Mayan ceremony honours Nobel author Asturias as ashes return

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 14 Nov, 23:01 · Archive

A Mayan ceremony in Guatemala City honoured Nobel Prize-winning author Miguel Ángel Asturias on Saturday as his ashes returned from France.

A Mayan ceremony at the Kaminal Juyú archaeological site in Guatemala City on Saturday honoured Nobel Prize-winning author Miguel Ángel Asturias as his ashes returned to his country after decades abroad. The remains arrived in Guatemala on Thursday from France, where the writer had been buried following his death in exile in 1974.

Asturias died of cancer in Madrid seven years after receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature. His work is considered a precursor to Magical Realism and a key factor in the boom of Latin American literature during the 1960s and 1970s. He went into exile after a 1954 coup led by General Carlos Castillo Armas, who revoked his passport and stripped him of his Guatemalan citizenship, labelling him a communist.

The ritual brought together the writer's family and special guests, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum. The altar was adorned with white, purple, red and yellow flowers representing the four cardinal directions, along with candles, incense and cinnamon. Menchú approached the 32-kilogram green jade urn, placed her hands upon it, offered a prayer and kissed it. 'Today, we are here, honoured by the eternal presence of Don Miguel Ángel Asturias, not only in Guatemala, but throughout the world,' she said, later encouraging Guatemalans to keep his memory alive by reading his works.

How it is being reported

• A Mayan ceremony in Guatemala honors Nobel winner Miguel Ángel Asturias as his ashes return homeA Mayan ceremony at an archaeological site in Guatemala City has honored Nobel Prize-winning author Miguel Ángel Asturias.Clickorlando · 14 Nov, 22:36
• A Mayan ceremony in Guatemala honors Nobel winner Miguel Ángel Asturias as his ashes return homeA Mayan ceremony at an archaeological site in Guatemala City has honored Nobel Prize-winning author Miguel Ángel Asturias.News4Jax · 14 Nov, 22:36

In this story: Miguel Ángel Asturias · Rigoberta Menchú Tum · Guatemala · Kaminal Juyú · Carlos Castillo Armas · France · Madrid

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