Maya K'iche community of Los Cimientos reached out for international
help in 1993. Since that time, The Mayan Connection-Los Cimientos Alliance
has raised funds, accompaniment, food supplies, developed a cottage industry
and given cultural and information presentations across the United States
telling the story of Los Cimientos and the life of today's Maya in Guatemala.
The Mayan Connection-Los Cimientos Alliance is a cooperative partnership
between people in the United States and the Maya K'iche people of Los Cimientos,
Chajul, Quiche, Guatemala. We are working together at their request to
protect, preserve and enrich the lives, land and culture of this Maya K'iche
community.
The Alliance supports the Los Cimientos Council of Priests and Elders
in their efforts to regain fully and peacefully the community's legally
owned land, to preserve their Sacred Maya traditions and to heal relationships
between the K'iche and the Ixil people living near Chajul, Quiche, Guatemala.
The Alliance supports the leadership role of the women of Los Cimientos
to sustain the community as they develop an infrastructure for health care,
educational facilities, and environmentally responsible economic projects
that are in harmony with Mayan values.
Our work over the past six months has been arduous, but fruits of our
labor have been bountiful. Thanks to our growing network in California,
we've been able to establish an Internet presence with the Mayan Connection-Los
Cimientos Web site and e-mail communications, begin serious work on grant
research and proposal writing, recruit many new volunteers from the Monterey
Peninsula and gain official 501(c)(3) nonprofit status for the Los Cimientos
Alliance.
In order to reach a broader audience, we've posted some information
on the Internet in web page format. This web site (which has been graciously
donated by the folks at LiveZone Interactive Services in Redwood City,
CA) serves to inform people all around the world about our project. To
find out more information about our work, you can visit us on-line at http://www.livezone.com/maya.
Electronic mail has been another valuable asset. Thanks to the generous
donations of a laptop computer and an Internet account, we've been able
to keep in touch with friends and supporters, reach out to donors and communicate
with our volunteers wherever they may be. If you have e-mail, feel free
to drop us a line at alaf@livezone.com.
Another asset that we must not overlook is our network of volunteers.
Members of the local community as well as graduate students from the Monterey
Institute of International Studies have made it possible to keep our work
alive and moving forward. Among their most noteworthy contributions are
translations of important documents into Spanish and English; researching,
proofreading, and editing grant proposals; assisting with cultural presentations;
and creating a newsletter.
As an official nonprofit organization, Los Cimientos Alliance is now
ready to receive tax-exempt funding. Thanks to a hard-working team of pro
bono lawyers, we've been able to help Los Cimientos to reach this long-awaited
objective. One of the many projects that are being planned has already
received a $5000 grant. This money is designated for the Women's Committee
micro-enterprise projects.
However, as you may already know, there is still the question of the
50 Ixil families who are occupying 2/3 of the land of Los Cimientos. The
Community Leaders have retained a lawyer in Guatemala who will help settle
this land dispute. In return for his assistance, the lawyer has requested
a fee of $5000. Our immediate priority has turned to fundraising to pay
for this lawyer's invaluable services.
The Mayan Connection-Los Cimientos Alliance is a completely volunteer
organization. Thanks to the valuable contributions of time and money by
the Friends of Los Cimientos, we continue to raise funds for food
and artisans projects, provide accompaniment by international visitors
and share awareness about the Maya people and advocate for the legal return
of Los Cimientos land. Your contributions to The Los Cimientos Alliance,
a 501 (c)(3) tax-deductible non-profit organization are greatly appreciated
by Maya K'iche communities in 7 Guatemalan villages.