Ancient & Colonial Heritage in Latin America: Cultural Treasures of the Maya

(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

 

Dear Blog,

Today we left Antigua on our way to Lake Atitlan. The journey there was nice. Getting to drive down the highway was a good way to see parts that we don’t have time to fully explore. We played a game on the ride there where everyone drew faces on a piece of paper which I found very entertaining. Once we got to the lake, we took a boat across to our final destination. The boat ride was a lot of fun for a former sailor like myself. Once we arrived at our hotel we had the rest of the day to ourselves. Most of us spent the night jumping between the pool, the hot tub, and the sauna. It has been a while since I pampered myself so much. Of course, I did some research when settling down for the end of the day…

-Omar Vasquez-Alpizar

Dear Blog,

Today the crew woke up early and caught breakfast at a restaurant near our homestay. We decided the day before that we have all been working hard and that this Sunday should be spent as a spa day. So after breakfast, we took an hour-long Uber to Santa Teresita Spa. Our Uber driver was super nice and talked to us the entire ride which made the time fly. Once there we spent no time getting into the temperature-regulated pools. The spa had five pools ranging from 75 degrees to 110 degrees (The numbers might be a little off, but you get the idea). Afterward, we spent some time in their water park before heading to lunch. We choose Caoba Farms and were super happy with it. I highly recommend it. The food was amazing and pretty cheap, the atmosphere was lively, and the landscape was gorgeous. After the amazing lunch, we took it easy the rest of the day until dinner which we had at Angie Angie. Another phenomenal restaurant. We all went home early so we could wake up early for our travel day the following day.

-Omar Vasquez-Alpizar

I had an amazing time hiking up the Pacaya volcano. Throughout the hike, I was entranced by the contrast between the beauty, lush nature, and the lava flows of past eruptions. Now and then along the trail, I could spot a little critter making itself across. Our guide usually told us the little guy’s name and offered much insight about the surrounding environment. Pit stops were often made to give a breather in-between the steep inclined hike and were paired with a beautiful view of the landscape below. Despite some exhaustion accompanying the journey, nothing could beat getting to the top to be rewarded with a fantastic view and a roasted marshmallow [included in the excursion].

-Ava Vicknair

As an avid coffee drinker, I was more than excited to visit a coffee plantation. I didn’t really know what to expect but I soon found myself well-informed on the specifics of how it’s grown, harvested, and processed. Our walk through the fields and grinding station was fascinating. However, I must say I was most intrigued to discover my own lack of decorum when consuming coffee.

Apparently, the proper way to enjoy coffee starts by smelling it. Followed by a preliminary sip meant as a pallet cleanser of sorts. The three subsequent sips consist of placing the liquid in different parts of the mouth in order to fully appreciate the complexity of flavors. Despite my initial hesitation at the suggested method, I felt like I really did taste the coffee more “completely” once we tried some back inside the cafe giftshop.

One other thing I found myself drawn to was the coffee jam at Casa Ko’jom. I’d never considered the idea before but their execution of it was flawless!

-Varisha Masroor