Chan Kahal Asociacion Yucateca de Marin, Inc.
Mayan arts and culture
Mayan cultural traditions are extremely rich and diverse, including ancestral dances, music, ancestral medicine, and handicrafts. Mayan cultural traditions hail from the diverse people of many countries, including Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and the five Mexican states of Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan, and Quintana Roo. The Mayan peoples of Mexico and Central America form one of the largest indigenous populations in the Americas, with over 4 million people who identify themselves as Mayan. From the jungles of the Yucatan peninsula to suburban Marin County, the geographic distribution of Mayan peoples is wide and varied.
Since 2003, Chan Kahal Asociación Yucateca de Marín, Inc. has promoted cultural outreach and engagement by and for the Mayan community of Marin County. In 2008,Chan Kahal received a grant from ACTA’s Living Cultures Grants Program for the purchase of ten traditional costumes for their dance group. The troupe participates in fifteen or more community events yearly, providing the community with a view into the often unseen Mayan culture. The costume purchase allowed the troupe to respond to more requests to perform at events throughout the area.