Rainbow World Fund 2009 Guatemala Journey Day 3

Day 3: We got up early, climbed into the vans and headed up into the mountains towards the town of Chichicastenango. Yesterday had its fascinating and moving moments, but it was frankly a relief to leave the urban beat of Guatemala City, and get into the countryside were most of the Mayan population lives.

Me on the road to Chichicastenango

Roadside display of Mayan handicrafts

Traffic delays on the highway slowed us down, but we finally made it into Chichicastenango in the early evening. The hotel we were staying out was spread out with corridors going everywhere and had a distinct Latin American look to it: whitewashed walls, red tiled roofs, Mayan carvings on the walls, lots of Catholic iconography, very lush and green courtyards with fountains and parrots. The place had a lot of charm.

Scenes from the Chichicastenango hotel

Fountain in the main courtyard of the Chichicastenango hotel

Day 4: Chichicastenango is famous for its Mayan crafts market that takes place every Sunday and Tuesday, the biggest such market in Central America. I really like the Mayan aesthetic: bright colors and bold patterns. We had Sunday morning to ourselves to walk through the many alleys of the market, lined with booths selling weavings, wood carvings (primarily masks), ceramics and other crafts.

Early morning in Chichicastenango

before the booths have been set up

One of the alleys in the crafts market

Crafts booths

Booth selling masks

Adjacent to the crafts market was a white stucco Catholic church. Because it was Sunday, a mass was going on, and the church steps were covered with flowers and clouds of incense. The congregation was almost totally Mayan, and the inside of the church was also thick with incense. Because of the homophobia shown so often by Christian institutions, including the Catholic ones, in the USA, I have serious issues with organized religion. But it was obvious that for the Mayans in the church, their faith was an important part of their lives, and I could respect that. Along that line, the two Catholic Sisters who served as our guides in Guatemala, Jan and Marie, were totally open to us, loving and non-judgmental, and I have tremendous respect for them and their work. One lesson that I got out of this tour was not to confuse the established Church hierarchy with the people practicing their faith “in the trenches”.

Catholic church next to the crafts market

That afternoon the tour group visited one of the local schools, but I was feeling tired so I relaxed in the hotel.

Day 5: We started off the next morning with a visit to a Chichicastenango school for Mayan children founded by the sisters in the Dominicas de La Anunciata. As was explained to us, educational opportunities for Mayan children are scarce, and this is one reason why it’s difficult for Mayans to escape the cycle of poverty. The school looked modern and well maintained, and the kids inside seemed happy. Incidentally, all the places we visited during this trip received aid in the form of supplies or financial donations from Rainbow World Fund. RWF has been supporting projects in this country for years. At the end of the tour, the girls’ marimba band put on a fantastic performance for us.

La Anunciata school for Mayan children

A classroom in La Anunciata One of the students

La Anunciata marimba band