Aluxes Endure in the Beliefs of Maya Communities in Quintana Roo

José María Morelos, Quintana Roo — Stories and beliefs about the aluxes remain part of daily life in some Maya communities across the Yucatan Peninsula, where the small mythical beings are still tied to the protection of the milpa and to respect for nature.

Wildernaín Villegas, a researcher and teacher, said these beliefs form part of Maya thought and survive mainly among residents of communities that have kept alive the stories handed down by their parents and grandparents.

“There are still people in Maya communities who believe in these mythological beings, which have formed part of Maya thought,” he said.

Villegas explained that families once left offerings in their milpas — sacab, a traditional corn drink, along with water, honey and cigarettes — as part of their requests to protect crops, prevent damage and bring in a good harvest.

The Milpa as More Than a Field

The researcher stressed that the milpa is not merely a plot for planting corn, beans and squash. It is also a place bound to a worldview of respect for the elements of nature and for the beings that, according to Maya cosmology, inhabit those spaces.

“There are young people in the communities who still tell the stories of their grandparents and their parents about the aluxes,” Villegas said.

He added that although new generations think differently and draw on other sources of information, these stories remain part of the cultural diversity of the Maya peoples.