Belize and Honduras

Belize

This is a very small country in terms of population. It is almost the same size of El Salvador, which has about 6 million people. And Belize? Just about 312,000 people! Serious, no typo! I spent a few days in Dangriga and Punta Gorda, both south of Belize City, and the experience was very good.

Dangriga (Griga), Belize

In Griga I made a very good friend, Jasper, a Garifuna man who has done all sort of jobs and traveled around the world. We spent an entire morning talking about his life and what it means to be a Garifuna. Along the way, we stopped at the Gulisi Museum and Pen Cayetano's Art Gallery. In the evening we went with some other guys to a local bar for traditional drumming and dancing.

The Gulisi Museum has a collection of pictures, literature, videos and artifacts that explain the Garifuna culture and history.

Garifunas are a cultural mix of Carib, Arawak and West African people. They concentrate in the Caribbean side of Central America, particularly in Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras. Something interesting about the language is that some terms are used by gender, creating situations in which men and women would say the same thing in two different ways.

Their culture is very interesting in every way. I particularly like their music. Punta and Dumming are as Garifuna as the people themselves. Two of the most prominent Garifuna music performers are Pen Cayetano and Andy Palacio.

Garifuna Drumming is one of the most interesting experiences I have ever had. A group of men start playing with their drums and turtle shells, and the entire room and street is transformed into something else - alive and exciting. A group of women dance to the beats while singing all with one voice, using "call and response" tunes. The dancer and the drummer communicate by looking into each other's eyes and feeling the rhythm, coming up with a very exciting combination of drum and turtle shell beats and step dances. For a video in youtube of a Garifuna dance, click here.

Picture from Pen Cayetano's website
http://www.cayetano.de/

Pen Cayetano included guitars and a faster beat, creating a new variation of Punta called Punta Rock. He was also the first member of the Original Turtle Shell Band. Pen exposes his paintings in his Art Gallery, where he also has a small collection of Garifuna tools to cook Cassava Bread and other cultural artifacts. For a video in youtube with a brief explanation about Punta Rock on Pen's own words, click here.

Picture from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Palacio

Andy Palacio (1960-2008) was one of the most important exposers of Punta Rock, and a Garifuna activist. His music is really good, although I have difficulties understanding the lyrics of his songs mainly because they are mixed with Belizean English, Garifuna and other dialects. What I do understand more easily and totally appreciate is the meaning of his messages. His songs have deep meanings that have to do with the Garifuna culture and identity, and national consciousnes. For a video about Andy's last album Watina, click here.

Hopkins and Punta Gorda (PG), Belize

I had no time and money for a trip to the cayes in the Belize Barrier Reef, second largest in the world after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. So, I looked for beaches near the coast line. Griga's beach is not necessarily nice. There is no sand and the water is brown. Further south there is Hopkins, a Garifuna fishermen village (1,000 pop) with a very short sand beach and lots of palm trees. I stayed here for a few hours, then hitch hiked my way back to Griga for one more night.

PG is about three hours south. Here, I stayed with some friends who are volunteers at Peace Corps. One night we went to see some drumming at Ocean's View. I liked the one I had experienced in Griga a bit more, but it was good. 

The day after we went to a soccer match, which was a fundraiser event in Santa Cruz. We were riding on the back of a truck, on Super Bumpy Road, but the view of the villages along the way was very nice. My back was in pain for two days after that and my team didn't win, but we had fun playing. 

Back to PG, we spent the night at Bamboo, a new place in town for beer and a view of the water. At the distance I could see the lights at Puerto Barrios, in Guatemala.

San Pedro Sula, Honduras

At this point I only had 4 days left before heading to El Salvador, my last stop in Central America. On the boat ride from PG to Puerto Barrios in Guatemala I met a Canadian journalist. We had a good conversation about the coup in Honduras, the war in Iraq, and some interesting facts about Canadian law. Seems to be Canada still has some laws from the time when the Queen of England was the head of State. Who knew!




Picture from Wikipedia
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Pedro_Sula



I spent one night in San Pedro Sula at Tamarindo Hostel. It is not cheap to be here or anywhere in the city, and it is far from downtown, but it is a comfortable place and the staff is very helpful. Earlier, at the border with El Salvador, I had run into a German friend I had met in Quetzaltenango, and also met a Swiss girl who turned out to be a Salsa dancer. We prepared pasta and salad for dinner, and for drinks they mixed beer with ginger ale... wierd, but good. Next day I walked around, but didn't get to see much of the city and didn't take any pictures.

Gracias Lempira, Honduras

Gracias is one of the colonial towns in the Ruta Lenca and a part of the Colosuca region on the western side of Honduras. I thought it was a mix between Antigua and Granada. The architecture, the streets, the colors are all very old, which gives the town a very colonial air.

Gracias was established in 1526, and at one point was the capital of Spanish Central America. It then became the Capital of Honduras before it was moved to Tegucigalpa. There are three very old churches from the XVIII and XX centuries. The San Marcos and Las Mercedes churches are very nice, with impressive decorations on the outside. I also visited Casa Galeano, which is a museum of the culture and history of Colosuca. Not too far from it there is Castillo San Cristobal, where I had a good view of the town.

The termal waters are close from the downtown area. Walking back I met a young archeologist from Holland. It was very interesting to talk about the differences between the different indigenous groups in Central America and the Caribbean. I also met a group of Hondurans at a food stand in the park for dinner. Every day, I came to the park for a cup of coffee at the tower, right in the middle. The place is relaxing,has a good view of the streets around, and coffee is good.

There some good pictures and more  information about Gracias at http://blog.graciaslempira.com/


Colosuca

This is a region of colonial towns in west Honduras. Gracias forms part of this region. Leyend has it that Colosuca was a woman whom Gad converted to bird. She had lots of children and was always asking God for help. In turn, he turned her into a bird. I didn't get an explenation as to why God would do this, but it would have to be a good one, plus, I am not sure yet what happened with the children.

The indigenous groups in this region are Lenca, the largest in Honduras. They have their own language and traditions, but very few are now left. The villages stretching from Santa Rosa de Copán to Macala, including Gracias, and continuing into El Salvador form the Ruta Lenca. One of their religious traditions is the Guancasco, in which two towns exchange images of saints and celebrate with traditional costumes and dances. It is still practiced in a few towns, and symbolizes friendship and peace.

I wished I had had more time to spend in both Belize and Honduras. These two countries have a lot of cultural history and beautiful natural settings. Maybe next time I will. Now, I am in El Salvador, spending time with my family from my mother's side. I visit them every 5 years, and it is always so good to see them.

I am in my last stop here in Central America, next is Europe... yes, to the other side of the pond! First stop is Prague.


Photo albums

• Griga & PG, Belize
• Gracias Lempira, Honduras

Semuc Champey, Rio Dulce, Tikal

I enjoyed Guatemala from the first day. Every day was different, every town and city was unique, many friends I made were great friends. Traveling like this, without too much mambo-jambo, just a few dollars in my pocket and an idea of what I wanted to get from each day was proven to be the best way to travel in Guatemala.

This last week, I enjoyed myself swimming in the middle of the forest, saw incredible shapes of stalactites and stalagmites, and climbed up pyramids built by one of the greatest ancient civilizations. I deserved it, after four weeks of getting up when it was still dark to catch the first bus a lot of times, being squeezed in chicken buses, being cheated by old ladies selling me mango for 2 Quetzales when the regular price was 1Q. It alll was worth the effort and part of the adventure.


The river that goes under

After three weeks of visiting indigenous villages and ladino cities in the west, I moved to the east to see nature. Lanquin and Semuc Champey are defenitely two of the best natural settings I have ever seen.

I first went to Coban to meet with Monas Roby & Martita. Wherever we go, we are still the Monos from the Beared Monkey - Amen for that! Next day we went to the caves in Lanquin. Getting there we saw lots of dogs along the highway, serious! Then we got off the main road and took a left turn down the hill on a dirt road. That was the real deal!

At first it felt like being on a plane, with clouds right below us. The mountains sticking out reminded us we were still touching ground... so grateful for that. As we continued descending, it was all fuggy, and little by little it begun to clear out by 9:30 am. The green mountains and the thin trees all look so fresh and magestic around here. We had left Coban at 6:00 sharp, and took us four hours to get here, but it was worth the time when we finanlly made it.

The stalactites and stalagmites inside the Lanquin caves were the first ones I had ever seen. Inside was humid and slippery, and full of lazy sleeping bats. From the entrance all the way to our last stop, the shapes of the rocks were amazing. Many of them looked like animals, human shapes and objects. We found the smiling monkey, Virgin Mary, an elephant and an impressive tower taking most of the space in a really large room deep inside the caves. It is incredible what some water passing through rocks can form after a few millions of years. Awesome!



Picture from Wikipedia


Not too far from Lanquin there is Semuc Champey, which means "the river that goes under" in the local Mayan language. There are a series of pools formed by fresh water from springs in the mountain surrounding the area. These pools extend for over 300 mts (900 ft), all of which are so refreshing and beautiful. This whole section of the river is actually a limestone bridge, under which the Cahabon River flows. The brigde and pool formations are a result of a mix of sediments, bones and shell dust over millions of years.

The view of the pools from any angle is amazing. It is difficult to believe this whole thing is a natural setting. The water is so refreshing, and deep enough to take a dive. The section where the water goes under the bridge is breathtaking. The water from the river comes in full force and disappear into the caves with a high speed and a deafing noise. The mountains around are equally impressive, covered in a think forest and a show of birds flying over the pools. Really nice here!


Rio Dulce, classic Jurassic Park comparison

On the way to Tikal, me and the other monkeys made our way from Coban to Rio Dulce at 3:00 am, and arrived at 2:00 pm. Man, that was a long trip! We had to take two buses for this, but it was easy, and cheap... budget travelers style, the best way.

Rio Dulce is a very cool place. It flows from Lake Izabal and goes into the Caribbean Sea passing by Linvingston, a Garifuna town. The boat ride takes about 1.5 hours, and the view from either side is incredible. Seriously, it looks like Jurassic Park, but with other animals playing the dinosaurs. Most of the birds are Garzas (white herons). Along the river there are small villages, hotels, restaurants, and natural sites, including a termal water spot. That day was a bit cloudy, but even then it was possible to appreciate the natural beauty of this place.

Livingston

Livingston is the last stop on the boat ride. The beaches around town are not impressive at all, but there are many good places by the shore to have a nice cold beer and some local food, which is tasty. During the day it was a bit too quite, and we were afraid there would not be too much to do, but thankfully we were wrong! The Garifuna life here is better appriciated during the evening, when people come out to play basketball, BBQ, or just chat.

There is a very cool place called Siete Altares (Seven Altars) about 2 hours walking from town. Along the way we saw a really interesting bird. None of us had an idea of what it was, and still don't know. Any clue, anyone?

Siete Altares is a series of seven waterfalls, that during the rainy season I am sure are magestic. During this time, the dry season, the waterfalls are not as impresive, but they are still beautiful and worth the trip. It is possible to take a taxi to half way the distance too, but it is nice to walk and discover what is along the way.

Getting there was a test of trust, in a way. Every half an hour we asked how far we were from the entrance, and pretty much the only answer we would get was "you are only half an hour away".... yeah, right! We were told there was no charge, but we paid 15 Quetzales ($2). It is not expensive, but common, it would have been nice to know first hand. None of this is a biggy; just venting, and warning you.

At first we walked along the beach. On the way back we took a road leading immediately inland. Along the way, and close to the downtown area, there were some good places with Raggea and BBQ.... Ah! Why didn't we have more time to stop and enjoy with them! I was tempted to go back for dinner, but we all were so tired that all we could think of was food, beer and sleep. Still, downtown was good, and the food satisfying. Next day at 6:00 am the monos took their separate ways, me to the north to Tikal, they to the south back to Nicaragua.


Tikal, where did they go to?

There is no certainty as to what happened to the people who built and lived in Tikal. Some think it could have been drought, problems caused by overpopulation, wars - not clear yet. What is evident is the creativity, engineering, and a sense of power of this unique ancient Mayan city.

Seeing it in pictures is one thing. Being there, climbing up the 45-degree steps, looking for the top of the pyramids raising from the forest one by one, being in the middle of the plazas is all a complete different experience. Tikal is the downtown area of the kingdom where the elite lived. Getting further away were the areas for the common people, and much further away were the areas for agriculture and other activities. For a more complete description of the city, what the temples mean, and the history... get a book! Or check out Wikipedia for an overview.

The excavated area is in the middle of a primary forest, full of birds, monkeys, ponds with cocrodiles, and other wild animals. When the Mayans were at home, it is believed there were no trees in between temples. In this way, it was possible to see all the buildings with nothing covering the view. From the two tallest pyramids the other temples can be seen. It is amazing how they look, sticking up in the middle of the forest. I could only imagine what life was like during the best periods of Tikal.

All the temples seem to have a standard architectural style, but in reallity they all are different. Over centuries, plazas were built with pyramids for different purposes in each of the four corners. Each pyramid was built to perform religious and scientific activities. The architecture was so good, that even the sound of the eco was part of the design. In some of the plazas, where there are two large pyramids, I would stand in the middle, clap, and when the sound bounced back, there was a second sound, a Quetzal. Anywhere I could do this, the sound was the same. G!

Next, Belize and Honduras.


Photo albums

• Lanquin & Semuc Champey
• Rio Dulce & Livingston
• Tikal

Quiché Region

Chichicastenango

The famous market in "Chichi" is the place for handicrafts and a cultural experience. Indigenous come here on Thursdays and Sundays to sell their handicrafts, food, flowers, pottery, wooden boxes, condiments, medicinal plants, candles, and all sort of things. I particularly liked the comedores inside. I met Jennifer, a 10-yr-old girl who was doing her Spanish homework. She had to respond to questions related to a small story she had read. That reminded me of how much I hated Spanish when I was in primary school, but she seemed to enjoy it.

The Iglesia de Santo Tomas is next to the market. It was build in 1545 over the foundations of a pre-Columbian Mayan temple. The altar and images inside are centuries old, and the steps leading to the main entrance are the same ones that the Mayans built for their temple. Nowadays, Mayans still use the church for pre-Hispanic rithuals.

Next to the church there is the Municipal building. Along the walls in the front there are a series of murals as a reminder of the struggles caused by the civil war. They show death, violence, peace and hope. Each one tells a different story. One of them has a men being chased by wolfs. The men is an indigenous trying to escape from his hunters. In the front steps women set up shops to sell flowers and handicrafts. I liked the way it looks, full of live, colorful, and so traditional.


Nebaj

This village is about three hours north of Chichicastenango, passing Santa Cruz del Quiché. The ride up to the mountains is very scenic. The buses here also get packed, and even then, with the sharp curves, they go up the hill at full speed. On the day I went, there was a guy who was very drunk. He didn't have any money to pay for his fare, and soon enough the driver's helper kicked him out, and left him in the middle of nowhere. I didn't think they would do it, but in a matter of seconds it happened, altough without him giving a fight first.

Here I learned to cook Boshbol, a local dish. I visited Patronila's home in the afternoon, right after the final between Barcelona and Real Madrid, and could not believe the Real had won during extra time...Anyhow, I came to cook and forget about soccer for a while. But then, el Barça elminated them during the semi in the Champions League... take that Cristiano!!!

Boshbol turned out to be a really good dish. It is made of leaves (e.i. basil) and corn dough, the same one to prepare tortillas. It is served with pepian (chayote seeds powder mixed with water), and homemade tomato sauce. Many add spicy sauce, but not me!

If anyone has some interested in learning how to prepare it, here is the receipe. On a hoga wiskil or basil leave, smear the corn dough and roll them up. Then boil for a few minutes in high heat and take place them on a plate. Add the pepian and tomato sauce. That simple, and tasty!

I also walked around and visited the main plaza and the church. It is quite an interesting place. During holy week, the faces of the saints are covered, and in the middle of the church there is a pyramid structure with flowers and fruits. This is the equivalent to the flower carpets in Antigua, at a smaller scale.


Cocop

Cocop is a village up in the Cuchumatan Mountains. There is no public transportation to get there, so I walked 3 hours crossing the mountains both ways. Around here, people rely on their backs and their horses to carry wood.

This was one of the worse hit indigenous villages by the war. On Holy Thursday of 1981, precisely 30 years ago, the national army descended from the mountains at around 5:30 pm, came into the houses around the village, and shot 73 people to dead. No warning, no mercy, just killed families while seeking for guerrilla supporters. I met Jacinto and Filiciana who told me what had happened there.

Jacinto is on the left. He was 14 at the time. His brother had heard the shots in the mountains and saw the soldiers on their way to Cocop. He came to warn his family, but Jacinto’s father was convinced they would not harm them, as they had not done it in previous visits to the village, and decided he and his family would stay home. Jacinto took off with his brother to the mountains, and soon they heard the shots and screams behind them. His entire family was killed. He and his brother moved to Nebaj on their own, and lived there for ten years before Jacinto decided to move back to Cocop.

Feliciana is second from the right. She was 16. Feliciana was at home with her husband and five-months-old baby. When the army came to the village, she was outside and saw them going into people’s houses shooting everyone and burning down homes and busineses. Her husband had been shot and killed on the spot. Her family and his were killed as well. She run with her baby on her back to the mountains seeking a place to hide, and as she was trying to escape, a soldier took a shot at her. She stopped running and realized her baby had taken the shot, and was already dead. Feliciana stayed in the mountains with many others for three months, hungry, cold, sick.

The villagers buried the bodies of their friends and families on a ditch. Decades later, the bodies were exhumed, and in 2008, 49 tombs were built for a new cemetery in memory of those who lost their lives on April of 1981. Only five of those tombs have names, while all the others could not be identified. In front, there is the field where there are still many bodies buried. The villagers need more funds to finance another project and build more tombs.

The civil war was from 1960 to 1996, 36 years in total. From 1980 to 1983, the conflict took a more aggressive turn, in a time where indigenous groups were massacred.

Thousands of indigenous had settled in the mountains. The guerrilla came to them looking for support, while the army came to make sure they had control over everything and everyone at all cost. By accounts of the survivors I met, it was the army who committed the worse of the atrocities including genocide and torture.

Today, many indigenous groups are doing much better than in the years prior to the Peace Accords in 1996. Yet, they are still underrepresented, even though they are the clear majority in Guatemala. Many of whom I spoke to told me they also resent their culture and traditions are not that well supported as compared to Catholic traditions. Also, many of them lack adequate medical and affordable secondary school services.

Many have denounced over the years that indigenous groups have always been looked down by the elites and their human rights violated in multiple times. The situation seems to be much better nowadays, not only here in Guatemala, but in other countries across Central America as well. Yet, it seems clear to me there is much more to be done, particularly by the national governments in terms of representation and public services, among many other areas. This could be a good theme for a thesis. Anyone?


Photo album

• Quiché

Todos los Santos Cuchumatan

Todos los Santos is a raw Guatemalan village in the Cuchumatanes mountains, the tallest in Central America. The scenes getting there and around are dramatic, valleys and mountains covered in pine trees, mud streets, and farm land.

Todos los Santos is a Mam region, where Mayan villagers speak their own language. Men and women wear traditional clothing, but it is the men’s way of dressing what called my attention the most. The reddish pants with white stripes, a black cover for the pants that look more like shorts, the bluish shirts with white stripes and thick multicolor reddish and purpleish collars, and the small hut with a blue belt around is the fashion here.

One of the best times to come visit is November 1, day of Todos los Santos. The night before, there is a large party, and men get very very drunk. They dance and imitate the Conquistadores with customes and music. Next day, with a really bad hangover, these men participate in a horse "race". Many of them get injured, and some have died from freak accidents. Most of them work for an entire year to have some savings, and end up spending most of it if not all in one single night. The feeling I got from this event is that many get drunk and participate in the race to forget for a while the hardships of their lives. Check the Motorways and Tramlines blog for a video and description of this event.

Picture by motorwaysandtramlines.blogspot.com

I stayed with a family for two nights. Unfortunately I was trying to file my taxes with H&R Block online, and after I had already paid for the service, I still couldn’t e-file for reasons I still don’t understand. So, the program sucks for not letting me know before paying that there was a problem. Aside from that, I had a good and relaxing time here. The mountains are cold and beautiful, covered with pine trees and clouds. In the afternoons, I spent time at Dominga's terrace, my host mom. She and her daughter, Nancy (below) weave outside, and sell their work at home or in one of the Spanish schools. Dominga started to weave at the age of 10.

I took showers in a shuj, a centuries old Mam sauna. The shuj is a small shack made of mud where a large pot of water is placed over a bed of small round rocks and heated with wood. It takes about two hours to prepare, which includes heating the water and waiting time for the smoke to come out. There are two other buckets of warm and cold water to mix. To create steam, I only had to pour some water on the hot stones. At first I thought I would not fit in, but once I was seating, the inside is more spacious than it looks. It feels very good to take a shower here, particularly in a cold day. I did come out smelling like burning wood, and even that felt so good.

The cemetery here is very interesting. Like in Zunil, the tombs are colorful and decorated with paper flowers. In addition to this, the tombs are arranged without any logical planning. Walking around, the entire field looks like a maze, complex enought to require some good orientation and memory to find the way out. Also, many of the tombs are painted with the Guatemalan flag. Others have the US flag for those of whom had died in the US, or who had worked there at some point.

The main plaza in front of the Municipal building is the hang out place for men. Every afternoon, men gather along the fence looking down to the street and the plaza in front of the church. They only stand there, looking, and sometimes have conversations.

Once, I watched a procession from the plaza. When they arrived to the church for mass, they all were trying to go inside, but were too many to fit, so many stayed outside trying to hear the priest. It was the only procession I saw in Todos los Santos, and a very special one.

Academia Hispanomaya is a Spanish and Mam school. They have a home-stay program for students and non-students with local families at very affordable prices. On the last night I watch a series of three documentaries about the town. Each documentary was produced in the 80’s and 90’s, and showed changes in the town, how the Mam were affected by the civil war, and some aspects of the culture and local life.

A little history

I spoke to some of the locals and asked them about the history of the town. Going back 500 years, Mayans were first conquered and brutally repressed by the Spaniards at their arrival, as most of us know. The lives of the indigenous have been influenced ever since by national, international and "multinational" policies in favor of business and cultural preferences. Over time, indigenous groups like the Mams have been displaced and forced to live in the mountains where the soil for agriculture is not as productive as in the valleys. The most productive land is owned and operated by a tiny fraction of the population, while indigenous groups all over Guatemala try their best to farm in the mountains, resulting in deforastated areas and landslides. There they also lack medical and affordable secondary school services.

In contemporary history, people from Todos los Santos looked for jobs cutting cotton in the west coast, for ridiculous low wages and mediocre working conditions. In groups of 30 to 40, men traveled in the back of trucks with no seats and exposed to the rain and cold air for an entire day to the coast, and would live there for months eating just beans and tortillas in all three meals. If they wanted to eat something else, they would have to buy it at their own expense, which was expensive relative to the dirt-low wages they received.

The civil war affected every indigenous village in Guatemala. The guerrilla groups begun to go the mountains in the early 80’s seeking support from the locals, and in turn, the army came to burn villages to the ground and massacre the indigenous. Once, the army jailed villagers inside the local church and asked them not to come out until they were gone. Next day, families found their cousins, brothers, parents, and children tortured, burned, shot, and some disappeared.

As a result of the civil war and the poor working conditions, villagers migrated to Mexico and Guatemala City. In Mexico, they lived as refugees, and were then moved from one town to the next by the local government or asked to go back to Guatemala. In the capital, some found jobs selling ice cream, baking pizza, selling telas, as maids and other small jobs, and lived in marginal towns. Over the years many wished to go back to Todos los Santos, but were afraid for their lives, plus many of them had lost all their lands and properties, and had nothing to work with back home.

In the last few years the town has been doing much better. The war ended fifteen years ago, and some businesses have been flourishing, particularly tourism. Also, almost every home counts with electricity service and running water, and some even have cable TV! The town still has much more to be improved, particularly in their living and working conditions, affordable and reasonable access to secondary education services, and respect for their culture and traditions.


Photo album

• Todos los Santos

Quetzaltenango and around

Xela

Quetzaltenango, most commonly known as Xela (shell-ah), is the second largest city in Guatemala after the capital. The farmland towns around Xela are small, traditional, and very rich with Mayan culture. I visited three towns where agriculture is the engine of the economy in Zunil, Almolonga and San Andres Xeluc. The views of the farmland and a religious procession carried out entirely by indigenous was quite an experience.

Getting there from Lago Atitlan was the beginning of the adventure. The bus driver stepped on the gas peddal like there was no tomorrow, daring the sharp curves and bottomless hills, with the spirit of the Formula  1 speed lovers.

Everything in those buses move. It was fun to see the driver going side to side with his entire buddy to control the steering wheel. Some people are so used to this, they can even sleep while holding to the seat in front, sliding sideways and very slowly at every crazy turn to the tune of a Bachata song, Lagrimas. Another time, there were three volunteers who were too tall to fit in the small seats in a ridiculously crowded chicken bus, so, they went up to the roof instead!

Soccer is the national sport, and fans go on non-stop when their team is on the field. On the first night I went to the stadium to see a match. Around the same time, the under-20 national team made it to the world cup in Colombia. This was history, because no Guatemalan team had ever made it to a world cup. Go Guate!!!

Xela and the towns nearby were some of my favorite places, where I lived a totally different experience, as I did in every single place I visted in Guatemala. Getting laid off was once again proven to be a life-saver sign for me. Thanks Sabrina!


Zunil

This is a small farmland town south of Xela.The agricultural market town and the white colonial church with red-tiled roof surrounded by the old brownish houses are nice and charming. Zunil looks like a typical Guatemalan highland town, rich with Mayan culture and centuries-old religious traditions and way of life.

The view of the church backed by the large mountains, which they themselves are covered by thick courtains of white clouds gives a calming feeling. Also, the market at the small plaza in front of the church is very bright and nice to visit. Women here wear a colorful band around their head, and the colors of their clothes blend with the reddish and brownish tones of the town.

Atop the hill, I saw one of the most colorful and interesting cemetaries I've ever seen. The predominant colors of the small tumbs are white, green and blue. Almost every tumb is decorated with colorfull paper flowers. In the back, the mountains; at the bottom, the town of Zunil.

The large market by the river is also very interesting and busy. There are pick-ups driving slowly along the bridge picking up and dropping off loads of vegetables. Men walk fast, almost running with loads of onions on their backs in the traditional way, with their foreheads instead of using their shoulders. Women are for the most part the sellers. Some of them also help to carry products by balancing baskets and bags over their heads. People run around here, but talk very little, which is very different from other markets in the cities.

San Andres Xeluc

This small farmland town is to the north of Xela, about 40 minutes by bus. One of the most stricking buildings here is the church. Its facade is super colorfull, perdominantly yellow with blue and red, and has a collection of images of tigers and monkeys. The surrounding walls are white, and the multicolors obsession continuos with the dome. Inside, there are neon signs. Very interesting!

I was so lucky, because I had just arrived on time to see the procession of the Virgen del Dolor. In Antigua, Catholic processions are all carried out by ladinos, with virtually zero participation of the indigenous. San Andres Xeluc is mostly Mayan, and the image of the Virgin was carried around town on 12 women's shoulders. There was also a band following them, with very dramatic and slow tunes, which were very effective in making us feel the passion of the moment.

At the beginning of the procession we almost had an accident. A cow was running lose, and it was going  right towards the Virgin, and when it all seemed inevitable, the cow turned to the left, and disappeared in one of the norrow streets.... it was so close!

Outside of the town the brown houses get mixed with the color of dirt. The downtown area is small and hilly. Going deep inside the town, the houses seem extremely old, all of them built with mud and clay. On that day, the streets were isolated before the procession, but every now and then, I would see people appearing around the corner, carrrying wood with their foreheads, baskets with vegetables on their heads, children on their backs, all looking at me like the stranger I was, taking pictures and notes.


Back to Xela

A good place to stay is the Black Cat. The towns I visited are not far from Xela, and they all can be visited in two days with time, one day just passing by. Wanna party? I recommend La Parranda near the central park for a good dancing night. Like in Antigua, the salsa scene on Wednesdays is top notch!


Photo album

• Xela

Lago Atitlan

Lago Atitlan is on the western side of Guatemala. It is surrounded by mountains, three of which are volcanoes. The day I arrived it was cloudy, so much that we could not see too far ahead. Next day, it was clear, and the view of the lake was perfect. I spent three days here and learned about the Cofradias, saw murals with scenes of the local life, and had nice views of the natural settings. All the towns are mostly indigenous, and each one of them speaks a different Mayan dialect, and some even have different traditional clothings. Very interesting!

Cofradias

Cofradias are altars in private homes featuring each the twelve Apostles, the Holy Family, and the Holy Trinity. Some towns have more of these than others. Once a year at different times, each altar is moved to another home which is selected by a committee formed by the local church and government officials. The selection system and everything that has to be done to set up the altars seems very complicated and elavorated. They have been doing does for so long I guess. Aside from the traditional Catholic saints, there are two other saints, which are a mix of Mayan and Catholic tradition: Maximon and San Simon.

I first went to Santiago to see Maximon, a small statue to whom believers bring cigarettes and liquor as donations. Yes, the spirit smokes and drinks, and when the burning cigarette that is place in its mouth finishes, another one goes in! And the rest of the cigarette? Well, some people take the filter for good luck. His wife is right behind him, also smoking, but apparently she doesn’t drink. When I visited, the place was dark, with little lights decorating the altar, and a Crucifix right above.

The next two Cofradias I visited were the Holy Family, and San John the Baptist and the Apostle, both in the town of San Juan. Here I met the families who set up the altars. Participating families are very catholic people who engage in church activities all year long, and if selected, it is considered an honor to set up an altar in their homes for a full year. They prepare a room only for the altar, and visitors pay a minimum “volunteer” donation of 5 Quetzales, which eventually goes to church.

The Cofradia for the Holy Family had a mix of the same statues from different years. The oldest one was well over 200 years! The Cofradia for Saint John had some technology, with a fountain and running water, representing the river where Jesus was baptized by John. Each one is different and special, and based on how much work they put into the altars, one can see how strong the tradition is.


Towns and Nature

The lake is very nice and relaxing. I did some kayaking and swimming, and the water was nice, although the days were cold. One of the nicest mountains is La Nariz del Indio – the Indigenous Nose, which can be hiked. It really looks like a nose! Around the lake it is common to see women washing their clothes, and men getting ready to go fishing, ln Santiago, there is a traditional Mayan laundry area made of a series of flat stones.

Santiago is one of the towns with more history and cultural attractions. It is the largest and has a total of 13 Cofradias and a really old church dating from 1547 - the wood statues inside are just as old! Women here wear a hut made of a long red belt and open on the upper part. Not all women wear it as it is not cheap, but they do during special celebrations. Also, the men wear traditional colonial clothing including a regular cowboy-looking hut, a dress shirt, and short pants with white stripes just below the knees, and a belt made of Tela, which is also often used by women as scarves. The pictures in the albums, I actually had to pay 5 Quetzales, which is the average payment almost everywhere.

Parque de la Paz (Peace Park) is a historical and emotive place in Santiago. There are 13 plaques signaling the place where 13 people were massacred by the army during the civil war on December 2, 1990. The youngest victim, Nicolas Ajtujal Sosof was only 5-years-old. Years later, the park became one of the first places where a series of peace accords were signed leading to the end of the war in 1996. Seeing the plaques scattered around the park made me imagine where the dead bodies were found after the killing. Thinking that innocent people including children were massacred there gives me the chills.

San Juan is one of the smallest towns. What I liked the most about this place was the murals representing scenes of nature, town life, injustices, bad days, good days, and hope for the future. San Pedro is probably the most active town, and it is no wonder most travelers stay here. It is nice, there are Spanish schools, volunteer opportunities, has lots of restaurants and cafes. Here I stayed at Yo Mama’s. Very laid back! Panajachel and San Marcos are two popular towns for handcrafts and swimming, and there is also paragliding. So, lots of things to do here before going to sleep at 10.

Photo album

• Lago Atitlan

Antigua Guatemala

Guatemala is one of those countries that require a lot of time to explore. I tried to see it all in almost four weeks, but no way. Still, all I did see was amazing and I had such a great experience there. The people I met, the culture in each town, the places I saw, the way of life in different towns and cities were all a unique experience for me.

I first visited Antigua, Lago Atitlan and Quetzaltenango in the first two weeks. Each place is very different from one another, not only because of the settings, but the culture and people.

Antigua is a very well maintained colonial town. There are centuries old cathedrals, churches, government buildings, homes and stone streets almost everywhere in this relatively tiny city. Looming over the city, Pacaya Volcano is an impresive 2,552 mts (8,373 ft) giant, and still active. From Cerro la Cruz there is an amazing panoramic view of the city and the volcano. I liked walking around and visiting the municipal laundry pool, the central park, the market near the bus station, the ruins, and the coffee shops. It is cold here, but very nice indeed.

Different from Costa Rica, Guatemala has an always strong indigenous presence, the Maya. At first, I thought they all where the same in terms of language and culture. I was so wrong. Mayans in each town are different starting with the way they dress and continuing with the language. Women, for the most part, wear traditional clothing from the colonial times, whereas for men this is not so common.

When the Spanish were in control, it was helpful for them to have the indigenous dress a bit different, so to recognize them easily. In practical terms, they all wear they same kind of Traje: "corte" is the skirt, "wipil" is the shirt, and "la manta" is the long piece of cloth they use to carry the babies on their backs. Depending on the town, each group wears a Traje with different designs and other accesories.

Guatemala is also known for its Telas, weaving. This is a unique and beautiful art that the Mayans keep alive with pride. Women do this work, and they can spend months working on single piece depending on complexity. I tried to learn it in Todos Santos, a town really far away from Antigua. Althought I didn't finish one piece, I did get the idea of how this is done. Some of them start as early as 8 years of age, and continue all their lives weaving for their families and also to sell their work in the market.

Antigua is a very good place to find one of the largest selection of Telas in the country, and the prices are not so bad. When going to the market, sellers call you by saying "hola amigo, tengo buen precio, te doy descuento, cuanto quieres pagar" - hello friend, I have good prices, can give you a discount, how much do you want to pay. I was tempted to say $10 for anything, but that is crossing the line. Some people prefer to have set prices and move on, but to me bargaining is a form of art, althougth I am not so good at it.

Semana Santa in Antigua is considered the biggest in all Central America. I am not religious, and not a good catholic by some standards, but that is not necesary to really enjoy this very nice celebration. Lots of buildings are marked with purple flags, and the churches get ready the images for the processions.

The images of the Christ coming from different churches around the city are big and impressive. The facial expresions of Jesus are dramatic, with blood dripping from its forehead and a gesture of constant and unbearable pain. Large groups of young men in purple carry the large images through almost every street from early in the morning to late at night, followed by a band playing music just as dramatic. Virgin Mary comes just behind the Christ, carried on women's shoulders, all dressed in black to mourn the death of Jesus. Picture this with hundreds and hundreds of people on the street, food stands, toy and tela sellers, and lots of volunteers representing the Romans.

Along with the images, the carpets are by far one of the most important features in this catholic celebration. They are beautiful and so nice to look at.

Carpets are made of seeds, crushed grains, flowers, grass, fruits, vegetables and other offerings. They are prepared only on the streets where the processions will pass through. Business and home owners come out from very ealy to design these carpets and before people beggin to gather on the streets. It takes hours to make one of these, depening on the level of detail. The images pass over the carpets, and right behind them comes the cleaning crew. They take off those carpets so easily, in less than two minutes. It is sad to see how fast the carpets are gone, but depending on the street, new carpets are prepared for the next processions.

Night life in Antigua can be very good also. I went to Cafe No Se for beer in a very interesting bar. The place is dark, has pictures of a naked girl holding onto a cross, there is a huge wax tower in the second room with the largest bar, and a small tiny-tiny door leading to a third room with an even smaller bar. The times I went there was live music and lots of drunk people, but in a responsible way, if there is such a thing. For dancing La Esquina and Mono Loco are good.

The Salsa scene here is also of the best I've ever seen. Amazing! The turn patterns and style was really good. I think what made it so impressive was the passion on the dance floor. Anyone can learn steps and do a good performance in Salsa or any dance for that matter, but passion is something that one must feel. The only little detail is that bars and clubs close at 12:30, except for Cafeteria, which is a bit far from downtown. It closes at 5 and is very popular among the locals.

Antigua has a very nice local life, and it can also be touristy but not too much. There are lots of Spanish students, volunteers and visitors in the city, and for the same reason the prices here are not as low as in other parts of the country.

For places to stay, there are two I can recommend. One is the Black Cat, very close to the central park. The cost for a dorm is 60 Quetzales, including breakfast and a very lively ambient. I actually stayed at Place to Stay. Raul and Oliver are great, and they make sure you have all you need here, and that everyone gets a fair deal. I paid 40 Quetzales, also with breakfast. There is a cat and a rabbit in case you love animals. Fernando, Raul's brother, or "El Mistiko", can organize a really nice BBQ and drinks.


Photo album

• Antigua, Guatemala