Go and See

Without a question, this Maymester will NOT be my last trip to Guatemala or Belize. I’ve experienced much more than I thought possible in a four-week period of time, and I’ve met people whose stories and compassion will be with me for the rest of my life. I’d like to thank everyone that made this trip possible for me, and everyone else that made this trip memorable. Without you guys, I would not have been able to walk in the footsteps of the ancient Maya, or alongside the contemporary, much alive, Maya people that inhabit the lands of their ancestors. I’ve been to some of the major Maya sites of the Yucatán Peninsula (Chichén Itzá, Coba, and Tulum), but they didn’t have the same breath of life that Iximché or Tikal still breath.

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(Above: Contemporary ritual burning at Iximché)

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(Above: A modern stela at Iximché)

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(Above: Contemporary ritual burning at Tikal)

Maya people of the Yucatán don’t have the same access to their ancestral lands as the Maya people of Guatemala, who can once again practice their rituals where the Classic Maya did day in and day out. It’s incredible to see Maya women, and occasionally Maya men, wearing their traditional clothing (traje), selling their hand-woven textiles, or cooking in the way their people have for more than a millennium. The way the Maya are talked about in American grade schools would make you think they are all dead and gone, but simply getting off the plane in Guatemala City proves otherwise. Traveling through the Highlands of Guatemala, you wouldn’t even think they went through a conquest, colonization, or a very recent and brutal civil war…at least until you start talking to the people. I heard several people’s life stories while on this trip that would break anyone’s heart. While at the Tz’utujil Maya town, Santiago Atitlán, formerly called Tz’ikin Jaay, I met Dolores Ratzan.

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(Above: Prof. Runggaldier with Dolores Ratzan!)

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(Above: View of the lake from Santiago Atitlán)

She gave us a tour of the town while stopping at a few key spots, such as the Catholic Church and a few of the Cofradias. Dolores was extremely open and welcoming, she shared her personal struggles as well as those of her people starting at the conquest thru the civil war and up to the present day. The civil war has impacted her life, and the whole of Guatemala, since its conception in the 1960’s. Over a thirty-year period of time, Dolores and tens of thousands of Maya people were targeted by the military as conspirators with the guerillas. Dolores was able to flee to the United States as a refugee shortly after her name appeared on a list of people that the government forces intended to make “go away.” That list was distributed in the plaza outside the Catholic Church in Santiago Atitlán, outside the very same church where Father Aplas, or Stanley Francis Rother, was murdered in the night shortly there after.

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(Above: Plaza view from Catholic Church in Santiago Atitlán)

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(Above: Dedication to Father Aplas)

Father Aplas, as the locals called him, was a Catholic Pastor from Oklahoma who worked to help the people of Santiago Atitlán out of poverty, he opened a hospital, bought and rented land to the locals so that they could grow food, and allowed the traditional Maya people to perform their rituals. Dolores was a young girl when he first came to the town, and she told us she would not be alive today without him. She was one of the many children Father Aplas helped by providing food to their families when they came up short. I really cannot do justice to Dolores’ ability to recount Father Aplas’ many deeds and untimely death, but I can certainly suggest to anyone to travel to Guatemala and learn. Learn from the people who suffered such a great deal for embracing their traditional heritage, or for helping a population that so desperately needed and still needs a helping hand. See why they fought for their culture, visit the ancient and not so ancient sites, eat what they eat, live how they live, and maybe try to learn a Mayan language. Since traveling across the world of the Maya, I decided to set a few goals for myself: learn Spanish, attempt a Mayan language, learn what I can do to prevent the looting of ancient artifacts, and to volunteer for archaeological digs. I would like to continue to learn as much as I can from the living Maya and those who have since “entered the water.”

How did it go by so fast?

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It is our last full day in Antigua, Guatemala and I’m sitting in Casa Herrera drinking some delicious coffee (props to Milady) and banana bread from the Doña Luisa Xicotencatl bakery (I highly recommend it, it’s magical) while listening to the church bells ring close by and the hustle of people at the market. It’s been a little over two weeks here and I’m not ready to go.

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Antigua is a place of vibrant beauty with such unique smells and sounds. When you walk on the cobble stone streets of Antigua, you can actually feel the history under your feet with every step you take. The name “Antigua” means ancient in itself. The name of the city is not deceiving by any means. Although the name might mean “ancient,” the city is very much alive and colorful. When I say that we have been living in Antigua for two weeks, I mean that it has felt like two days. The city is one of those places where you need to have an introduction and then go into your actual chapters within your very long, and intriguing novel. I feel as though these two weeks have been my introduction and that I am now able to finally begin to actually live here in detail. I have barely scratched the surface of those cobblestones. Just when you think you know where you’re going without getting lost, you’re flying away from it. The up side to this feeling however, is that I know that this won’t be the last time I’m here.

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Speaking of cobblestones, I have a fascination for rocks. Whenever I see a church or temple in ruins, it’s the most exciting thing for me (along with textiles, but I’ll keep this restricted to just rocks). Although this might seem a bit strange to some, considering the impressive and monumental structures architecture can achieve, I see the skeleton of it just as sublime. Antigua is a colonial city with many churches that were destroyed by multiple earthquakes – and we experienced one while staying here! Three of the churches I’ve included pictures of (and have a slight obsession over) are below: El Carmen, Santuario Arquidiocesano del Santo Hermano Pedro, and La Catedral de San José. Guys, architecture in ruins has its charm. As for Pre-Hispanic sites, we’ve only visited Iximché so far, but we will be visiting many more after we depart Antigua! I guess leaving Antigua won’t be too bad…(as long as I come back!)

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A little bit of background information about Iximché (in the photo above): it was the capital of the Late Postclassic Kaqchikel Maya kingdom from 1470 up to 1524, when the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado declared Iximché as the first capital of Guatemala. Pretty interesting, right? Well that’s like pretty much everything in Guatemala!

Here’s to our upcoming wonderful week of travelling to Petén and Belize!

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Welcome to my first blog post here in Antigua Guatemala!! I’ll kickoff this chronicle with the moment I got the coveted green light at La Aurora International Airport. It was looking grim as Rebecca, Andrea, Lauren, Cheyenne, and I approached the counter. No less than five people in a row got the red light right before us, and Rebecca had just mentioned that she ALWAYS gets the red light. Naturally, I assumed luck would not be on our side. However, Andrea was the only unlucky one in our group jajaja.

Once Andrea successfully made it through her bag check and we had acquired my soon-to-be homestay sister, Vero, we made our exodus. Little did I know we were saying adiós to one of the last places we’d see air conditioning in Guatemala, but hey, I don’t mind sweating the bulk of the day (wink wink). Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not an AC addict. I’ve discovered the breezes that come with an inbound afternoon shower are a suitable replacement for central air. Thank goodness for Chac, the rain god of the Maya, and his animate lightning axe. I don’t know what I’d do if Chac didn’t strike open the clouds and produce my much-loved/needed midday drizzle!

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                                      Before the rain at Pacaya.

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Chac paying us a visit at Iximché!

 

Am I dreaming?

horse again

gamma at Pacaya

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Where has the time gone? I swear I can’t believe I’ve been here for a week already. From the butterflies that filled my stomach the day before I left to the moment I was dropped off with my homestay family, it still hadn’t really sunk in that I was going to be in Guatemala and soon to be Belize. Not only that, we hit the ground running with classes and activities planned for our first weekend. While a few braved hiking an overnight volcano, a group of us decided to go on a “shorter” hike at Pacaya and visit the black sands of Monterrico.

The hike, in and of itself, was intense! I hadn’t even made it through five minutes when I decided to take a horse to the top. Turns out I would only use Burrito (horse’s name) half-way up and hike the most difficult part. I can’t even count how many times I had to stop to catch my breath, but the view at the top was so worth it. We also had an amazing tour guide, Kevin, who stuck with me the majority of the time. Special shout out to him and everyone for being patient with me the whole trip.

If I had to pick a favorite or most memorable moment thus far though, I would have to say it was between visiting Iximche and letting indigenous women dress us in traditional clothing. Knowing that I have indigenous blood in my lineage that was somehow lost and being able to partake in such an experience was both humbling and breathtaking.

No doubt, a lot has happened in just one week, so I’m eager to see what else happens in the weeks to come!