Lake Atitlan

On Tuesday morning we left the concrete jungle of Guatemala City and headed to Lake Atitlan.  This lake region has been called the “closest thing to Eden on Earth”.  It is a beautiful and deep lake - being the deepest in Central America at more than 1,000 feet.  

On this road trip we stopped several  times.

A small Mayan town municipal water hole for washing.  

One of my co-travelers handing out the hotel give-me's like soap, lotion, etc to the kids at the laundry site.  Our group leader had already given them packs of cookies.

Check both the size and perfection of these carrots. Doesn't this soil look amazing?

We stopped at a trade school for women that is sponsored by a Spanish foundation.  Women come here from over 4 hours away to learn a trade like sewing, baking, weaving, etc.

Lake Atitlan from my hotel balcony.  Hotel Porto Del Largo in Panajachel

On Wednesday November 25th we took a charter boat over Lake Atitlan to the town of Santiago.  

On the way to Santiago we saw this volcano smoking or is it just a cloud?

Santiago is the largest town along the lake with about 35,000 people.  Panajachel has about 11,000.  In Santiago we had a local guide who took us to see the Mayan deity of Maximon.  

According to our native guide, the Mayas foresaw the invasion of foreigners.  So they got together and put all their energy into the formation of a god to protect them.  This is how Maximon came into being.  However as the story goes, shortly after being created the elders caught Maximon being naughty - running around and putting his hands into everything.  The elders then gathered and decided to resolve this situation by cutting off Maximon’s hands and legs and then tieing him down.  

When the Spanish invaded they tried to captured Maximon but the Mayas passed him around from house to house to confuse the Spaniards.  In the end, Maximon did protect the Mayas in that they pretended to convert to Catholicism but really Maximon was still their deity.  The Spaniards never did find Maximon but the tradition of moving him around still is carried on today.  Every year Maximon is moved to another shaman’s house.  He also is still tied down but today these ties are made of neckties.   

Today the Mayas have Maximon smoking cigarettes and drinking hard liquor.  I really didn’t understand the symbolism the guide tried to explain about this.  It seems the smoke is meant to cleanse and the alcohol is meant to avoid alcoholism?  Whatever, now most every group has to bring him a bottle and one of his assistants pour it down his throat.  (We all wonder where the liquor goes but we all thought it in bad taste to ask.). One of Maximon’s assistant also puts a cigarette in his mouth and lights it.  Seems he is a chain smoker to boot.  BTW, Maximon’s face (wood mask) is replaced annually with a new craved one.

We next stopped at the town’s Cathedral.  

This church has a memorial on his priest who was killed in the civil war in the 1980s.  This native town was split between the army and the gorillas.  But this all came to a head in 1989 when the army fired on a peaceful protest outside their small fort.  They killed 13 people - including 2 children.  This proved to be the breaking point for the town.  They had enough.  So the town all got together and forced the army out.  Other native towns took note and followed suit.  Today they still have no presence here!

This 74 year old woman is demonstrating how to wrap her cloth into the hats that the local women wear here.  While the young girls in town still wear this hats on special occasions they don't know to to wrap them as they use hats that are preformed.

After the tour of Santiago, we took the boat back to the other side of the lake near Panajachel.  We had lunch here and then visited a women’s weaver co-op.  

Note the bicycle wheel used to spool the tread

Finally before we returned to the hotel we took in a small town’s festival in celebration to its saint day.  

Note the guy controlling the Ferris wheel on the right foreground.  He is using a car engine and transmission.  He cranked up the speed thru second and third gears as we watched.  It is definitely the fastest Ferris wheel I have ever seen and the kids were having a blast.  But just how safe can this be?

This is a dance of the town’s young people trying to outdo other towns.  They are wearing painted masks and wigs.  I know this picture is out of focus.  I blame it on the loud music.  It was the loudest music and the deeper beat I have ever had the misfortune to experience!