Maya Farmer Laments Lost Connection With Nature as Ancient Traditions Fade

José María Morelos, Quintana Roo — The growing distance between humans and nature is taking a toll on agricultural production, as traditional practices are pushed aside, altering how the land is cultivated and understood, according to a veteran Maya farmer.

Leobardo Sánchez May said that in the past, people maintained a much closer relationship with nature, grounded in respect, gratitude, and the observance of Maya ceremonies before any farming activity began.

Rituals such as the Wajikol and the Ch’a Cháak were essential to the productive process, he explained. They were not merely symbolic acts but a way to ask permission and seek balance from the earth, wind, and rain.

Today, those practices have been displaced by a mindset focused on economic gain, where the immediate sale of products takes priority and natural cycles go unacknowledged, Sánchez May said.

He noted that even activities like slash-and-burn milpa farming once involved prior ceremonies to harmonize the elements. Now, the burning is done without preparation, leading to uncontrolled wildfires and shifts in weather patterns.

While environmental changes are often blamed on external factors, Sánchez May argued that there is also a direct responsibility in abandoning ancestral customs, which has weakened the connection with nature and upset the balance in the countryside.