[ 摘要 ]
馬雅文化為中美洲古文明之一，他們發展出二十進位法及象形文字，發現了不少的天文現象和運行數據，興建金字塔，顯現出高度的文明。在如此的文明中，宗教對他們尤其重要，他們信奉太陽神、雨神等神靈，深信人類為神靈所創造，為玉米做成的。因此，玉米在他們的認知中，它是神聖的，是他們的四肢、血液，以及力量的來源，更是文化精神的核心，絕不可用來作為買賣交易的工具，否則等同於出賣自己的身體與靈魂。然而，自一四九二年哥倫布遇見美洲新大陸之後，西班牙殖民者、甚至獨立後的統治者打破這樣的信念，搶奪印地安原住民的土地，種植高利潤的作物，強迫他們從事勞動工作，使印地安人飽受顛沛流離的命運及傳統文化滅絕的危機，從美洲大陸的主人淪為社會底層之人。
至於如何解決印地安原住民的困境，一直以來為拉丁美洲知識分子所關切之事，尤其是在原住民人眾多的國家，像是瓜地馬拉。瓜地馬拉未經混血的印地安人超過總人口的一半以上，大體上他們過著貧窮困苦的生活，有些人失去生活目標，有些人甚至忘記自己的文化，毫無希望可言。面對這樣的困境，身為瓜地馬拉的一份子，且身上又流有印地安血統的阿斯圖里亞斯(Miguel Angel Asturias)，將他對印地安原住民的關切，抒發於他的小說作品中，《玉米人》(Hombres de maíz)就是一部描寫瓜地馬拉原住民生活與鬥爭的小說。作者以「玉米」為中心，強調出兩種不同文化的差異，且透過小說人物的經歷重新呈現過去的傳統印地安文化，訴說著玉米的價值，並藉由它讓印地安原住民看到一道希望的曙光。因此，筆者從《玉米人》中的「水」、「火」元素著手，分析玉米對瓜地馬拉原住民的重要性。

[ 英文摘要 ]
The Maya civilization is one of the classical civilizations of Mesoamerica. They developed vigesimal numeration system for calculation and hieroglygh for writing. They also observed astronomical phenomena and built stepped pyramids. These advances all revealed that the Mayans were highly civilized.
For the Mayans, religion was central to their belief. They believed fervently in deities such as Kinich Ahau, Chac, and were convinced that men were created out of maize by them. Moreover, maize was considered to be sacred, under their conception, for it was the source of their vitality and the central part of their culture. Therefore, it was under no circumstances to be the object of commerce for such an act would be considered to be treason to oneself in both body and soul.
However, after Columbus “discovered” America in 1492, the Spanish conquistadores and the governments after the independence from Spain held no such belief. They seized the native territories, started the production of highly profitable products and exploited the indigenous labours, subjecting them to miserable living conditions and brought their culture to the brink of extinction. They were then the low lives of the society.
Therefore, it has always been the concerns of the intellectuals of Latin America on how to put an end to the difficult situation of American Indians, especially countries with a large Indian population such as Guatemala with the domestic number of pure Indians taking up more than half of its total population. Most of them live in miserable conditions, some lose their goals in life, while others their culture. In the face of such difficulties, Miguel Angel Asturias, a Guatemalan Indian, expresses his concern towards the indigenes in his work Men of maize depicting their lives and struggles. ‘Maize’ was used as a reference to mark the differences between two the cultures, and its true value was shown through the encounters of the characters which also represent tradition Indian culture, in an attempt to bring them a new hope. In the present investigation, elements of ‘water’ and ‘fire’ will be the centre of focus to show how important the maize is for the Guatemalan Indians.