K’ax: Modes of Living and Cultural Survival of the Mayan People

Abstract

This article examines the lesser-known meanings of the concept “k’ax” as it is used within the self-subsistence autonomies of the contemporary yucateco Maya, with the aim of contributing to the conservation of Mayan ways of life as Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). The term “k’ax” is commonly used in discussions of yucateco Mayan vernacular architecture to refer the action of joining together the diverse structural elements. However, based on ethnographic research undertaken as a native speaker of yucateco maya it is shown that the meaning of “k’ax” is not limited to the physical action of tying or binding structural elements, rather, it also is used in everyday language to refer to the networking of social relationships that structure contemporary Mayan ways of life. It is argued that this concept, as it is materialized in everyday life, has contributed to the survival of yucateco mayan culture during the many centuries of colonization and neocolonization. By way of example, three rituals are presented to illustrate why the concept “k’ax” is inseparable from the yucateco mayan ideal of “máalo’okinsik k kuxtal” [living well], which continues to sustain contemporary mayan ways of life.