The magic of Mayan numbers

The Municipal Institute for the Strengthening of Mayan Culture was yesterday the site of a round table discussion on Mayan numbers and their relevance in the daily life of today's communities.

The conversation brought together experts and participants with diverse experiences related to the Mayan language, who shared how Mayan numbers remain a vital part of their everyday communication, despite the challenges of integrating them into a modern, globalized world.

The event was moderated by teacher Rosa María Pool Dzul, who was accompanied by a panel composed of Sandra del Socorro Ascencio Dorantes, Claudia Verónica Encalada Llanes, Carlos Javier Quintal Novelo and Ilsee Irasema Morfín Alemán.

The welcome was given by maestro Fernando Várguez Santana, who highlighted the importance of these spaces to strengthen Mayan culture in the present.

The talk began with testimonies from those who, in their daily lives, use Mayan numbers to interact with their loved ones or in their professional work. Claudia Verónica Encalada, for example, recounted how, in her role as a mother, she uses Mayan numbers to teach her daughters. “With my daughters I always try to tell them in Mayan, so that they learn each of the numbers little by little,” she revealed, emphasizing that, for her, this practice goes beyond a simple communication tool, as it represents a way of connecting with her roots and cultural heritage.

Carlos Javier Quintal Novelo, a chemist by training, highlighted how the use of Mayan has facilitated his communication with Mayan-speaking patients. “When I have to care for Mayan-speaking patients, I try to adapt my communication, especially when it is necessary to do a count, such as when a patient has to be lifted into his bed,” he explained. This adaptation has been key to generating trust and improving care, something that reflects the impact of the language in various professional fields.

The discussion also offered insight into how the Mayan counting tradition has been passed down through generations. Some participants noted that in rural communities, the use of numbers tends to be limited to the first five, though others, upon further study of the Mayan number system, discovered that it is a positional system capable of counting to infinity.

One of the most prominent topics was the explanation of the “numeral classifiers,” an essential element of the Mayan system. These classifiers are used to differentiate between animate and inanimate objects, plants or thin things, reflecting a worldview deeply connected to nature.

“Each culture has its own numbering system and it is essential to respect it,” said one participant, highlighting that classifiers are not just a way of pluralizing nouns, but an integral part of how the Maya perceive and classify the world.

Ilsee Irasema Morfín Alemán recalled an anecdote about how in Mayan people ask for a roast chicken. Instead of saying that it is dead, they say that it is still alive, which reveals a unique perspective on life and death, completely different from Western logic.

He also said that these kinds of differences are what make the Mayan language so fascinating: its logic is neither square nor linear, but fluid and deeply linked to the indigenous worldview.

The discussion also focused on how younger generations can continue to learn and pass on this ancestral knowledge. Sandra del Socorro Ascencio expressed her desire to create a club in her community so that older people can share their knowledge of numbers and classifiers with young people, establishing a “heart to heart” connection, as she described it.

Almost at the end, Makhadvient Mahalita Martínez Kancab joined us, giving a graphic and practical demonstration of how to continue learning numbers.

The discussion panel concluded with a call to the community, highlighting the need to continue transmitting knowledge of Mayan numbers to new generations, not only in the family environment, but also in schools.

It was stressed that initiatives such as plays and community activities are essential to strengthen this heritage.— Darinka Ruiz