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History and background of the Releb'aal Saq'e Council of Spiritual Guides

Poptun Stelae 2011

This organization is located in the southern area of Petén, in the Barrio los Pinos zone 9 of Poptún, which was founded on February twenty-seventh of the year two thousand and six, by 59 members, within these, there are spiritual guides, Mayan doctors , midwives and people who respect and value the Mayan worldview, all the partners are located in the different municipalities of the department of Petén.

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After the foundation, the purchase of a property was achieved for the use of the different activities from the Mayan cosmovision and other activities for the use of the population in general, which is located in the aforementioned place.

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Through the economic contributions of the active partners, in 2018 it was possible to build a headquarters in which the different coordination of activities are carried out and also as a training center.

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Its nature is a private, non-profit, non-partisan, cultural association, it is registered as exempt from paying taxes.

The purposes of the Association are:  

  1. Strengthen Mayan spirituality

  2. Revaluation of the Mayan culture

  3. Training of spiritual guides

  4. Teaching of the Mayan culture in childhood and youth

  5. Promotion of indigenous music

  6. Revaluation of the practice and use of natural medicine

  7. rescue and strengthen  women's practice and knowledge of weaving and embroidery

  8. Rescue the practices of crafts and ceramics

  9. Protection of holy places

  10. Promotion of citizen participation from the Mayan culture

  11. Protection of flora and fauna

  12. Rescue of the Mayan language and costume

  13. Promotion of gender equity

  14. The promotion of the participation of indigenous women in different social and cultural spheres .

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2010

We participated in the Mayan and Contemporary Conceptions of Cancer-MACOCC project (ETH Zurich, Cogito Foundation, Fund for Science and Technology of Guatemala (FODECYT), Swiss Embassy of Guatemala and Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG)) and managed to systematize the knowledge of medicinal plants in the book Rax Naquil Nuk' aslemal.

2016-17

Work was carried out on a research project on zoonotic diseases such as brucellosis and leptospira in coordination with state entities such as MAGA, MSPAS, UVG and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute. 
Likewise, sixty-five new spiritual guides graduated in the department of Izabal, in the municipality of El Estor, in the Se´ Machaca community, trained by the ACGERS Council.

2019

And in  currently working on the Green Health project: Improving indigenous participation in the Nagoya Protocol (UCL School of Pharmacy, UVG, Indigena Biodiversity Limited, CITES International, National Council of Protected Areas-CONAP) and  Intersalud: Intercultural Transdiscipline in Guatemala and Peru: A North-South-South Platform for the Provision of Culturally Relevant Health Systems for Indigenous Populations (UVG-Zurich University Hospital and UVG). In different points of three departments, Izabal, Alta Verapaz and Petén.

2020-21

New spiritual guides began to be trained at the headquarters of our organization.

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