Guatemala 2003
In January of 2003 I flew off to Guatemala to brush up my Spanish and explore the Mayan culture. I have studied Spanish more off than on since high school and live where there are about 50% Spanish speakers in the schools.
My vocabulary and pronunciation are good, but my grammar is cause for great giggling.
Rosa's Kitchen
My home in San Pedro de La Laguna was with Rosa and her family while I took two weeks of Spanish. Her husbaand is Maya but she is from is from the frontera and was
recognized as the best tortilla maker in the village. Folks came from all over the neighborhood to buy them. She tried to teach me to make and cook them.
It's harder than you would think! The best thing about staying with this family is that Rosa's husband and I would swap ghost stories around the kitchen table after dinner. The family and other students loved this as much as we did.
Delia
My Spanish teacher was Delia, a young Maya woman who allowed me to talk with her more about Mayan life than study grammar. We got along nicely and I even improved my grammar by osmosis.
It was warm and we mostly studied out of doors on Lake Atitlan.
Maya Faces
This small family on the ferry shows the beauty of the Maya faces. If I spoke to them first in Spanish and then showed them their photos on my digital camera screen
they would allow pictures. I would also offer to mail them a photo. It was worth it as they and their hand woven clothes are exquisite. The Maya are a quiet people and resent
photos from tourists with out being asked and will often say NO because their privacy has been so abused. Being polite and friendly goes a long way, no matter how little of their language you speak.
I communicated easily with the Mayas to whom Spanish is also a second language.
Sandia!
What could be better on a hot afternoon then watermelon? Here you see the traditional handwoven and hand dyed cotton ikat dress of the women of San Pedro de La Laguna.
Every village has its own style and it is clear to al natives where you come from in Guatemala.
Mercado
I visited the street markets of many villages. A market always tells you a great deal of real life in another country.
Here you see the basics of Maya food: turkey, tomatoes, beans, squash, banana, avocado and chilies.
Maximón
This is the earthy Maya saint, Maximón, in his shrine in Santiago. If you have a request that is not so saintly such as "Please cause my neighbor's
dog to die so he will not kill my turkeys," you give cigars and booze to this saint. You also light candles, a different color for different types of prayer.
The booze can even be poured down his hollow throat. He is a very popular blend of old Maya religion and Roman Catholicism.
Expreso
The busses are cheap and colorful. I ventured around on them from Antigua, to Lake Atitlan, to Chichicastenango, to Cobán, to Quetzaltenengo and back to the capital and the airport.
Rabinal
Through the cloudforests and Cobán to the remote hill village of Rabinal for a saint's day fiesta. There was a parade and lots of food and dancing and fireworks. I was able to watch the ladies making a huge batch of mole for tamales and the men butchering and cooking pigs. At the shrine, chocolate and pork tamales are served instead of communion wine and bread.
And the band played on...
Musicians of all ages played and paraded and rested in the shade, then paraded around the Rabinal again.
Antigua.
The most popular place with tourists is the charmning colonial town of Antigua. It has wonderful architecture from 1500 that has mamzingly survivied many earthquakes and the three volcanoes near by. One volcano was drooling hot orange lava when I was there. Antigua has the most resorts and higher class hotels, good restaurants, lots of crafts and Spanish classes. I decided to take pictures but keep on exploring.
My last week of Spanish was in the big city of Quetzaltenango, at 6000 feet, taught by a young man who was studying to be a Maya shaman. We had discussions both funny and serious. We talked avout about the great Maya epic, the Popol Vuh as it is one of my favorite myth cycles to tell. The trip was enlightening and I learned a great deal of the culture and poverty and lack of political power given to the naive people who are 90% of this country. I sympathize with their struggle.
©Cathryn Tells All
cfair@monitor.net