Aimed at correcting cultural distortions and media misconceptions, Stetson University Professor of Modern Languages and Literature Dr. Robert Sitler wrote a new book, The Living Maya: Ancient Wisdom in the Era of 2012, out of a “genuine love for the Mayan people.”

The Living Maya, released this month by North Atlantic Books, is available through Amazon and at Barnes & Noble and is also available locally at the Muse bookstore in downtown DeLand.

The Living Maya introduces readers to contemporary Mayan culture in relation to the 2012 phenomenon, focusing on the valuable lessons that the culture has to teach us in this time of transition, the synopsis on the back cover says. Interweaving personal anecdotes with research into the roots of traditional Mayan customs and traditions, Sitler covers topics that include infant care, community building, ties to nature, attitudes toward the elderly, and orientation to spirituality. Explaining how we can use the era of 2012 as a unique opportunity for growth, Sitler proposes that following the Mayan way has the “potential to ground our lives more harmoniously in nature’s infinitely complex ways, to broaden our perspectives on human existence, and to connect us more substantively with our innate capacity for compassion.”

Sitler said, “(I) don’t try to prove or disprove anything really. Instead, I focus on dimensions of Mayan culture that we can learn from.” The book is written upon five pillars on which the Mayan people base their traditional mores and values: Cherish the Babies, Weave Bonds of Community, Revere Nature, Remember Elders and Ancestors, and Experience the Spirit.

The chair of Stetson’s Latin American Studies academic program, Sitler travels frequently in Mexico and Guatemala to learn from elders in various language communities. He’s taken trips with students to Mayan areas of Guatemala, Mayan areas of Mexico, Mayan areas of Belize, Guanajuato, central Mexico, northwest Argentina and Buenos Aires. These student trips have the goal of providing substantial “real world” exposure for Stetson students to Native American cultures and languages as well as Spanish and Hispanic culture. Professor Sitler also teaches an internship course every semester that places students in projects working alongside local Mexican-American farm workers.

Sitler’s first exposure to Mayan culture came in the mid-1970s while hiking in the rainforests of Chiapas. Since then he has spent as much time as possible in the Mayan world, regularly visiting natives from more than a dozen language groups. Sitler earned his doctorate in the area of Mayan–related literature from the University of Texas at Austin in 1994.

He is a regular participant in professional meetings with Mayan scholars in Guatemala and the United States. Recently, he has focused on the significance of year 2012 in the Mayan Long Count and the Mam Mayan community of Todos Santos Cuchumatán. He has written numerous academic articles and presentations concerning Mayan culture and the year 2012. In particular, he has worked to include more Mayan perspectives in the discourse concerning the significance of 2012.

You can learn more about Sitler and the Mayan world by visiting www.robertsitler.com/links. FollowThe Living Maya on Facebook.