Home Is Where the Rajawala' Are
Living in Time and Space the Highland Maya Way
Will be published approx. on 3. September 2026
264 pages
979-8-216-25625-0 (ISBN)
Description
The Mayan peoples of highland Guatemala live within an animate world, where the physical environment, ancestors, and surrounding people, plants, and animals are infused with spirit and presence.
At the heart of this daily engagement are the ajq'ija', Mayan spiritual guides who serve as mediators between human communities and the rajawala'-the vital, living energies of the world. This book offers insight into the foundational knowledge ajq'ija' use to communicate with the rajawala', revealing how the sacred becomes visible through time and space, shaping and protecting the landscapes where Maya communities live. Each community is surrounded by its own constellation of guardian energies and sacred altars. The authors also confront the modern threats facing these sacred spaces: restricted access by private landowners, the loss of traditional roles, vandalism, religious opposition, environmental degradation, and violence against spiritual practitioners. Structured like a ritual itself, the book embodies the ongoing creation of sacred space and the deep dialogue with spiritual forces that sustain it. Through this work, the authors aim to share Mayan perspectives and practices for living within a sacred, interconnected world.
At the heart of this daily engagement are the ajq'ija', Mayan spiritual guides who serve as mediators between human communities and the rajawala'-the vital, living energies of the world. This book offers insight into the foundational knowledge ajq'ija' use to communicate with the rajawala', revealing how the sacred becomes visible through time and space, shaping and protecting the landscapes where Maya communities live. Each community is surrounded by its own constellation of guardian energies and sacred altars. The authors also confront the modern threats facing these sacred spaces: restricted access by private landowners, the loss of traditional roles, vandalism, religious opposition, environmental degradation, and violence against spiritual practitioners. Structured like a ritual itself, the book embodies the ongoing creation of sacred space and the deep dialogue with spiritual forces that sustain it. Through this work, the authors aim to share Mayan perspectives and practices for living within a sacred, interconnected world.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
19 bw figures, 3 tables
File size
10,56 MB
ISBN-13
979-8-216-25625-0 (9798216256250)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Judith M. Maxwell | Ajpub' Garcia Ixmata'
Home Is Where the Rajawala' Are
Living in Time and Space the Highland Maya Way
Book
approx. 10/2026
Rowman & Littlefield
€111.50
Not yet published
Persons
Judith M. Maxwell is Professor of Anthropology at Tulane University.
Ajpub' García Ixmata' teaches at Universidad Rafael Landívar.
Ajpub' García Ixmata' teaches at Universidad Rafael Landívar.
Content
Table of Contents
Foreword
Chapter One: Rajawala' in an Animate Universe
Chapter Two: Mayan Time
Chapter Three: Space
Chapter Four: The Spatial Distribution of the Avatars of Time
Chapter Five: Town Guardian Altars: a sample located in time and space
Chapter Six: The Responsibilities of the Caretakers of the Sacred Spaces
Chapter Seven: Threats to Public Altars
Chapter Eight: Founding New Towns and Seating their Altars
Chapter Nine: Home Altars
Chapter Ten: Regional and International Altars
Chapter Eleven: Regulation
Chapter Twelve: Health and Spiritual Practice
Chapter Thirteen: Creating and Re-creating Safe, Protected and Protective Mayan Spaces
Bibliography
Index
About the Authors
Foreword
Chapter One: Rajawala' in an Animate Universe
Chapter Two: Mayan Time
Chapter Three: Space
Chapter Four: The Spatial Distribution of the Avatars of Time
Chapter Five: Town Guardian Altars: a sample located in time and space
Chapter Six: The Responsibilities of the Caretakers of the Sacred Spaces
Chapter Seven: Threats to Public Altars
Chapter Eight: Founding New Towns and Seating their Altars
Chapter Nine: Home Altars
Chapter Ten: Regional and International Altars
Chapter Eleven: Regulation
Chapter Twelve: Health and Spiritual Practice
Chapter Thirteen: Creating and Re-creating Safe, Protected and Protective Mayan Spaces
Bibliography
Index
About the Authors
