badly injured; the rest died. Word of these events spread, and the people began to believe that Don Francisco was a powerfull Chi-Mam, none other than the reincarnation of Ri Laj Mam, come to protect them once again. This beloved grandfather, judge, and mayor had a big mustache,liked to smoke cigars and stay out late drinking,and was a renowned ladies man. The people affectionately called him Ximon. After Don Francisco died, effigies were made of him because they thougth he was Ri Laj Mam, and the two names were combined: “Mam” from Ri Laj Mam and term of endearment “Ximon” for Don Francisco resulted in the name Mamximon, or Maximon. He still revered today. We ask Maximon to intervene and perform miracles whenever we need help. This powerful figure isone of the most famous and most deeply respected saints for how quickly and effectively he provides assistance. His images can be found around the world. We drink a toats to his effigy and offer him one of the cigars he loved so much. Unlike others, Maximon is a very human saint who understands our nature, our weaknesses, and our needs. From the Book of Destiny Unlocking the sercrets of the ancient mayans and the prophecy of 2012 Carlitos Barrios. —
Posted on: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 17:40:06 +0000
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