The Voices of Kotz’i’j: Dialogues Between Ancestral Roots and New Perspectives from Contemporary Mayan Art

Abstract

Introduction: This article is about three reference cases of contemporary Mayan art: the Kaqchikel collectives Sotz’il, Ajch’owen, and the Ruk’u’x movement of Mayan artists. Objective: The text aims to deepen into the meanings and symbolisms of artistic expressions from the ancestral Mayan roots and their transformation processes, based on new visions of contemporary performing Mayan arts. Methods: Based on documentary analysis, in-depth interviews, and observation of artistic practices of the aforementioned groups, their particular conception of art is analyzed, also their contributions from aesthetics, and sociopolitical proposals. Results: The ways of naming artistic expressions from Mayan languages are delved into, as well as relevant aspects of the study groups, understood as cultural assembly in relation to other social dimensions. Conclusions: Processes of identity strengthening and transformation are demonstrated from the contributions of contemporary Mayan art, in dialogue with transcultural and glocal aspects.