Monday, November 30, 2009

Mom and Dad Visit: Part 3; Lake Atitlan and Iximche

Mom and dad spent a tranquil three days at Lake Atitlan. It was beautiful, as always and they loved it. 
Mom at the dock, waiting for a boat. 
Mom and dad at the church in San Pedro.
On our way back to Guatemala City we stopped in Tecpan to visit the Kaqchiqel ruins of Iximche. These are beautiful ruins, partially restored with big grassy fields between the ruined buildings.  
The once capital of the Kaqchiqel Maya.
The famous Mayan ball court where players bounced a ball off their hips and it was the winners who were sacrificed to the gods. 
A temple.
And while my parents took in the sites and feels of the park, reading info boards and imaging a time past, Nic and I did what we do best. Goof off. 
Skippy. 

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Mom and Dad Visit: Part 2, Chirijox

Seeking refuge from heat and humidity of the beach we headed into the chilly mountains and to Chirijox. After meeting the family and chatting a bit I took mom and dad out to meet a few families that I work with. 
One family, the Carrillos, were so excited to have visitors from the states. When we arrived the house was spotless and my parents were given gifts of textiles that the family makes. 
Manuel works as a weaver with this huge, wooden, foot-pedal operated loom. It's amazing to watch him at work and the rhythm he creates while weaving. I knew my dad would be interested to see a contraption like this. 
Doug, Magdalena, Manuel, Beth. 

Upon return to my house we enjoyed a wonderful lunch of white beans and pork with hot tortillas. After that, it was time to give out gifts, according to Hendrick's schedule of course. 
My parents brought maybe the best possible gift for any 5 year old boy: a Batman costume.
Hendrick immediately filled the role and even wears his costume to church. 
 
Doug and Beth with (from left) Isabel, doña Ana, Kata, Ela, Benancio, Batman and Elkin. 

Mom and Dad Visit: Part 1, The Beach

After a few days in Antigua, we hopped in the car and headed for the beach. After a beautiful 3 hour drive we arrived in Monterrico, Santa Rosa. It's a small town between the beach and the channel. It's colorful, hot and the people are friendly. 
The docks. 
Yes, you are seeing this right. To arrive in Monterrico one must drive their car onto a wooden barge and be carried 15 minutes down the channel from the end of the hiway. 
The next morning we took a tour through the mangrove forests that line the channel.
Entering the mangroves. 
Mosquito hell. 
Me, mom and dad and our guide Eliacer. The channels are shallow enough that Eliacer propelled us in our 2 hour trip by pushing off the bottom with a long stick. 
Early morning light in the thickets. 
Beautiful water lilies and reeds in an open area of the forest.
Cap'm Nic.
Water plants line the trees. 
Eliacer noted that in just a few more weeks these white birds will have arrived in the hundreds, migrating even further south. He said they are so many that the trees appear covered in white. 
Water plants thick along the side of the channels. They grow now because it is the rainy season, and the water in the channel is fresh from the rain. In the dry season, the water becomes brackish, killing the plants but providing food for the fish and shrimp that live in the channel. These plants also provide cover for the caymans that live in the channel.
The good life. 

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Todos Santos and the Drunken Horse Races

Todos Santos is an indigenous town located in NW Guatemala high in the Cuchamatan Mountains; the highest in Central America. From my house, it was about a 5 hour journey. We made the journey, however, because on November 1st, All Saints Day, Todos Santos hosts the Drunken Horse Races. 
Two riders wait for the race to begin.
It was a beautiful climb to the plateau and then even further to Todos Santos. The plateau reminded me of parts of New Mexico with large yucca plants, rolling hills and hardly a tree to be found. Sheep herders separate plots by construction small stone walls, then planting bushy red-flowering plants on top. 
Once in town we knew it was feria. The town square had a marimba band, complete with local drunk men dancing (no town feria is complete in Guatemala without the local drunk men dancing). The ferris wheels were up, food vendors were out and the traveling arcades with games from the late 80's were packed with local youth. 
Todos Santos feels eerily Disneyland-esque due to the fact that nearly all the men and women wear the traditional clothing; meaning that all the men dress alike and all the women dress alike. For the men it's red striped pants, a blue striped jacket with colorfully woven collar and to top it off (pun intended), little safari hats with blue bands. 
Here is a model. This man, Andres, was invited by another volunteer to join our Halloween party. He is a sweet man that lives in another village but made the trek to Todos Santos to visit the cemetery where all three of his children are buried. His wife is sick so he came alone. He hung like a champ among the loud and costumed gringos. 
Along with the red pants, blue jacket and hat, he's also wearing the black riding chaps that many of the older men in the town wear, even though they may not ride. 
The race was not on a track. It was about 250 yards of dirt road that had been blocked off. On this end stand the community leaders; the city counselman. They whisper to the horses and riders as they arrive and then send them off again with shouts and waiving of sticks. 
The horses sprint until they nearly reach the end.
The riders are drunk. They are dressed in brightly colored clothes. There appeared to be no point system, no timing, no keeping track of who was arriving first or second. The race started around 8 a.m., and although we left around 11:30 we understood that it continued into the afternoon. 
Horses sprinted from one end of the road to the other. Once all the riders arrived at one end, there would be a short break, maybe a minute, then one of the community leaders would blow a whistle and everyone would make noise, sending off the horses to the other end. Many times horses would plow into eachnother or not want to run again, fighting it's rider.   
This is not a safe activity. This man proves it. Before we arrived, another rider fell and was carried off the track into a nearby house. A few hours later he was carried from the house into town. We were not sure if he was dead or alive. We heard that the people of the town believe it's good for the harvest if a rider dies. Last year, no rider died and all of Guatemala has been in drought the last eight months, putting the corn harvest in jeopardy. 
Front row seats.
Each rider had a signature move: this guy was no hands, another guy would sway from side to side, another guy just yelled the whole time. 
Thinking critically about the race. No, wait, just drunk.
Trying to hold on...
The pack was always crazy as it came from one end to the other, you never knew what you were going to see.
Out of control.
And of course, Nic and I added to our Guatemala Stone Face Style photos. 

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Dia de los Muertos

The cemetery: colorful, busy, noisy. There were tons of people, just sitting by the graves of their loved ones. Women were selling food, there were loud speakers playing music and kids were flying kites. It was a festive site. I asked Isabel if people ever cry at the graves. She said no, they cry for a while after the person dies and then no more. 
An old women tends to the decorations at the graves; arranging flowers and making sure the candles stay lit. 
Each family took a turn ringing the bells. They ring the bells once for each person lost. 
A man stands surrounded by incense smoke for the mass held in the cemetery. The priest read aloud every name of every person buried in the cemetery. 
Another view of the cemetery. 
Tia Isabel swinging incense over the family graves. Buried here are Tia Kata's baby girl who died just after birth and Benancio's older brother who died of an illness at age seven.
A woman's work is never done: A woman carrying a baby who is breast feeding while she swings incense over her family's graves. 
A view from the cemetery looking down into the valley filled with fog. 
A man cleans and prepares his family's graves at the edge of the cemetery.
Don Pedro, a wonderful old man who owns a tienda in town and is cronies with Don Juan.