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Mayans from different linguistic communities decided to construct Defensoria Maya with their own force and sacrifice, using Mayan thought and cosmovision. To realize this vision, consultations were made in Mayan communities with local leaders, indigenous authorities, elders and representatives from different organizations. These meetings began to give shape to Defensoria Maya, contributing to how the organization's objectives, functions, structure and principles of work would be defined.

Today then, Defensoria Maya continues to address the many anxieties and necessities that concern the Maya People, in relation specifically to the understanding and recognition of our identity, values and rights as a people.

Defensoria Maya is a non governmental organization for indigenous peoples, constructed and directed through the counsel, wisdom and support of our communities. Furthermore, it is an instrument through which we fight to recognize, study and make known the rights of all the Guatemalan population which, throughout history, has been exposed to the violation of these rights.

The principal method of decision making is to put into practice the traditional forms of participation and community consultation of our peoples.

This form of consultation and those individuals and communities involved in it, are the fundamental base of the organization and assist in defining and approving policies and general lines of work. The work of Defensoria Maya then contributes more generally to the politics of indigenous peoples in Guatemala.

Defensoria Maya seeks, puts into practice and strengthens the unity of the Maya People in all its diversity, through fostering coordination and respect between communities, aldeas, organizations and Peoples.

1. To promote and defend, nationally and internationally, the political, economic, social and cultural rights of indigenous peoples and of human rights in general.

2. To create an awareness of the existence of the Mayan, Garifuna, Xinka and Ladino peoples and of their own rights as peoples within the population itself, the state and government and Guatemalan social, political, economic and cultural institutions.

3. To construct, together with other Mayan, Garifuna, Xinka and Mestizo organizations, a pluricultural and plurilingual Nation and State.

4. To struggle against any form of state discrimination and exclusion of indigenous peoples in Guatemala.
 

1. To take collective and consensual decisions.
2. Community work.
3. To respect, listen to and take account of the voice and experience of the elders and the indigenous authorities.
4. Permanent consultation with the communities and the network of delegates of Defensoria Maya.
5. To practice unity, respecting diversity and avoiding discrimination, but exercising the interest of the majority.
6. To work for the full respect of the rights of the Maya, Xinka, Garifuna and Ladino People.
7. To construct the pluricultural and plurilingual nation and state.
8. Co-ordination of work through relationships, respect, support and solidarity with other organizations, groups, communities and peoples in Guatemala and the world.

At the Community Level

It is a network of auxilliaries and committees of Mayan laws and rights in the aldeas and towns. This network is the principal root and base of Defensoria Maya.

 At the Municipal Level

Through the community representatives and the representatives of the aldeas the network of auxilliaries and committees of Mayan laws and rights of a municipality is formed.

 At the Level of Linguistic Communities

This is a network of auxilliaries and committees of Mayan laws and rights, as communal as municipal, that promotes, denounces and defends the rights of the Mayan People and human rights in general, basing itself in the linguistic criteria and forms of thought of a linguistic community.

At present, participating in Defensoria Maya are the following linguistic communities: the Maya Ixil, K´iche, Uspanteko, Achi, Q´eq´chi, Poq´omchi, Sakapulteco, Mam, Kakchikel, Chorti, Pokomam, Chuj, Sutujil, Q´anjobal and Chuj.
 

Structure and Functioning.

In order to comply with its objectives and functions, Defensoria Maya has the following structure:

 General Assembly of Delegates

This is composed of 3 or 4 community delegates or representatives and the Municipal or Departmental committees that form Defensoria Maya. It is the maximum authority. Its function is to analyze, evaluate and approve general plans of work; define structures; elect the members of the National Council of Delegates; establish the long term political policies and the objectives of organization and functioning; carry out ordinary and extraordinary annual assemblies as conditions dictate.

National Council of Delegates

This is composed by 2 representatives, a man and a woman, from the work regions of Defensoria Maya, taking into account linguistic criteria.

The function of the National Council of Delegates - CND - is to monitor compliance with the mandates of the General Assembly. It evaluates and suggest plans and activities to be developed in the regions of work of the distinct linguistic communities. It coordinates the work and functioning of the delegates of the distinct communities, aldeas and municipalities. It works to increase the quality of the work of Defensoria Maya. It evaluates the work of the members of the Executive and Coordinating Commission of Defensoria Maya. It suggests lines of work and policies for the General Assembly of Delegates. Finally it carries out the permanent promotion of relationships, support and solidarity with other groups at the local, municipal, regional and national level. The CND carries out its assemblies every month.

 Executive Co-ordinating Commission – CCE:

This is composed by 7 people elected by the General Assembly of Delegates. Its functions ae to organize the activities at the National Level that comply with the mandates of the General Assembly of Delegates; to co-ordinate and motivate the regions and linguistic communities for the compliance with its established policies; to define the functions and lines of work together with the commissions of Propaganda and Dissemination, Education, Organization, Legal Matters, Finance and Projects and External Relations; to visit communities and regions in order to support, evaluate and co-ordinate their work; to monitor the work of the regional offices.

In addition, the CCE works to define administrative politics, to co-ordinate and evaluate the activities of the National Council of Delegates and to participate in the monthly meetings of the National Council of Delegates.
The CCE meets every 15 days to evaluate its continual work.

Internal restructuring of the CCE: to nominate a rotating co-ordinator of the commission for 2 months……..Each member of the CCE is responsible for (and to) and a member of a commission of support, as much for its co-ordination as for its functioning, and the responsibilities in this context are distributed in the first session after the General Assembly of Delegates.

 Commissions of Support – CA:

The commissions of support are in charge of developing activities in the distinct areas of work of Defensoria Maya; they are under the responsibility of the CCE.

The CA are:

- Commission of Education and Formation
- Commission of Organization
- Commission of Dissemination and Propaganda
- Commission of Finance and Projects
- Commission of Legal Matters
- Commission of External Relations

Network of Auxiliaries, Committees and Representatives of the Communities of Defensoria Maya:

This is formed by 2 or more representatives of a community, aldea or municipality. It is the root and fundamental base of Defensoria Maya. Its functions are to motivate and organize the community or municipality to know its rights, denounce violations of rights and defend them in case of threat of aggression from any authority, military group or army. It also puts into practice the principals of the resolution of problems through the Maya judicial norms.
The network contributes toward the work of the communal or municipal authorities. It watches continually to ensure the respect of human rights in the community. It consults with communities to define the policies of the Defensoria, canalizing furthering their utilization by the municipal delegates. It carries out municipal or regional assemblies of the delegates of the Defensoria Maya.

Iximulew, Jun I’x
 

 K'astajnel, Tzujnel, Tob'nel