Archaeologists have identified more than 1,500 ball courts to date. These prehistoric buildings were specifically created for the practice of the Mesoamerican ball game show, a game which is a thousand-year old form of sport. It was more than just a game, however, it also played a ritual, political and economic role among Mesoamerican populations. […]

Our life is full of choices. Some regular and daily, others extraordinary and that last a lifetime. Life is full of hard choices and the bigger they are and the more options they have, the harder they can be to make. Most of the time, our choices and our decisions are not made in a

The HIV plague is severely affecting young people but even more so, women, who are also victims of violence and outrage. A religious institution has established the Hakumana project, which means ‘let’s meet’ in the Ronga language, in order to face these challenges. We went to visit the Hakumana centre. At the entrance door, under

Tikal, Guatemala’s archaeological heart, was home to the Mayans for 1700 years. It was as sophisticated as modern ones, in architectural and urban terms. Tikal, which is in Petén province some 300 kilometres north of Guatemala’s capital, was one of the largest cities built by the Mayans at any time in their history. The ancient

The indigenous Zapotec cultural system of living in harmony with nature coincides with the Andean concept of Good Living. In Sierra Juárez, state of Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, people live the experience of communality. “We are communality, the opposite of individuality, we are communal territory, not private property; we are cooperating, not competing; we are

Spirituality must give a soul to the economy. “The market was made for human beings and not human beings for the market”. When a Brazilian company built the Tucuruí hydroelectric dam in the Amazon, different groups in defence of the Indians tried to impede the construction. When they could do so no more, they insisted

Announcing life and hope in Trujillo, a city in coastal Northwestern Peru, where poverty persists and the law of the strongest and crime triumph, becomes a challenge. Here is the testimony of a Comboni Missionary who has lived 32 years in the country. Hope and projects of life seem impossible in El Porvenir on the

Having inherited the enthusiasm for farming from her late father, Cherrie Atilano has the welfare of farmers at heart. Social entrepreneur and recipient of several awards, her enterprise teaches farmers new rice-growing techniques, empowers women and educates children and youth on gardening. When Cherrie’s father died, when she was just three years old, he had

Armed conflicts, refugees, famine, food shortages and malnutrition, harsh weather conditions and unpredictable rainfall. An overview of different crises in Africa. Central African Republic (CAR) After decades of strife and stalled development, CAR plunged into crisis in 2013. The Seleka coalition overthrew the president in a coup d’etat. In response, self-defence groups known as Anti-Balaka

Fr. Salvatore Pacifico, an Italian Comboni Missionary in South Sudan, will turn 81 in November. “Missionary in North and South Sudan for 40 years”, writes Fr. Salvatore, “I find it difficult to speak of what is going on in South Sudan. I would not want to contribute to that feeling of defeatism, already common when