“The Children of Corn
October 2005
Art exhibition in “El Centro de Formación de la Cooperación Española” Antigua Guatemala

The story of this group of these Children Artists of El Quiché starts in the year 1999. The name in their native language of the Maya-K’iche’ is: “Ak’alab’ Ajtz’ajnelab’ K’iche’”.

Their rich inheritance inspires them every time they take the paints and brushes into their hands.Each Saturday they come from 7 rural communities to “La Casa Luz del Arte” of ACG in Santa Cruz del Quiché, to involve themselves in their adventures of points, lines and colors. Their age range is between 9-17 years old. It is an intercultural experience between young people of the urban area of Santa Cruz del Quiché and young people from the rural communities of El Quiché, Huehuetango and Totonicapán, who speak K’iche’, Mam and Poptí.

The parents and families of these young artists support them enthusiastically with their travel expenses. At the end of the year they receive a diploma, signed by UNESCO-Guatemala and ACG. This year they expressed 8 Mayan and Guatemalan legends in their artwork:

• The Spirit of the Corn; who recommends not to throw out the corn, so that humanity will not suffer hunger.
• The Discovering of the Corn; which tells us how the corn was found by people with the help of a wild cat, who discovered it inside a mountain within the Mam kingdom.
• The Weaver and the Hummingbird; this is a legend which tells us about a young man who uses his supernatural power to change into a hummingbird, so that a young girl may fall in love with him.
• The two brothers; the story is about two children who eat a great amount of wild honey in a Ceiba tree. When they don’t obey their mother, they change in two monkeys.
• Xokomil; this is a love story about a Kaqchikel prince and a K’iche’ princess.
• Their relation is forbidden by their communities. When the prince finds his princess killed by wild animals, he jumps with his beloved in the lake of Atitlán.
• The love between the Sun and the Moon; this story explains the origin of the moon and the sun.
• The Mountain which kept antique Pottery; the legend tells us about a farmer who discovers very old pottery in his cornfield. He brings it to his small daughters. That night, the young girls dream of their ancestors, who ask them to keep the pottery with formal persons.
• The Spirit of the Water; The story tells us of a man who doesn’t respect the water and is told by the spirit to take care of it. He becomes aware that water makes the trees; the flowers and the corn grow.

If you are in the area, we invite you to enjoy this exhibition of Children Artists.