Month: May 2023

It’s the last days of our May term and we are leaving to Caye Caulker. We started the morning with the sounds of howler monkeys as we waited for our bus and then traveled to reach Caye Caulker. It took us about an hour by road to reach Belize City to go to San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi and from there, it was an hour to reach Caye Caulker through the water taxi!

The rest of the day was for ourselves. I had a Cuban sandwich at a restaurant by the beach.

and the rest of the day was spent at the beach sunbathing!

-Kenia Mediola Ramos

Nervousness, a close sense of relief, and a wasp in the room – it’s presentation day! It was a long day ahead of us since we had morning and afternoon sessions for the presentations, but it was worth it to see the results of everyone’s research of the last three weeks. Seeing how everyone’s topic was different and in some ways overlapped with other topics reflected how we took a different take on this experience. After presentations, we had the day to ourselves- either taking time to rest or continuing the day in the pool, and to end the day we had a great dinner and dessert!

-Kenia Mediola Ramos

Santiago Atitlán Weaving Co-op

This co-op was very interesting because we got to see men and women working alongside each other to make traje. The women at the co-op used traditional back-strap looms to make traje for men, while the men used foot pedal looms, a colonial import, to make women’s huipiles.

María Elena demonstrating how to put on a cinta

We ran into María Elena, an old friend of our guide Dolores, outside of Saint James the Apostle Church. As a favor to Dolores, she demonstrated how to put on a cinta, first by wrapping it around her braid and then building it up. We also got to learn about some of María Elena’s personal experiences during the Guatemala Civil War, not only was she very kind but her stories also showed us how strong and resilient she was.  After the demonstration, she showed us her adorable hand-made beaded birds that she sells, I got a quetzal!

San Juan La Laguna Women’s Weaving Co-op

At Casa Flor Ixcaco we got to create thread out of cotton. Mastering the spindle was not possible for any of us during our short time there but this only exemplified the skill that the women working at this co-op have. The range of dye colors and beautiful garments and blankets was awe-inspiring!

The Association of Medicinal Plants Mayab

At this women’s co-op, we learned about the many different plants from across Guatemala that can be used as medicine. Each plant could be made into a lotion, a pill, or a drop, among other things, and worked to solve a different medical issue. The small store at this co-op had different soaps, lotions, teas, and all of the aforementioned iterations that were said to help solve problems like insomnia and anxiety.

Women’s Cultural/Pottery Group in San Antonio Village

As we neared the end of our trip we arrived at our final co-op with this one being located in the San Antonio village of Belize. Here we learned about traditional methods of Maya ceramic-making and got to try our hands at a newer introduction to Maya pottery, the wheel. Those of us who made pots even got to take them home at the end of our time there!

-Paisley Polk

Today was our first full day in Belize, after crossing the border from Guatemala, yesterday.

Despite only having been here for a day, I already noticed some major differences, most notably in language – English, instead of Spanish (though, multiple languages are spoken in both countries) – but also in the lack of living Maya traditions, as opposed to the Guatemalan highlands. The modern-day countries of Guatemala and Belize are, of course, a relatively recent evolution of what, traditionally, all used to be Maya territory. The reason for their differences today can be explained by their colonial history, Guatemala being a former colony of Spain, Belize (then called British Honduras) one of the British Empire. Their shared cultural history, however, can still be observed when visiting ancient Maya sites in Belize, such as Xunantunich, a site quite distinct from other sites like Tikal and Iximché, and yet, similar in many ways. I look forward to spending the last week of our program further comparing and contrasting the ancient and colonial histories of the two countries.

– A. S.

View from the top of“El Castillo”, at Xunantunich:

Very historically accurate recreation of “pok-ta-pok”, the Maya ballgame, at Xunantunich:

Photo credit: Dr. Astrid Runggaldier

(Top of Temple Four)

May 25th was an adventurous day! First, I reluctantly woke up to my alarm blaring in my hotel room in Petén. After a delicious breakfast, I suited up in my burnt orange hiking pants that unzip into shorts, my sleek, pink-purple, long-sleeve shirt, long socks, hiking boots, and floppy hat, and headed out the door for Tikal National Park with my study abroad class. After a long bus ride, I stepped foot in the jungle for the first time. The trees reached up high into the sky, and I began to realize why the Maya focused on them so intensely. The world tree of course was stunning: it had gigantic thick roots and branches with fuzzy plants and leaves at the top. Another tree I loved was the tree of love. Our tour guide, Benedicto Louis, said it was called this because of the vine that wraps around the tree giving it a hug. However, this vine is actually a parasite slowly poisoning the tree! A little pessimistic if you ask me. Walking across the path, I spotted hundreds of tiny leaf-cutter ants carrying their food from the trees and down to the ground. Next to their neat assembly line, small mushrooms contrasted the rest of the green and brown landscape with their orange and yellow luminosity. Looking up, I saw several spider monkeys swinging through the branches, showing off their skills. Along with interesting animals and plants, there were also many of gigantic Maya temples. One of the remarkable temples we climbed was temple four.  After much huffing and puffing, I eventually reached the top. It was a gorgeous view; from there we could see the tops of Temples 1, 2, and 3. What an experience! I am so grateful for the opportunity to visit Tikal and connect with the Maya landscape in this way.

–Alexis Ikemba

We started off our third week running! With a quick trip to Guatemala City to visit the Popol Vuh Museum on the Francisco Marroquin University campus, we very quickly understood the reality of how modern progress has contributed to the destruction of Maya history. The majority of the collection was “donated by a man named Castillo who went out to the site of Kaminaljuyu as it was being cleared to construct Guatemala City, and paid the construction workers to save the artifacts and sculptures from destruction.”

The very next day we visited the late Postclassic Iximche Archaeological Park, our first ancient Maya site! As someone studying the architecture constructed by the Maya, I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the various aspects of ancient Maya civilizations. From walking on top of the walls of the former palace, to climbing into the ball court, to picturing the types of rituals done at the altars of temples, Iximche provided a great introduction of what to look for and imagine while exploring these sites.

Everyday is an adventure, with new information to learn and experiences to have!

– Catherine Davis

This program is not just a class. It is an experience. An experience that invited me to learn about the life of Mesoamericans, and in those moments of exploration, there were opportunities to learn about myself. I originally planned to use this program to determine what role ethnographic work will play in my career. I am now halfway done with the program and realize that it is a big question that needs more time to answer, but I have gained valuable lessons on the principles of ethnographic fieldwork, which will be helpful in future projects.
Additionally, I am considering using my research as the foundation for my thesis project. I have gained valuable contacts and observations and feel passionate about my topic and its potential beyond this course. However, as I said before, this class is an experience; of course, it can check all those boxes needed for whatever reason, but I would hate to limit it to satisfying requirements because what I’ve learned is so much more than that. From the amazing people I’ve met and the breathtaking places I’ve seen, I am left feeling whole and craving another journey.

-Ava Vicknair

5. Cuarta Avenida, Antigua

4. La Playa de Monterrico

3. El Techo de Casa Herrera

2. Volcán de Pacaya

1. Bambu Hotel, Lago de Atitlán

So far, the view from my room at Bambu Hotel on Lago de Atitlán takes the number one spot. Both evenings that we were there, the thunderstorms made the perfect background for porch naps before giving way to beautiful orange and pink sunsets. The nearby town, Santiago Atitlán, has historically been known in the Tz’utujil language as Tz’ikin Jaay, or “house of birds.” This name was earned, as all of my porch naps were accompanied by dozens of unique chirps from local birds that meshed perfectly with the music I was playing. As a Texan, I have been lucky enough to see my share of incredible sunsets. That said, the combination of the lake, volcanoes, and tropical plants made this view unlike anything I have ever seen. I have never felt so relaxed—indicated by more than one accidental two-hour nap—and I definitely made my friends and family jealous with the videos I sent them!

-Jordan Becker

We are now back from our trip in Lake Atitlán.  We had such an awesome time exploring with our guides Dolores and German.

Here is a cool photo I took from our trip of the long and steep main street in San Juan La Laguna.

Yesterday we had class in the morning reviewing our trip to Lake Atitlán and all the various things we had learned and then had an evening cooking class with Josue, the head chef at Casa Herrera.  It was super fun and actually super easy.  We were given all the ingredients and just had to roll them and wrap them in the husks.  Then we waited until they were done, which was about an hour, and took them home to eat for dinner.  We were all so full.

Today we had two classes, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  These classes are so helpful to wrap our heads around the topics we’ve been learning because it’s a slower pace.  Sometimes I feel like trying to gather all the information on excursions is hard for me due to various things taking my attention, but the classes help me focus and process everything in an organized way.  In our classes today we learned all about the Maya Calendar and we even got to find our personal nahuales.  These are spirit animals that are found based on the day you are born and help describe the type of person you are.  Mine is “5 kaan”, which means snake in Kaqchikel.  The snake indicates someone who is a guardian or protector and the 5 means that I am a traveler and always feel the need to be active or moving.  It’s such an interesting concept and a lot more intricate than horoscope signs like Gemini or Libra.

-Jack Dunn

Today, May 16, is our only full day out here at Lake Atitlan. My roommates and I woke up around 8 to head to our eco-lodge’s breakfast, where we had a variety of options from pancakes to crepes to omelets, along with coffee and tea. At around 9 am our entire group took tuk-tuks into Santiago and spent the majority of the day in a more rural, traditional Maya town. It definitely put tourism in Antigua into perspective, and some of us were even approached because we looked different (in a nice and respectable way!). First, we stopped by the old town church (from 1547!) and met Dolores, who guided us throughout and had many stories and personal connections with the history of the church and the town. We learned about Stan Rother, who had been an incredible priest from Oklahoma who defended the Maya and promoted education amongst the poor and was killed during the civil war. Later, we visited two different cofradías, where we got to see Maximon and other entities of traditional Maya religious practice, as well as a weaving co-op. Both were extremely interesting and immersive, and I especially enjoyed learning more about the embedded traditions and symbolic meanings of weaving that people outside of the culture may not get to see. We had the afternoon off and got to look around the markets and spend time at the eco-lodge. As usual, it rained in the afternoon, but that didn’t stop people from taking advantage of the eco-lodge’s amenities, and I saw several people go out to kayak or head to the pool and sauna. The grounds were so beautiful with many different kinds of vegetation, I was content just watching the rain and calling some people at home. At seven, we met up as a group for dinner, which is always amazing, and spent the rest of the night getting ready to leave the next morning and having fun! The next morning, we met again at eight for breakfast and brought our packed-up bags. Around 9:30 am we took a boat to San Juan, where we visited a woman’s weaving co-op as well as a medicinal herb co-op. San Juan was a more touristy lake town and was way more uphill and colorful. It also was our guide German’s hometown, and one of his dogs followed us around for the whole day! Both of the co-ops were super interesting and engaging, leaving plenty of opportunities for students to ask questions and talk further if it related to their research topics. We had a little time to wander around the different market stalls and had lunch right next to the water, which was amazing. Afterwards, we headed on our last boat ride back to the hotel before heading back to Antigua on the three-hour bus ride. I’ll definitely miss Lake Atitlan but I’m excited for our last few days in Antigua and our homestay, and for our travels after!

– Megan Huan