Category: 2022 Program

For my final blog post, I chose a picture of the tamales that we made as a group at Casa Herrera. I never expected food to be such a major part of my experience. Learning about maize in the classroom definitely contributed to my research project about the Maize god, but actually handling it and making food played a big role as well. I never understood the time and energy that went into the tamales that I often ate at dinner with my homestay. Tamales don’t need to have many ingredients, and I always thought that they were simple to make. However, having to carefully hand-make each tamale with the dough and plantain leaf over and over allowed me to realize how much of a commitment cooking really is. I often think of cooking as a chore, especially when you live alone. Making tamales with my classmates made me realize that cooking is a really important cultural activity. Not only are you bonding with those around you, but you are creating food out of corn, an important traditional food for the Maya. Traditionally, the Maya eat corn three times a day, once at every meal. According to the Popol Vuh, humans were made out of a combination of white and yellow corn. Corn is the food that sustains humanity, literally and figuratively. Making tamales was an experience that many people don’t get to have, and I am so grateful I got to partake in doing so!

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Crooked Tree was such a great experience for me personally. I really enjoyed getting to understand the way that a place’s history can really play such a big role in contemporary times. This town is unique because it has held on to much of its culture, and everyone is embracing every aspect of said culture. The food consisted of hearty portions, savory flavors, and meat that fell off of the bone. I am a firm believer that you can get a good understanding of a place through its cuisine. There were some items of food that I had not seen in Guatemala, but there were a lot of dishes that I found to be fairly common between both countries. I noticed that the methods of cooking plantains were vastly different. In Crooked Tree [Belize], I noticed that the plantains were usually more savory while in Guatemala I had only had sweet-tasting plantains. This highlights the fact that the entirety of the descendants within the Maya area are not homogenous in their methods of survival. The people in the highlands do things differently than those in the lowlands, as well as those in Crooked Tree. I really enjoyed learning about the cooking methods from the San Antonio village. It was amazing to see their ways of using contemporary Maya customs. Throughout each region, I really enjoyed seeing the ways that people have learned to adapt to their environment and be resourceful. This aspect really made me really impressed with each Santiago. I really learned a lot about the Maya people of Belize and Guatemala and have found a newfound appreciation for both countries. In the words of my cohort’s bus driver Edíomi, “We are all one people with one diverse culture. We are good people with feelings, and have nothing but respect for one another.”

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On my second day at Crooked Tree, I decided to go biking to see what this village looked like outside of our hotel. The sky was pouring, but I had gotten used to being under the rain during my time in Antigua, so I rented a bike and went out. 

First, I went out with the intention to go see the Baptist church myself. It is the oldest building in the village, built in 1835, three years before the abolition of slavery in Belize. The church still serves as a center of the community today, and the number of graves by the church seemed to tell the stories of people who had lived here for more than 300 years. 

I kept biking north, people were playing music, picking mangoes, and going about their daily lives. After biking for half an hour, I had countless mosquito bites so I decided to go back.

Mizuki Kurata _ Final Blog Post | JICA sign at Crooked Tree … | Flickr

On the bike back, I found a sign that said “flood shelter” with a logo of JICA – the Japanese International Corporation Agency. I thought to myself, how odd that is. Being from Japan, I have always heard of JICA, because it is a famous international aid organization funded by the national government in which many young people in their 20’s and 30’s volunteer for. After a  quick google search, it appears that JICA had done a three-year (2008-2010) flood risk management project in Central America – and that Crooked Tree was the location selected for Belize. In that time period, I was 8 to 10 years old in Japan, and I never really knew of the country Belize, and I definitely had not even imagined the people living there. But to know that a Japanese organization was establishing a flood shelter in Crooked Tree, and that I am seeing the record of it felt like an odd reminder of the interconnectedness of the world. Despite globalization through trade and digitalization, I feel like we still very much live in a society where we are disconnected from each other. We believe that our actions don’t have consequences and that we live on our own terms. But here there is evidence that we are connected. Perhaps the small amount of sales tax that I paid for the Japanese Government was used to aid this little sign in Crooked Tree, and perhaps the way I vote in Japan today determines how much money goes to Crooked Tree. 

Overall, this study abroad taught me the value of interconnectedness. As carelessly we want to exist – our actions do have consequences and implications to various communities across the globe. While it would be nice to believe that the way we purchase coffee has no effect on a person, the way we purchase coffee very much does affect the person working on a coffee farm in Antigua, as we have seen at the Azotea Coffee Farm. With this awareness that we are connected, I strive to be aware of how I exploit and benefit other communities and to take that into action.

As someone who has never left the country, studying abroad was initially daunting. However, even though my time in the program was cut short, I truly believe that this experience was extremely enriching and I am thankful for the opportunity.

One motif I noticed during my time in the Guatemala and Belize Maymester is how old customs, structures, and practices can mix with modernity. In my area of Texas I have almost no exposure to things or activities with origins that span over 100 years. However, from the colonial cobble stone streets in Antigua to the customary handmade textiles that many Maya people wear throughout Guatemala, the past and the present are more united in the region than I have ever experienced before.

One perfect example of this was Tikal. Tikal was once a thriving ancient city and is now both a symbol of antiquity and a keystone of culture in Guatemala. There are no longer people that live in Tikal, however, its cultural significance has been repurposed to be powerful and spiritual in an alternative way. People still go to Tikal to pray and people still see Tikal as important; Temple IV is even on the Guatemalan currency. The past is still relevant and has become intertwined with the present.

My language barrier in Guatemala also added another dimension to the program. I have a rudimentary understanding of Spanish, and there were times where I was unable to fully understand what people were saying to me. However, instead of being a burden or daunting, these instances were motivation to me. I will always be an outsider in Guatemala, but language understanding is something that people can control with study and practice. After being in these situations I was able to reaffirm my desires to share this language with the people that speak it.

Photo taken at Tikal on June 14, 2022.

Seeing the waterfall was one of my many highlights from the Maymester! It was the first waterfall I had ever seen, and it absolutely took my breath away! After taking pictures and marveling at the site, I could not believe we were not supposed to stop there. However, I am ever so glad we did. By seeing it, I feel like I could better grasp how the Maya see their environment as animate. It was a multi-sensorial experience. I could see the enormous downpour, hear the whooshes of the water, and feel the mist when I stepped closer. Being so close to it, I was reminded not only of nature’s enormities but also of the world’s. However, our group standing alongside others who stopped to marvel at the water felt like we were all a community. Additionally, it reinvigorated my desire to protect the land from corporations or others who mine it or seek to commit similar acts. It reminded me of what Dolores and Kawoq said about mountains either having a heart or being like family and I could feel that same strong energy radiating from the area. Looking back, it is nice to see the beautiful waterfall as a metaphor. Even though we may have driven down a few windy roads, there was something spectacular just around the corner!

Whenever people talk about how their semester-long study abroad has changed their perspective, I find it a little hard to believe. Yet our month abroad in Guatemala and Belize has changed more than just my perspective, it truly changed my life. From my lovely homestay mom who showed my whole group nothing but generosity and genuine kindness, to the beauty of nature I got to see every day on my way to Casa Herrera. I don’t think many people can say that they saw volcanoes on the way to class! Also, learning about the resilience of the Maya community was inspiring, and this whole trip really made me question a lot of aspects of travelling and tourism that I hadn’t really thought of before. It was hard to just pick one picture for this trip, but I had to go with an image of volcanoes from Lake Atitlan. This image was taken on a rainy evening walk, where a classmate and I got to watch the sunset beautifully like we had never seen it before. Pictures don’t do this scenic view justice, and the actual moment will remain engrained in my memories. Memories made with new friends, experiencing new things. This trip has given me a newfound appreciation for life that I will carry with me for years to come. 

 

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The biggest part of my study abroad experience that I underestimated was the meaningful friendships I would make along the way. There is something about being totally immersed into a different culture that has the ability to connect students on such a deep and mature level that is not possible in a traditional classroom or university setting. Before I went on this Maymester, I had no idea who I would connect with or what kind of relationships I would form with my peers. However within the first few days, I already knew that I was on a trip with people I will be friends with for a lifetime.

In my picture, Joelle and I are doing a handstand in front of the Jaguar temple at Tikal National Park. Joelle was such a special person to me along with so many others that always offered support, advice, and plenty of laughs. While there were many obstacles during our trip, I can honestly say that the love everyone had for each other and optimism to push through exceeded any difficulty that a study abroad experience can have.

Overall, I am so grateful to have had this type of once in a lifetime experience. Study abroad pushes you out of your comfort zone in a level you can never prepare for, and with it comes so much growth, memories, and meaningful relationships that I will always cherish.

• Brooke Betts

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This picture was of me on our last day at Lake Atitlan, June 5th. Looking back on my month abroad, I experienced so many things: good and bad. Let’s get the bad stuff over with first. I managed to contract a parasite, a virus, and a bacterial infection all in my stomach 4 days before this picture was taken and I wasn’t feeling the best. Feeling sick abroad is a lot more uncomfortable than when you’re in the comfort of your own home, but luckily the UT staff that were with us were extremely kind and helpful during this unfortunate experience. Now for the good: I still had the best time ever on all of the excursions and learned so much about the Maya, gaining a new perspective on life and valuing simple things I never really thought about. So many people in the places we visited were so happy to share parts of themselves and their identity with us and the geography as we traveled across Guatemala and Belize was insane! Seeing how different Maya urban populations adapted to and interacted with the environment around them was so interesting and it was the focus of my research throughout the program and the research I did now makes me view urban development with a whole new perspective.

Attending this study abroad program is one of the best decisions I have made at UT thus far. It gave me the opportunity to travel, create memories with other UT students, and conduct hands-on research on Maya Art and Architecture. Throughout the program, we learned about a variety of aspects of Maya culture in Belize and Guatemala such as Maya spirituality, food, history, clothing, and overall lifestyle. My favorite part of the program was our excursion to the oldest ancient Maya kingdom, Tikal. This land holds so much rich history, and it was surreal to see all the ancient structures firsthand.

On top of the adventures we endured, my classmates and I were simultaneously taking a course in which we all chose a topic related to our majors to conduct a research project on. As a Sustainability Studies major with an Interior Design minor, I chose to study Maya Architecture and its sustainable and unsustainable aspects, with a focus on the widespread Maya building material, lime plaster. Lime plaster is made of limestone, sand, water, and other aggregates. This building was material everywhere, especially in Tikal. It was used for walking paths, the inside and outside of temples, and even at the base of water reservoirs. I was able to gain much information about the production and the effects lime plaster has on the environment while at Tikal by observing, researching, and talking with tour guides and Doctor Runggaldier. Walking through Tikal felt as if I was walking through a time portal. The whole area gave a sense of mystery, Maya resilience, and value. I am endlessly grateful for the opportunity to study abroad. The memories will last a lifetime.

-Zoe Faus

1. Welcome Dinner!

A few hours after we arrived in Antigua, our group was treated to an exquisite welcome dinner at Casa Herrera, a 17th-century colonial building that today serves as a UT’s Mesoamerica teaching and research center. The main course was a hearty serving of a traditional thick stew (typically known as pepián which is thickened with gourd seeds and cooked with tomatoes and peppers. This stew was accompanied by a side of rice and a tamale. For dessert, we enjoyed a version of rellenitos de plátano, stuffed plantains (traditionally filled with beans) topped with sugar and cinnamon, along with coffee served in clay mugs. It was the perfect way to get to know each other and relax after travel.

Group photo in the Casa Herrera hall taken by our professor Dr. Astrid Runggaldier

  My bowl of delicious vegetarian-friendly pepián

 

A stuffed plantain treat for dessert

2. An Uphill Journey

One morning early in the program, my classmates and I decided to hike up to Cerro de la Cruz (Hill of the Cross). With an elevation of over 200 feet, this spot boasts a breathtaking view of much of the city of Antigua as well as of the stratovolcano named Volcan Agua. The hike was not easy, taking about 20 minutes to the outlook featuring a massive cross, but it was well worth the effort. It was a great group bonding experience and set the tone for the many journeys to come.

Taking in the fresh air and spreading my wings by the Cerro de la Cruz overlook

3. Maya Culture and Coffee

One of our first group excursions was to a town just north of Antigua known as Jocotenango. There, we visited Casa K’ojom, a cultural center and museum named after the K’iche’ Maya word for a type of marimba, now the national instrument of Guatemala.

  Recreation of a traditional Maya marimba instrument and musicians

 

Samuel locates the town of Jocotenango on a map of Guatemala’s Sacatepéquez Department 

A recreation of a traditional Maya market with women selling fruits, vegetables, and sugarcane

Later, we explored the coffee farm, Finca La Azotea, with our tour guide, Manuel. Coffee grown in the volcanic soil of the Guatemalan highlands where the farm is situated tends to be better quality than that grown in the lowlands. Antigua is home to a delicious medium-dark roast. Roasting coffee beans is a long and intensive process including fermenting, the need for people to turn water every 2 hours while washing and drying. Organically grown coffee is best for human, animal, and environmental health.

Manuel points out an avocado tree, which provides shade for coffee under which it grows best, along with providing food for animals

4. All about Textiles

As part of a two-day trip to the towns surrounding Lake Atitlan, we learned about the growing, dying, and processing of cotton by the women at the textile cooperative in San Juan La Laguna. The labor is very intensive and requires great physical exertion. Our tour guide, Ana, demonstrated the cotton spinning process, which takes 15-16 hours to produce one ball of cotton, that is then dipped in natural dyes. Ana also showed us the process of weaving the cotton on a traditional backstrap loom, explaining that it often takes several hours and multiple days to produce various goods. I enjoyed supporting the co-op through the purchase of affordable gifts that my friends and family would enjoy.

Ana demonstrates the cotton spinning process in a room of the shop that features a photo of co-op founder Teresa Ujpan Pérez in the background

 

Ana demonstrates the traditional Maya art of weaving on a backstrap loom

5. Chocolate Tour and Tasting

During our final week in Antigua, we took a field trip to Chocolate Antigua in the pueblo of San Juan del Obispo. Cacao is a very important part of Maya culture, once serving as currency, and kings would drink chocolate from large vases as an ostentatious display of wealth. Spanish colonization and trade contributed to the dispersal of the delightful treat available around the world (for better or for worse). Chocolate Antigua boasts delicious and affordable creations ranging from chocolate “wheels “to hot chocolate to chocolate tea. We had the opportunity to try some of the delicious spiced hot chocolate served in clay mugs served by our tour guide, Claudia.

My classmates sampling delicious hot chocolate

An extensive selection of dark chocolate on display with flavors ranging from ginger to vanilla to macadamia

6. Cooking Class at Casa Herrera

Chef with Josué López, owner of catering business in Antigua and one of the chefs who made our welcome dinner shared a gastronomy lesson and tamale cooking class. Chef López taught us much about the importance of maize to Maya culture, with a connection to the prominent Maize God and the creation story of the Maya people (called “people of the corn”) detailed in the sacred text the Popul Vuh.  We then tried our hand at making our own tamales!

Chef Josué demonstrates the art of making tamales

7. The Great Tikal Hike

After leaving Antigua, we took a trip to Tikal National Park in Guatemala’s Petén department.  Our tour guides Noel and Benedicto were very friendly and provided useful information surrounding agriculture in the region and the Maya Biosphere Reserve where the park is located. The Maya Biosphere Reserve contains 2.5 million hectares of vegetation and is home to fascinating creatures ranging from spider monkeys to toucans to jaguars. A highlight of the trip was climbing the great pyramids, especially Temple IV that stands over 200 feet tall and was featured in a Star Wars movie. Afterwards, we enjoyed kebabs for lunch at Restaurant “El Mesón”.

Group photo on top of Temple IV

My veggie kebab plate

8. Belize Maya Co-op

While in Belize, we visited the San Antonio Village Co-op in the town of San Ignacio,  which has a predominantly Maya population. The garden surrounding the co-op was stunningly beautiful, providing vegetables and herbs for the meals that we ate during our visit.  We learned a lot of interesting facts about San Antonio Village from our hosts: Sarita, Timothemesh, and 15-year-old Alice who recently began work at the co-op.  Alice informed us that the San Antonio Women’s cooperative began in 2001 with 3 main goals: 1) Local, fresh, and healthy food and products; 2) Embroidery made by women, selling work for independence; 3) Reviving the art of pottery in the traditional way, using raw materials.

The lovely gardens at San Antonio Village Co-op

Our hosts demonstrating how to grind corn using a traditional mano and metate

We gathered under an outdoor structure with plastered floors and a roof made of palm leaves to make our own tortillas to cook on a clay griddle positioned over a fire hearth. We then had the opportunity to shape and cook our own delicious Yucatec tamales after helping to ground the corn for a masa filling on a 500-year old heirloom: a large, rounded basalt stone known as a mano on a granite metate. We ate these with a corn- and masa-based drink known as atol de elote before learning to make traditional pottery with craftsman Raphael.  We then had a hearty and delicious meal of stuffed tamales, mashed yam, salad, and drank cold jamaica (hibiscus tea) provided by our generous hosts. Later, some of us tried our hand at pottery-making with the guidance of expert craftsman Raphael.

With the help of three others I finally got to eat a perfect, warm corn tortilla (best I’ve ever had!) spread with coconut oil and served with a cup of delicious atol de elote.

Raphael shows my classmate Natalie how to handle a particularly difficult step in the traditional pottery-making process

My delicious (and very filling) lunch on an embroidered cloth created by the women at the co-op

9. Farewell at Koko King Beach

On our last day as a group was spent the evening at Koko King Northside Beach Club in Caye Caulker off the coast of mainland Belize. We spent time taking pictures together in the white sand of the beach and some of us went tubing while we waited on our buffet dinner. It was the perfect way to end an eventful and meaningful trip to Central America. A big thank you to my classmates, instructors, and the locals for contributing to Maymester experience! Also, I am truly grateful to Ruta Maya for helping to sponsor my study abroad!

My friend Deanna and me on the beach

Birthday girl Valerie was surprised with a sweet treat!

-Shaina Kambo