Max the Revolutionary

Here’s the translated transcript of a conversation we had with a Pech Indian in the mountains of Central Honduras where we work with MaderaVerde. His name is Carlos, and he is the “vigilante” (security guard) at the local school where we were staying.

- “Hello, I am Carlos, who are you?”
- “Oh, hello. I am Lynnette and I am a Peace Corps volunteer working with MaderaVerde in town”
- “And who are you?” asked Carlos, looking at Max
- “I am Max” replied Max in his monosyllabic Spanish
- “Joe Max?” asked Carlos. He understood Max’s yo soy (I am) as Joe
- “No, my name is Max. Just Max”
- “Ohh that is a great name!!! A strong name, Marx, like Carlos Marx, the Cuban revolutionary. It is great to meet you. I play music with a folk Pech group. Let me know when and we’ll play for you. I have to go now, but hope to see you soon!!”
And so he left. Max and I looked at each other confused for a few seconds and then laughed. He thought Max was named after Karl Marx, the German philosopher, but to him it was Carlos Marx, the Cuban. To be honest I was impressed that a guy that lives in a community without running water or power knew about Marx, but more so I was happy that Max’s name got us invited to listen to a live Pech folk group.