From DW Documentary.

There are tens of thousands of Mayan descendants in Belize. They’re fighting for the survival of their traditions. Maria Garcia, for example, preserves Mayan knowledge of medicinal plants. But the rainforest where the plants grow is in danger.

It’s the dry season in Belize: 40-degree heat, not a drop of rain for weeks, the rainforest is thirsty. Maria Garcia, a woman in a white traditional costume with her hair tied in a topknot, swings a smoking bowl through the trees in the rainforest, calling on the rain god in the language of her ancestors. She cultivates her indigenous culture.
A few hundred kilometers further south, Mayan farmer Marcelino Teul is worried about his maize harvest. Just like his ancestors, maize is the basis of his life: the main food and income source for him and his wife Dominga. They live far away in the forest. How will they make ends meet?
23-year-old Frank Tzib is on the verge of a major upheaval. He dreams of researching the almost forgotten Mayan script, sharing his knowledge of it and one day becoming a professor. A phone call from the US brings him a lot closer to fulfilling this dream.
Frank, Maria, Dominga and Marcelino: they are all Maya in Belize. And against all odds, they’re determined to preserve the legacy of their ancestors.

#documentary #dwdocumentary #dwdocs #maya #belize
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