The Hach Winik, or Lacandon Maya, are a Maya-descendant group in Mexico’s Lacandona Jungle, whose resilience and adaptation reflect centuries of migration, colonial resistance, and cultural evolution. While there still exists a legacy of their traditions and spiritual beliefs, external forces contributing to the pressures on the Hach Winik people–missionary influence, globalization, environmental threats, and narco activity– complicate their ability to maintain their traditional way of life. 

It is said that the Hach Winik people, meaning “the true people” in their language, have origins that come from two waves of migrations occurring around the time of the Spanish arrival to nearby territories. One wave came from the Yucatán Peninsula in the 17th and 18th centuries, when Yucatec-Maya refugees fled south into the jungle as a means of resisting Spanish colonial rule. The other wave is said to have originated from the Petén region of Guatemala where Itza and Manche Ch’ol peoples migrated into the remote Lacandona Rainforest to escape similar Spanish control.

To say that the Hach Winik’s presence is recent to the Lacandona Jungle would be a false claim as their ancestral origins are directly linked to this very jungle. At its peak, the Maya Empire stretched from southern Mexico all the way down to Honduras. With the expansion and eventual shrinkage of their ancestral empire, their true claim to any ancestral terrain encompasses all of this territory.

The cultural and spiritual practices of the Hach Winik/Lacandon people reflect elements of the cosmology and social structures of their ancestors. Several of their traditions and rituals trace back to those of the ancient Maya. However, with the arrival of the 21st century, these centuries-old customs have begun to fade. Decades of Christian missionary presence, coupled with globalization, have significantly reshaped their belief systems.

With the origins of themselves and their world being directly connected to their forest deity “Hachakyum,” the decline of their original spiritual practice has led to a disconnection from the forest as well. “When the missionaries arrived, the Pentecostals, the Presbyterians, they would say things like ‘Your God is not the real God, our God is the real God, not Hachaky’um,’” says Chansaap Yuk Najkin, the son of a former shaman of the Hach Winik. “The religion that came was from another place. It’s not from here, it’s not from our community.”

Members of the Hach Winik people claim that ever since the arrival of these missionaries, the community hasn’t been as united as they had once been long before. Much of the division the community is facing can be traced back to when missionaries arrived in their community.

In addition to shifts in belief systems, the Hach Winik have also faced pressure from external forces encroaching upon their land. The Lacandona Jungle, once an impenetrable sanctuary for their people, has been increasingly threatened by deforestation, illegal logging, and expanding agricultural industries, and a narco presence. As their sacred environment shrinks, so too does their ability to live traditionally, relying on the flora and fauna that have long sustained their way of life.

The transition from relative isolation to forced integration over the last century or so has also altered their economic and social structures. Historically, the Hach Winik have lived in relative seclusion, practicing subsistence agriculture and maintaining self-sufficient communities. However, modern economic pressures have pushed many to engage in tourism and commercialized craft production, selling their handmade goods to visitors. 

A recent study conducted to examine what local well-being means in the contexts of collaborative heritage management and national development in Mexico found modern Hach Winik beliefs toward a good life emphasized the unity of nature and culture, with a critical understanding of the political economic forces shaping local everyday life. Adapting to the demands of a rapidly changing century have pressured Hach Winik communities to engage with the far reaches of globalization while doing their best to maintain their cultural identity. 

While adventure experiences, eco-lodging, and artisan sales have provided an income source for some, it has also introduced a reliance on external markets, reshaping the Hach Winik’s historically independent way of life. Despite these challenges, the Hach Winik continue to navigate the complexities of preserving their culture while adapting to contemporary realities. 

Their connection to the jungle remains at the core of their identity, and efforts to revitalize their traditions persist among certain community members. Elders and knowledge keepers work to pass down language, rituals, and cosmological teachings to younger generations, ensuring that despite the many pressures of modernity, the true people—the Hach Winik—continue to endure.

Sources:

Boremanse, Didier. “A Comparative Study of the Family Lives of the Northern and Southern Lacandon Mayas of Chiapas (Mexico).” Journal of Comparative Family Studies, vol. 14, no. 2, Summer 1983, pp. 183-202. University of Toronto Press.

Jarus, Owen, and Jessica Leggett. “The Maya: History, Civilization & Gods.” Live Science, 5 Aug. 2022, www.livescience.com/the-maya-history-civilization-gods. 

 Hernandez, Christopher, and Armando Valenzuela Gómez. “Well-Being in the Context of Indigenous Heritage Management: A Hach Winik Perspective from Metzabok, Chiapas, Mexico.” Sustainability and Environment, vol. 2, no. 1, 28 Apr. 2024, https://doi.org/10.1002/sea2.12319.