Antonio Aj Ik (Born of the Wind) saw his first light of day in the traditional Maya mountain region of Guatemala during the 1970's on the Maya Calendar day "Ik", a day that alludes to the elemental qualities of the word "Wind". He grew up during the most brutal era in the history of his country, a time during which his people were ruthlessly persecuted and massacred all over the remote Indigenous areas, sending thousands of them into hiding in the cold forbidding forests of the highlands. Several of his siblings were killed durng these terrible times as his family struggled to survive without food or medical care for long periods of time in their efforts to avoid marauding government army units of murderous civilian militias.
From an early age he noticed that in the worst of times his father managed to maintain his bearings by continually immersing himself in the ancient tradition of his ancestors. Unlike most traditionalists, Antonio's father not only practiced the age-old "costumbres" which include the oracular calendar readings performed with the aid of sacred red t'zite seeds, but he also taught himself to read, and informed himself in regards to the written birthright of K'iche Maya folklore, a remarkable ancient text written in the native language of Antonio's people, called the "Popol Vuh". This extraordinary narrative dates back at least two thousand years in written form and several thousand more in spoken form. It is a complete exposition of Maya creation and philosophy, and forms the core theoretic element of the Maya concept of WORLD AGES, a concept which represents the interpretive basis for contemporary 2012 Time Shift theory.
Antonio saw this powerful spiritual survival mechanism, practiced by his father, the steadfast adherence to ancient Indigenous culture, bear fruit not only for his dad, but for many other Mayas accross his country. The people survived. The culture survived. In spite of some of the most ferocious assaults on ancient traditions in the history of Guatemala by foreign religious proselitizers, the spiritual culture survived. Although thousands were killed, many more survived and came back and ultimately thrived in spite of the government's best efforts at erradicating them.
Antonio believes that the reason he survived this terrible childhood ordeal was because he was meant to be one of the many genuine traditional Maya teachers that are now coming out of the crucible of the Guatemalan war and into a world that yearns to hear the truth about the much-touted end of the Maya Calendar, year 2012. With the assistance of Taino Indigenous spiritual teacher, Miguel Sobaoko Koromo Sague, a member of a Native nation that developed in the Caribbean region, closely neighboring the Maya homeland and in cultural contact with it, Antonio has dedicated himself to seeking individuals, groups, organizations and agencies who are willing to learn from the wisdom of the ancients, who are willing to open their eyes to the truth of what 2012 is really all about.
Antonio and his wife in their home town of Chajul,Guatemala.
Antonio's wife and daughter wear the trademark clothing of their village in a region of the world where people steadfastly cling to the Native customs.
Antonio works on the artwork which forms part of the hand-painted covers for his traditional fold-out, codex Mayan Calendar documents. He makes these available to participants during his workshops.
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