Greetings from Paradise, everybody. You know in the movies, when a character robs a bank or pulls a scam, and then retires to some insane tropical paradise? That´s where we are now, in San Pedro la Laguna near the Pacific Coast. Our hotel, which costs US $2.50 a night, is on the lakefront of Lago Atitlan, a massive water-filled volcanic crater ringed by mountains and active volcanoes that rise immediately from the water´s edge. The locals are friendly, the town is packed with students and travellers, and there are more American-Canadian-European expatriots here than anywhere else in Guatemala. It´s easy to see why they decided to stay - a home costs around 1200 dollars, the streets are safe and friendly, and the students and travellers keep bars and block parties going all night long. Not to mention some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. We´ve decided to stay another week.
We´ve travelled around alot since leaving Antigua, doing a more or less circular trek around the Guatemalan Highlands. My favorite stop was Kúmarkaaj, a late postclassic Mayan site completely destroyed by Pedro de Alvarado in 1524. The Maya dug long caves into the mountain beneath the city, which are now used for ceremonies and sacrifices by their descendents from Chichicastenango and Santa Cruz del Quiche. A ceremony had been performed that morning in the 2nd cave, and as we entered we passed a large, smoldering fire of pine and incense. A few steps later, the body of a sacrificed chicken laid in the center of the cavern. Its head was in a small niche in the cave wall. After turning a corner, all natural light was gone, so we made our way to a small altar at the end of the tunnel using flashlights. It was all so surreal, and I´m glad we took the time to go up there.
But that was not our only encounter with local religious practices. In a small town called San Andres Xecul, we visited San Simon, a deity created by the Maya to represent all of their gods at in one figure while they were being persecuted by the Spanish for their polytheistic beliefs. San Simon is a pretty incredible sight. He´s a life-size human being, carved from wood, dressed in slacks, shirt, tie, glasses, a cowboy hat, and spotlessly shined shoes, with a long cigar hanging from his mouth. He has his own room in the house of a local Mayan Priest, where he sits in a chair surrounded by lit candles and offerings of liquor, money, cigarettes, and food from local villagers who pray to him for favors. Each night he is laid in his own bed, and in the morning is placed back in his chair to listen to the prayers of believers who sometimes travel hundreds of kilometers to see him. It´s quite a religion.
All travel this week was on chicken busses, and I´m starting to really enjoy them. The busses are covered in messages like ¨Driving with Jesus¨and ¨God is Guiding Me¨, which is a good thing because, with the way they are driven, they difinitely need some divine intervention. Drivers tear down mountains at insane speeds, passing every car on the road in the oncoming traffic lane around totally blind corners. They stop for nothing in cities and towns, and people dive out of the way as they speed through the narrow streets. It can be a terrifying experience, but is simultaneously fast, fun, and cheap.
Other stops this week were the crazy market in Chichicastenango, the oldest church in Central America (1524) in Salcaja, and the small mountain town of El Quiche. We´ve managed to cover almost the entire country in a little over two weeks, so some lakeside rest and relaxation will be most welcomed.
Till next time.
Travis
