I really enjoyed having Señor Lopez come and visit. Throughout the summer I had actually been working at the farmer’s markets around Vancouver and went to the UBC one. There I saw the produce and flowers that came from the Maya farm. It was so incredible to then learn about their story and how they were able to have that farm.

When listening to the cosmology of how maize came to them in Guatemala, I was intently listening. I had a few reflections on the story. One was the fact it was fleas and lice that had helped bring corn to the people. In western society, those creatures are seen as a pest. Very rarely do I ever reflect on their usefulness or their part in the living world. I feel like with the inclusion of these creatures in their cosmology, it shows that every creature has a role and purpose. It was the same when I was reading the Popul Vuh, I also had this reflection when they used the mosquito to learn the names of all the demons. I thought it was such an interesting choice of creature, as I find them incredibly annoying and to be a pest. However, in the story they had a purpose. It also gave an explanation as to why the mosquitos buzz in our ear. The same with the story of Señor Lopez, it gave us an explanation as to why lice and flea live in the fur of animals. Lastly, I wanted to mention that I found the use of these creatures is giving value to them, having them be part of the story rather than just a side character, something to be forgotten. It again puts importance on the whole rather than just a part.

The other part of the story that I found incredibly interesting was when Señor Lopez talked about the hole in the rock and how this hole (when it closes) will bring great changes. It was interesting in that this story had been told for hundreds of years, predicting a time of great changes, and in our current world state that is actually happening. He mentioned global warming and the effects that have taken on the crops that are there. But I think it can also be a reference to the increase of GMO products. When he said that now the hole was closed, I had a moment of fear almost. For our world and for what we have been warned about, and yet we haven’t done anything to change it.

Briefly, I loved when he said, “it changes the soul of the maize.” I was thinking about how in the article about  “Why study food?” It talked about how we have distanced ourselves greatly from the food. We just eat it, and we no longer take the time to know where it comes from, the work it took to get there, but we also don’t take the time to realize it too is a living being, a part of the greater circle of life. It gave me pause in the things I take for granted, the food on my table and my own opinion on GMO products.