Mask Makers Web

Guatemala is one of the Central American countries that preserved the Indian culture well. As the meaning of Guatemala, the land of trees, the half of the land is covered by thick rain forest. It neighbors the pacific ocean and hosts the civilazation of the anciant Maya. Guatemala city, the capital city of the Country, shows the harmony betweem the traditional indian culture and the classical spanish archtecture. Guatemalan folk dance is a mixture of the ancient Maya civilazation, the Caribbean culture, the African culture and the European culture. The dance of deer, which is part of the performance, is a religious dance to console the spirits, thanking for the hunted animals. The dance of burning the evil spirit has been handed down from the ancient Maya civilazation and it means that fire burns all the impurity of man. The dance tries to communicate that the fire and flame will keep the evil spirit away from the world and cleanse the world.

Category: Mask dance

Added on: Jul 20, 2002 | Hits: 8246