Hugo Chavez may call President Bush the devil, but that is just rhetoric. The Mayans in Guatemala will actually purify the ground he walks on to cleanse it of evil spirits. I kid you not, they actually take Bush's actions to be evil, for the war and the treatment of their brothers to the north. The Mayans have respect for their ancestors and want them to rest peacefully after Bush visits the area.
From the Huffington Post:
Bush has been on a Latin American trip this week to promote his 'free trade' policies and to fight a perception that the United States has neglected Central and South America under the Bush Adminstration. I hardly believe that a quick trip to several countries is going to do anything to improve the relations between Latin America and the U.S. Actions speak louder than words and Bush's decisions only hurt other countries while serving the powerful interests in North America."That a person like (Bush), with the persecution of our migrant brothers in the United States, with the wars he has provoked, is going to walk in our sacred lands, is an offense for the Mayan people and their culture," Juan Tiney, the director of a Mayan nongovernmental organization with close ties to Mayan religious and political leaders, said Thursday.
Bush's seven-day tour of Latin America includes a stopover beginning late Sunday in Guatemala. On Monday morning he is scheduled to visit the archaeological site Iximche on the high western plateau in a region of the Central American country populated mostly by Mayans.
Tiney said the "spirit guides of the Mayan community" decided it would be necessary to cleanse the sacred site of "bad spirits" after Bush's visit so that their ancestors could rest in peace. He also said the rites _ which entail chanting and burning incense, herbs and candles _ would prepare the site for the third summit of Latin American Indians March 26-30.
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