Leader of Maya ministry in the U.S. reclaims his identity and empowers future generations

As a child, Juanatano Cano witnessed the killings of many people, including his own uncle who was murdered in their home town of Santa Eulalia, Huehuetenango, Guatemala. 

The decade of the 1980s was one of the darkest periods for the Indigenous people of Guatemala, who suffered the brunt of the country’s 36-year civil war when the army regularly attacked the most vulnerable. “I couldn’t sleep from the trauma of seeing so much killing,” remembers Cano. 

In 1982, when Cano turned 14 years old, he escaped to Huehuetenango City where he hid for some time. He was able to continue his studies afterward, working during the day and studying at night. He graduated from high school with primary school teaching credentials. 

After completing his studies, Cano considered returning to Santa Eulalia, but the war continued. He tried living in the capital, Guatemala City, but discovered a harsh truth. “The hardest thing in the capital is to be Indigenous, being Maya, speaking our language Q’anjob’al,” Cano says. 

“They used to say ‘speak properly,’ ‘don’t act Indigenous.’ That hurts as a teenager. It traumatizes you and marks you for life,” he says. “I was ashamed of my father and my mother because they wore their Maya clothing.” He would ask himself: “How is it my fault that God made me Indigenous?” 

According to sociologist Marta Elena Casaús Arzú, systematic oppression against the Indigenous can be traced back to the time of the Spanish colonization. In her book, Guatemala: Linaje y racismo (Guatemala: Lineage and Racism), she explains how racism constitutes a structural historical element that generates inequality and poverty even today. 

Accompanied by wife Ana and children Leonel, Alan and Nova, Cano receives a doctoral degree in education in 2022 from Pepperdine University in California. (Courtesy of Juananato Cano/U.S.)

Those negative experiences motivated Cano to leave his country and migrate to the United States in 1988. It has been a long way for Cano — as for many others in search of their identity, not only in their own countries, but also in the countries to which they migrate.

After his arrival in California, Cano sought to reconnect with his Indigenous roots through his Maya culture. The Catholic faith that had been instilled in him in childhood gave him strength.

“I’m a Catholic thanks to Maryknoll,” Cano says. When he was little, he met Maryknoll Fathers Daniel Jensen and William Woods. “I admire the work of missioners from the United States who served in the Guatemalan altiplano,” he says. “Missioners would work hand in hand with the people and learned to speak Q’anjob’al. They even celebrated Mass in our language.”

Maryknoll began its mission in the west of Guatemala in 1943. One of its mission sites was Santa Eulalia. Many missioners accompanied and defended Indigenous communities during the genocidal war.

Maryknoll’s legacy is still remembered in his hometown, Cano says. His brother was named Daniel after the late Father Jensen, who served in Guatemala starting in 1962. As a last wish, the missioner requested his ashes be brought to Santa Eulalia, where they currently remain.

Father Woods served in Guatemala from 1958 until he died in a suspicious plane crash close to Quiché in 1976. The missioner was buried in Huehuetenango.

Cano recognizes the importance of developing his faith. “Encountering Jesus made me recover my dignity and find a purpose for my life,” he says. “There’s a healing process that comes from accepting yourself as you are and forgiving those who have hurt you in life.”

Cano went from being a quiet voice to being a voice that resounds loudly within himself and among his Maya brothers and sisters: “I have been healing my wounds and recovering my identity while telling my story.” His story is interlaced between recovering the values of his Maya Q’anjob’al culture and professing his Catholic faith.

Juanatano Cano is pictured at an early age with his parents, who he says inspired him to serve. (Courtesy of Juananato Cano/Guatemala)

As part of his journey in the United States, Cano works to motivate other immigrants and members of his Maya community to find the path for holistic healing. He went from being an undocumented immigrant to becoming an American citizen. Just as he did back home, he worked hard during the day and studied at night.

Cano now has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in administrative education. More recently, he earned a doctorate in education with a specialization in leadership development.

In 2005, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) appointed Cano as advisor, consultant and spokesman for Indigenous Maya communities. The Pastoral Maya ministry is part of the USCCB’s subcommittee on Native American Affairs.

Under Cano’s leadership, an annual Pastoral Maya conference is held in different states across the country. Last July, the conference was held at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Los Angeles, California. With the motto “Telling Our Stories and Healing Our Families,” many participants were inspired. “Our stories are sacred — hearing that is an act of love. This has been a great value that our forefathers have bequeathed to us: an oral tradition,” Cano says.

Ana and Juanatano Cano, with other couples from the Mayan community of Santa Cruz Church in Los Angeles, California, join in parish liturgies and ministries. (Elías Simón/U.S.)

In the conference, a great number of participants donned their typical dress, chanted in Q’anjob’al, performed folkloric dances, engaged in dialogue, listened to testimonies, enjoyed typical food and celebrated their faith at Mass. Cardinal Alvaro Ramazzini of Huehuetenango, Guatemala, and Archbishop José H. Gómez of Los Angeles participated in the event.

“It was a great opportunity to stop and reflect on how we treat each other emotionally, spiritually and physically,” says Cano, who is 55, married and the father of two boys and a girl. Some of the questions that promoted dialogue in the community were: What is our history? What are our victories and our failures? The meeting was a motivating factor to continue the Pastoral Maya ministry.

“We don’t know what the future will bring,” he says. “Our work is to plant the seeds. By telling our stories and listening we open a path for our children and our children’s children.” Cano is regularly invited to give motivational and cultural talks at schools, universities and religious events. “We are Maya and we are Catholic!” he exclaims.

“During my childhood and adolescence, they told me many times: ‘Your language and culture are useless; they won’t get you anywhere. To be successful you have to speak Spanish well,’” Cano says. “All of that led me to deny my own culture. But I rediscovered my identity when I found Jesus, who accepts me and holds me exactly as I am.”

Featured image: Juanatano Cano was invited to talk about his educational journey and the importance of honoring student culture at North Mason School District, in Belfair, Washington. (Courtesy of Juananato Cano/U.S.)