Daily Life, Family, and Cultural Sensitivity

• The Maya are very hard-working and happy people who tend to prioritize their families and their faith, and most will readily greet a visitor with a smile.

• The Maya are also very generous people. They will share what they have and give visitors the best. Meat usually saved for guests to the village or celebrations.

• Children are the treasure of the Maya. Frequently, boys start alongside their parents on the family land when they are 7-8 years old to help sustain the family. This usually takes them away from school and if they do attend, they rarely go beyond sixth grade.

• Women carry their babies on their back wrapped in a woven cloth for at least a year. Commonly you will see mothers carrying a baby on her back, holding another by the hand, all while carrying a load on her head.

• Bodily contact is not common amongst the communities. They are respectful of each other’s space, are often soft spoken, and women commonly will not raise their eyes when speaking to a visitor. It is also not common to hear them yell out or call to one another, giving villages a quiet and serene atmosphere.