Kan Balaam by Carlos Morton and Elvira Sánchez-Blake is a play about the Mayan world set in different times and spaces.  Mayans are alive today although many think they have disappeared. They live in remote zones of Mexico and Central America, struggling to maintain their culture, beliefs and cosmology in the face of hostility, indifference and abuse. One of the most alarming threats is the invasion of corporations attempting to take away their land and water.

HSSB 1151, Thursday, July 9 at 7:00 PM UCSB - Free admission.

Kan Balaam (Serpent-Jaguar) refers to the Mayan belief of opposite forces. The Serpent is associated with Kukulkan (Mayan god of Creation) and symbolizes sun, fertility, and life. In direct opposition is Balaam (Jaguar) who represents night, death and darkness.

The staged reading is part of the Department of Theater and Dance Summer Session programming and is acted out by UCSB students and directed by Yassi Jahanmir. For more information call (805) 455-0374.