These photos reveal the unique agricultural system of the Mayan people

For millennia, the Mayan people of Guatemala have practiced a single agricultural system which merges sustainability, climate resilience and environmental preservation. Based on the interconnections between plants and surrounding elements, the “milpa” system combines nature with various crops managed such as corn, squash and beans (photo above).

Rather than extracting all of the earth, the MILPA approach focuses on the long -term advantages of sustainable land management. The United Nations recently included it in a report Out of eight indigenous food systems that can help the world stem the worst effects of climate change and achieve UN sustainable development objectives in 2030.

This renewed recognition of ancient agricultural techniques is part of a broader movement of native Mayans to recover their past and find their place in modern Guatemala. This renewal also includes the promotion of traditional artsLike the weaving of the basket, seen here by Valeriano López mendez of 61 years of the community of Suchquier (photo above), traditional Mayan clothes (below) and spiritual practices and languages.

One of the socons of the ancient Maya civilization, Lake Atitlán (photo below), has become a central element of this new trend. In these communities by the lake, the past and the present mix in a way of life that preserves and promotes all aspects of their civilization.