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Indigenous Timekeeping and Sacred Sites Workshop

Does time fly? Is it a line, a circle, a spiral? Does it touch us differently in different spaces? Many of us take for granted the meaning of the clock and the calendar, without considering that they are cultural constructs—related to natural cycles but also distinct from them.

In this workshop you can explore your own notions of time and space while learning about Indigenous timekeeping and sacred sites. The workshop is led by Geraldine Patrick Encina of the Center for Earth Ethics, who has studied the ancient and traditional calendars of Mesoamerica and also worked with Mayan communities to reclaim their original ways of timekeeping, and Mindahi Bastida Muñoz, also of Center for Earth Ethics, who works for the protection of the sacred sites and biocultural heritage of Indigenous peoples.

Attendees are asked to bring a picture of a beloved home landscape and of a sacred site they are connected to. Please also bring a device that can access Google Maps.

The schedule is as follows:

Salutation to the seven directions | 11:30–11:40 AM

Participant’s place-based presentation | 11:42 AM–12:15 PM

Birth season and birthplace, ancestors’ land(s), and a description/depiction of our beloved home landscape in every season.

Timekeeping as a method of “placekeeping” or caretaking for the land | 12:17–1:00 PM

The Mayan case. Watch a short video about the original wisdom of the Maya and their true calendar. Learn about sacred sites in Mexico and their related ritual calendar dates. By using Google Maps, try to figure out what is/are the ritual calendar date(s) for your sacred site.

Break | 1:00–1:20 PM

Developing a time-space consciousness | 1:25–2:00 PM

Keeping track of the sun, moon, and stars in our beloved home landscape.

Activating Sacred Sites | 2:02–2:20 PM

How do we activate sacred sites in our beloved home landscape? Some guidelines.

Writing a letter to our beloved home landscape | 2:22–2:30 PM

An opportunity for reconnecting in a sacred way.

About the Speakers

Geraldine Patrick Encina is the Scholar in Residence at the Original Caretakers Program at the Center for Earth Ethics. She has studied the ancient and traditional calendars of Mesoamerica and also worked with Mayan communities to reclaim their original ways of timekeeping.

Mindahi Bastida Muñoz is director of the Original Caretakers program at Center for Earth Ethics. His work includes acknowledgment and protection of the sacred sites and biocultural heritage of Indigenous peoples.