Adriana María Linares-Palma

This research project is grounded in a community-oriented epistemological approach. The research highlights the knowledge production system and role of Maya Ixil communities in the production of archaeological knowledge within a post-war context, where the Ixil territory/people went through extreme violence and genocidal policies during the 1980s. Despite the severe violence and massacres against Ixil communities, many of them have maintained their relationship with ancestry, spiritual practices, and their knowledge about the relationships among time and territory. This study builds upon the standpoint that Ixil concepts, such as kamaviil or totzotz k’uy kumam, are more than simple objects or study sites, rather, they represent essential elements, providing the terminological foundation for this research. Along with research partners Maria Toma, Diego Sambrano, and Baltazar de la Cruz, we will examine kamaviil (ancient objects) originally from the Ixil region that today are located in museums in Guatemala City. Such examination positions Ixil and archaeological knowledge in horizontal conversation. This work builds upon feminist anthropology, activist research, Indigenous cosmopolitics, and multivocality. It is a contribution to the decolonization of archaeological practices in Guatemala, which would not have been possible without the B’o’q’ol Q’esal Tenam K’usal (Ixil Ancestral Authorities of Cotzal), who requested the research.