10358141_10156166372640022_6187889758041648293_n Guatemala highlands. Formidable mountain ranges prevented the Spanish from too much incursion into the Maya highlands in their conquest of the Americas. Personally I’ve never witnessed a culture more resistant to extinction than the Maya. They’ve hung on to their various languages, their agrarian roots, and distinct dress, which varies from one town to another. One Maya man told me years ago ” I hate the last 500 years” referring to the Spanish conquest . Many of these small towns are accessible only by 4 wheel drive and even others only on foot. Many don’t leave their community at all. They have all they need and want right where they live. There has been bad politics and bad local wars from time to time. Yet resilience wins. I’m betting this will be one of the last places on earth to be homogenized. McDonalds has no chance.