Learnings from “A Maya Compass for a World in Common” with Linda Quiquivix

During our first official session of our 5th annual Learning Festival (Day 1 theme: Facing our Reality: What do we need to open our eyes to?) We were lucky enough to have the brilliant Linda Quiquivix join us for a session titled “A Maya Compass for a World in Common”. Quiqui is a geographer and popular educator of Maya-Mam roots raised by Palestinians, Zapatistas, Panthers, and jaguars. She is author and illustrator of Palestine 1492: A Report Back (Wild Ox Books, 2024) and organises from Occupied Tongva and Chumash lands toward a world in common. Learn more about her work at quiqui.org. 

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During her session we learnt lessons from Maya geography to trouble the dominant world as strange and see how we can already design a new world in common that respects our infinite differences toward a world where all worlds fit! In an exploration of indigenous geography and colonial history we were offered a powerful framework for understanding how we arrived at our current global divisions and how we might reimagine a world that embraces our differences. Through the lens of Maya geography and the historical development of cartography, Quiqui helped to reveal how seemingly neutral maps have shaped and continue to shape our understanding of power, belonging, and identity.

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The Maya Compass/Cross

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The Maya compass consists of four cardinal directions, each with its own color and significance:

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East (Red): The realm of the physical

West (Black): The realm of the spiritual

South (Yellow): The realm of the emotional

North (White): The realm of the mental

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Unlike modern maps that position the viewer as an outside observer, the Maya compass includes a seventh direction: ourselves. This perspective invites us to see ourselves not as separate from the natural world but as deeply entwined with it. The center of the compass, represented by blue and green, also acknowledges directions beyond the cardinal four, including the earth below and sky above.

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The colonial legacy of modern maps

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The transformation of world mapping shows a shift in how humans relate to the Earth and each other. Early European maps placed Jerusalem at the center, reflecting a particular religious worldview. However, the events of 1492 marked a crucial turning point, introducing the radical concept that humans could cut up the globe from above, without consideration for those living on the land. The story of modern cartography is inseparable from the story of colonialism and separation. Quiqui traces how the European worldview, crystallised in 1492, fundamentally transformed how we understand and divide space:

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The Treaty of Tordesillas makes this clear, creating the first global linear border by dividing the "New World" between Portuguese and Spanish dominion, all without consent from the inhabitants of these lands.

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What began in the Americas didn't stay there. Through what scholars call "colonial reflection," Europe itself was eventually carved up following the same logic it had applied to its colonies. This pattern of division continued:

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• The "Scramble for Africa" in the late 19th century carved up the continent through violent colonisation
• The fall of the Ottoman Empire led to the arbitrary division of the Middle East
• Into Palestine, where religious cartography continues to shape political reality

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‍The structure of domination

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‍Quiqui identified a fundamental pattern in colonial systems: the relationship between "above" and "below." This structure manifests in multiple forms: coloniser above, colonised below; white supremacy above, anti-Blackness below; patriarchy placing male above non-male; and educational systems ranking students from A to F. 

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Within this colonial framework, political legitimacy requires acceptance from those "above." Those who reject this system or propose alternative ways of organising society are often labeled as terrorists. This creates a brutal choice for those "below": assimilate or face erasure, creating a system where survival often requires conformity to dominant standards.

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However, this is not the only option. Drawing from both Zapatista philosophy and the Black Radical tradition, Quiqui points to possibilities beyond assimilation. These traditions teach us that we can escape colonial logic entirely and create ways of being that allow us to exist side by side with our differences.

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Toward a world where all worlds fit

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Quiqui offered the idea that "we are different, and we are equal because we are different" which is a radical departure from colonial notions of equality. In the dominant system, equality requires meeting certain standards (citizenship tests, legal status, economic benchmarks) but as she notes, the very introduction of standards creates inequality.

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Instead of requiring assimilation to a standard to achieve equality, this perspective begins with the assumption that all deserve rights and dignity precisely because of, not despite, their differences. This isn't about destroying what's "above" but rather about transforming the social relations that make an "above" and "below" possible.

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To watch Quiqui’s session, see here and to continue learning see all this and more in her book Palestine 1492: A Report Back. 

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We thank Linda Quiquivix for hosting this brilliant session at the YxY Learning Festival and for weaving and sharing this work with us.