Tuesday, February 9, 2010

KING BARROW, THE FIRST MAYAN KING OF BELIZE IN 1100 YEARS

Lord Dean Barrow, King of Belize for 5 years.

KING BARROW, THE FIRST MAYAN KING OF BELIZE IN THE PAST 1100 YEARS
by Ray Auxillou ( Feb. 2010 )

Belize has it´s first MAYAN KING in about 1100 years. Back then, around 900 A.D., the Mayan feudal monarchies of the time, started to break up, for still unexplained reasons. Lord Barrow is a mixture today, he says of both indigenous MAYAN genes and immigrant African CREOLE genes. The only thing notable about him that is Maya, is his nose. The geographical area of Belize that Lord Barrow, the King of Belize governs is much bigger than the majority of the Mayan Kingdoms of ancient times.
This area today of Belize, which became an INDEPENDENT COUNTRY through a United Nations vote back in 1982, has a population of 300,000. Back 1100 years ago, when the Mayan Feudal Kingdoms were the norm, the area ecompassed around 26 major FEUDAL CITY STATES, each with their own KING. These city states were Chan Chich, Xmak, Noh Mul, Koholunich, Cuello, Posito, Colha, Lamanai, Altun Ha, Xmakaba, Mun Diego, Yalback, Xununtanich, Cahel Pech, Sacul, Lubaantun, Naj Lunich, Pusilha, Nim Li Punit, Cerros, Yo Creek, San Antonio, Los Milpas, San Estevan, Tximin Xunich, Xnaheh and El Pilar. Some of these names were taken from ancient stellae, others have been guessed at. There were in addition to these main Mayan Feudal state centers with pyramids and ceremonial centers, a lot more smaller groupings that owed allegience to the nearest more powerful Feudal monarchy and city state. City states were usually located about 26 miles from each other. If you take a pyramid of ancient times and draw a circle around it, you will find nearby ruins of other city states, about 26 miles away. This is because without the horse,or the wheel, the Maya were limited in allegience, to a polity, to the distance you could walk in a day and return. This was about 13 miles.
Today Belize is an independent country. With a population today of 300,000, we are just starting to get to the point in population growth, were the transition from Imperialist, Colonial sponsored, exploitive, primary agriculture commodity production is turning to industrial technological production. It is not here yet, but getting there. The ancient MAYAN population of 1100 years ago, of the Belize area was about 800,000 people, or just under a million people. Population today is centered in a corridor, running from the port on the coast in the center of the country to the Western border at Melchor de Menchos. The exciting developments are occuring in a population corridor running North and South from the cross country Western highway, to the Mexican border. The leading innovators, inventors and builders of the nation of Belize are Mennonites, who came to Belize about 50 years ago, from Northern Mexican Mennonite colonies. They have introduced modern farming techniques and most of the technical industry developments. They speak Spanish, English and their quaint folk Deutsch German and are white, blond often with blue eyes. They have splintered into many cult Christ named churchs, but continue to work together as powerful supportive groups.
King Barrow our new Mayan overlord, and in our inherited political system from the age of world Imperialist conquest, during a 200 year period, that ended about 60 years ago, in which major kingdoms like England, France, Dutch, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, USA, Russia, and Japan, divided the indigenous peoples of the world into Imperialist colonies. Barrow has the task during his elected five year reign as our first Mayan King in 1100 years ( we call him a Prime Minister under the old colonial system we inherited ) to build our infra-structure, expand schools, education, roads, land distribution, social services. The biggest problem facing our new Mayan King is the size of our geographical area ( encompassing 26 feudal kingdoms of ancient times ) accompanied by limited resources and insufficient population to make the changes necessary. Our debt load is over 85% Debt to GDP in modern parlance. The same as that of the USA which also in 2010 has a Debt to GDP ratio of 85%. The USA fortunately has 300 million people, larger resources and about 36,000 Universities to educated the young in modern ever changing technological methods. We in Belize so far, only have 2 Universities and neither is doing that great a job in adjusting education to the needs of the country. Lord Barrow our Mayan king though, does have ITVET´s, a sort of district community college, that teaches trade skills on demand. A pay as you go education.
Theoretically as an INDEPENDENT country we are in charge of our destiny. Generally speaking we are muddling along quite well, considering the limitations. Immigrants continue to flow into Belize bringing both capial and technological skills to the betterment of our nation as a whole. Belize is becoming well known as an Entrepreneurs Paradise. The MAYA are still here and compose probably, a quarter of the Belize population, and MESTIZO´s that mix of Maya and other incoming ethnic races are now the majority population of Belize. There are two major Mayan languages that are dying out in Belize. YUCATEC and MOPAN. Today MOPAN MAYA as a linguistic group is probably the most consistant down in the Toledo district. Overall, in the wider 5 country area with a Mayan population, there are 22 different linguistic Mayan languages. The Mayan population of this wider area is roughly 17 million.
Geographically, Belize is on the East of the Central Mayan kingdoms of the lower lands found to the East of the Cordillera, or high mountain spines closer to the Pacific side of Central America. Most famous are the central highlands of the lowland area ( 400 feet to 3000 ft ) and Mayan Kingdoms of the Classical Mayan period. Those in the high mountains suffered devastation over the centuries from Earthquakes and volcanoe damages. The best living in the tropics is found between 400 feet and 6000 feet for humans.

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