Picture of the Day (Dial-up internet users enter at own risk!)

[T_R_Oglodyte]

The plaza also looks pretty good at night ...

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

The Tomb of Santo Hermano Pedro

Returning to the San Francisco El Grande Cathedral .....

Hermano Pedro was a Franciscan monk who served in Guatemala in the early 1600's. Hermano Pedro was beatified to sainthood in 2002.

Santo Hermano Pedro is revered by many, and his tomb is in a nave of the Cathedral. The tomb is reached through a garden next to the church.

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You enter the garden by going through a an arched opening. As you enter the garden you see a statue of Santo Hermano Pedro. Notice that this entire area was once indoors, but the roofs collapsed and only the walls remain.

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Beyond the statue, at the rear of the garden area, is a small crucifix.

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To the left of the statue is a fountain and a fresco. The fresco was created in 2009 to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the founding of Franciscan Order. The writing within the fresco says "Mother Earth is God's gift to everyone to protect and to share as brothers."

The three volcanoes in the fresco are the three volcanos that tower over La Antigua, Volcán Agua, Volcán Fuego, and Volcán Atananga. The bird is a quetzal, which is the national symbol of Guatemala. On the left is Santo Hermano Pedro, with a Mayan woman standing next to him, holding a candle. St. Francis of Assisi is to the right. I don't know the significance of the man seated next to St. Francis.

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Just beyond the statue and to the right you see a door with a sign pointing to the tomb of Sto. Hermano Pedro.

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The church requests that photographs not be taken of the tomb, out of respect for Hermano Pedro and for those who are praying and meditating in the tomb. Within the nave, prayer pews and prayer benches surround the tomb.

Near the exit are stands where the devout light votives in honor of Hermano Pedro. I saw up to 100 votives burning at the same time. There are so many that about every 30 to 60 minutes, a church worker comes by and removes the melted wax and remnants of votives that have burned out so that there will be room for more.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Volcán Agua

Volcán Agua ("Water Volcano") looms over La Antigua to the south. I was told that it received that name because towering so high it often receives copious rainfall during storms, and the water coming from the volcano causes flooding.

 

[Ridewithme38]

These pictures are just breathtaking! Thank you for sharing Everyone!!!

 

[Timeshare Von]

Mt. Denali (aka Mt. McKinley) as seen from the Parks Hwy, south of Denali Nat'l Park. The skies were crystal clear for days - very rare indeed.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Leather Shoes and La Merced

Antigua is famous for its churches and cathedrals, some in use and many in ruins. This set of photos is of La Merced, commonly called the "Wedding Cake" church. This cathedral is in use; it is a quite popular place to get married and on Saturdays the church is in almost continuous use for weddings.

This is the main entrance to La Merced:

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La Merced is a popular tourist attraction, which brings out the people trying to make a buck. This young boy wanted to shine my shoes. I kept saying "No, gracias", but he kept pestering me and pestering me, and started whining "Tengo hambre. Tengo hambre." ("I'm hungry.") Finally I said "Let me take your picture" and I gave him 5 quetzales for letting me take his picture.

This was on my first day in Antigua. A couple of days later when I wandered into the main mercado, there was a shoe shine area with about four guys standing around in uniforms, doing a brisk business simply polishing shoes.

Then it dawned on me that wearing leather shoes is apparently a mark of wealth, and I noticed that whenever any local men were wearing leather shoes, the shoes were always well polished. The presumption, I guess, is that if you are going to wear leather shoes of course you would want the shoes to look their best. I then noted that shoe shine boys hanging out in the public areas, like this boy, also did a good amount business with locals as well as tourists.

My shoes were just a pair of comfortable walking shoes that I've had for about four years, but they do have leather uppers. And after coming to the realization that I described above, I did start getting them polished regularly when they started getting dirty or scuffed. A shine costs about $1, less if you negotiate hard.

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A view of La Merced from a side street. This is the same arch that is in one of the above photos, framing Volcán Agua. This view is looking the other direction from Volcán Agua.

 

[jerseyfinn]

Steve,

Nice photos and narratives.

The striking thing about the region is how the native culture is subsorbed into the larger Spanish culture and how they form a new whole which is a hybrid of its own. Then throw in the volcanoes and jungle and there's another element which makes it all the more distinctive. Your photos do a great job of tying all of this into a visual journey to be enjoyed here.

congrats,

Barry

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Steve,

Nice photos and narratives.

The striking thing about the region is how the native culture is subsorbed into the larger Spanish culture and how they form a new whole which is a hybrid of its own.

Thanks, Barry. It's good to get feedback; sometimes I wonder if my posts might be self-indulgent. So it's nice to know that some people are enjoying the photos and narrative.

I'll pick up some the merged cultures theme when I put up some photos from my travel outside of Antigua.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Ermita del Santo Calvario (The Holy Calvary Hermitage)

Ermita del Santo Calvario is one of the many churches of La Antigua - Ermita del Santo Calvario is in use. Santo Hermano Pedro lived at Ermito del Santo Calvario.

Here are a couple of pictures of the exterior:

In keeping with the request of the church fathers, I did not take any photos in the interior of the church. As you go through the main entry shown in these photos on your left there are several large (~3 ft x 6 ft) oil paintings that date back to the 1600s and 1700s. While not masterpieces, these are exactly the same sort of oil-on-canvas paintings depicting Biblical scenes that one might see under under glass in a museum in Europe. At Ermita del Santo Calvario they are simply hanging on a wall.

Viewing the paintings, I was struck with two feelings. First was I was deeply aware of a sense of antiquity, of having a connection with people who were in this place more than 300 years before me. Second I was intensely aware of how sterile the museum environment is. The painters did not intend and create them to be admired as objets d'art, but to aid people in worship. Putting them in a museum would isolate them of their relevance and impact. But being in the church they retained an impact and power that enlarged them beyond what they were on their own, and putting them into a museum would have diminished them to less than they were in their current home.

And I wondered how often we might similarly diminish other works by putting them in a museum or in a traveling where they are extracted from their context.

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This visit to the Ermitage was on a Sunday afternoon, just prior to a 4 pm mass. I spent a bit of time in the sanctuary, meditating and worshipping, then exited as the church was beginning to fill. On my way out I was able to grab this shot of two altar girls and an altar boy preparing for the 4 pm mass.

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Finally, here is a history of the Hermitage that is posted near the entrance:

The temple was constructed in earnest in 1652 and was completed in 1655. It was destroyed in an earthquake in 1717 and restored two years later. It was destroyed in another earthquake in 1773, and was rebuilt through the 1800s.

 

[SueDonJ]

Thanks, Barry. It's good to get feedback; sometimes I wonder if my posts might be self-indulgent. So it's nice to know that some people are enjoying the photos and narrative. ...

Sometimes I get that self-indulgent feeling here, too, but you know what? I love to see everyone's photos even if I don't respond to all of them, and the best thing about this thread is the encouragement we all feel to keep posting regardless of our talent level. I hope everybody feels welcome to post whatever we're snapping, and whenever we feel like it.

Nice to see a plug for the thread in the latest TUG bulletin, too. Thanks, Brian.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Sometimes I get that self-indulgent feeling here, too, but you know what? I love to see everyone's photos even if I don't respond to all of them, and the best thing about this thread is the encouragement we all feel to keep posting regardless of our talent level.

Thanks for the note, Susan.

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Cathedral Ruins

I'll finish up La Antigua with some pictures of cathedral ruins. Throughout the City there are ruins of cathedrals that were destroyed in earthquakes but never rebuilt.

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This is a view looking down a street toward the main square. Notice the ruins located mid-center. Also, in reference to previous discussion about motos in town, note on the left side of the street a parking area that is devoted exclusively to motos.

Here is the same set of ruins, front view:

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A portion of San Francisco El Grande that has not been rebuilt. Note the construction materials - efforts are being made to rebuild this part of the church - 200 years after the destruction.

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These ruins are located between San Francisco El Grande and the Ermitage del Santo Calvario.

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And these are located a few blocks the other side of San Francisco El Grande:

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Finally these are located on the other side of town, a few blocks from the La Merced Church.

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Not too far from the last set of ruins there is another set of ruins that has been set aside as a national park, with an admission fee. I didn't have time to go in there, and I didn't get any photos of what is visible from the street. That's on my to-do list if I get to La Antigua again.

Antigua is very compact. You can easily walk from one corner of the main town to the other corner in 30 to 45 minutes. So it's very easy to get around on foot; or if you do get tired to hail a tuk-tuk. No matter where you are, you are close to little architectural and historical nuggets.

The climate is very pleasant - Antigua is almost 600 feet elevation, so it is well above the heat and humidity of the coastal tropical areas. Temperatures reportedly are typically in the 70s and 80s almost the entire year. Summers are wetter than winters, and of course Guatemala does occasionally get hit by hurricanes.

No timeshares that I am aware of, but you can stay there in excellent accommodations for a fraction of a maintenance fee.

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After this post I'll move on to other parts of Guatemala.

 

[K&PFitz]

Thanks, Barry. It's good to get feedback; sometimes I wonder if my posts might be self-indulgent. So it's nice to know that some people are enjoying the photos and narrative.

Steve (and everyone else), please keep posting the pics. I especially enjoy pictures like these from a place I may never see otherwise.

 

[MuranoJo]

Steve,
I've thoroughly enjoyed your travel pics and especially appreciate the comments you've attached--location, history, your personal observations.
Some of these photos & your comments would be very effective in a travel guide or coffee table showcase. Plus I bet your study of the language has given you a perspective many of us would have missed. Thanks so much.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Steve (and everyone else), please keep posting the pics. I especially enjoy pictures like these from a place I may never see otherwise.

Again - thanks for the encouragement. I'm enjoying sharing the photos and comments, but I don't want to be the BBS equivalent of the guy showing pictures of his vacation to Niagara Falls while his wife is serving dessert and coffee.

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Chichicastenango

After spending a week on my own in La Antigua, on Saturday morning I connect in Antigua with the nine other members of my party for a morning of cultural orientation and review. We load a 4WD pickup truck and a 4WD SUV with belongings and bodies and shortly before noon we set out for the northern highlands.

To reach our destination we leave the Antigua/Guatemala City regions on a major road heading toward Lake Atitlán (Lago de Atitlán). This road travels westward across the central highlands; Lake Atitlán is a large and deep lake formed in the caldera of a volcano (like Crater Lake in Oregon) and is a major attraction in Guatemala.

As we get near the lake we reach a locale dubbed Los Encuentros (The Crossings), which is where the road that comes from the northern highland areas intersects this main road connecting Guatemala City and the Atitlan area. Striking north from Los Encuentros, the land quickly becomes more mountainous, and the roads are narrower and twisting as we cross valleys and canyons and climb ridges.

Finally, as we traverse the top of of one mountain ridge we reach Chichicastenango. We are now in el Departmento de Quiche, the administrative region where Mayan culture and influences hold sway.

By now it's getting late in the day, and we spend a night at the Hotel Santo Tomas. Hotel Santo Tomas is s comfortable modern facility, that seems to do a thriving business catering to North Americans and Europeans passing through the area.

Hotel Santo Tomas has lovely gardens, commodious rooms, and a friendly staff. They encourage their staff to dress traditional Mayan style; in fact it's the only place on the journey where we saw men in traditional Mayan garb.

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My room was on the second floor in the area shown below, directly behind the octagonal window:

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One attraction of the hotel is the parrots that live in the open courtyard.

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The hotel is also filled with artwork, most of it religious.

Note the calla lilies in the photo above. January is calla lily season in Guatemala, and they grow wild throughout the highlands.

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This is probably good place to add a couple of miscellaneous notes about hotels and lodging.

First: few buildings in Guatemala have central heating. This includes hotels, and rooms often do not have a lot of bedding. It can get cool at night, so warm sleepwear is essential.

Second: if you're going to use a public toilet in Guatemala, you should expect to pay for the privilege. It will probably cost about 4Q or 5Q - about $0.50 to $0.65. There will probably also be an attendant in the bathroom, who will give you a hand towel and will likely be standing around with cleaning equipment in hand or close by to clean up immediately after you. I usually gave him (and I assume its a her in womens' facilities) a similar amount. I figured that if the facility really was reasonably clean and sanitary that was a small price to pay for their work to keep it so.

Third: infrastructure throughout Guatemala is often not in good condition, especially sewers. Sewers are old, undersized, and have often been damaged by earthquakes, leaving them susceptible to plugging. Which means that toilet paper in sewers creates significant problems. So all of the baños and servicios sanitarios have a canasta (basket) next to the toilet, which is for disposal of used TP.

I suppose that some of you may be thinking that I really didn't need to mention that. But part of the point of visiting a place such as Guatemala is to get out of the world as we know it. And to me the canastas were a continual reminder that even though I was moving through portions of Guatemala that were more "tourist-friendly", this was yet a different part of the world. And since part of the purpose of travel is to get out of my box, for me that reminder was good.

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In the next few posts I'll post more about Chichicastenango.

 

[Rose Pink]

Third: infrastructure throughout Guatemala is often not in good condition, especially sewers. Sewers are old, undersized, and have often been damaged by earthquakes, leaving them susceptible to plugging. Which means that toilet paper in sewers creates significant problems. So all of the baños and servicios sanitarios have a canasta (basket) next to the toilet, which is for disposal of used TP.

I suppose that some of you may be thinking that I really didn't need to mention that.
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I am glad you did. It answered a question I have about why public bathrooms in the USA often have TP strewn on the floor--as well as signs on the toilet doors telling people in English and Spanish to please put the tp in the toilet and not on the floor. I have noticed this in areas of the country that have a higher Hispanic population. Now, because of your post, I know why people would toss their used tp on the bathroom floor--they are used to having a canasta and there isn't one in the stall, so they just throw it on the floor rather than risk plugging the plumbing.

I have enjoyed your photos and your commentary so don't feel self-conscious about it.

 

[dumbydee]

Lovely pictures and interesting information about the cultures of other countries.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Market Day in Chichicastenango

Sunday is market day in Chichicastenango. People from the surrounding areas flood into Chichi to set up their stalls to sell their products and to buy what they need from others. Stalls are set in virtually every open area in the center of town, spilling over into the streets from the sidewalks, packing the community center, and filling the steps of the churches.

The first couple of pictures below were taken near the edge of the market area. This area is one of the less crowded and congested areas of the market.

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And here are a couple more taken from another edge of the market, on the steps of one of two churches situated at opposite ends of the main plaza:

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This is dried corn, removed from the cob and ready for sale.

And here's the vendor, using balance pans to weight out portions for sale.

Note the mural on the wall of the building next to the corn. I'll have some more photos of that in a future post.

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More market pics and commentary tomorrow.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

More on the Chichicastenango Market

The interior of the community auditorium is a prime market location. The first photo shows vendors getting ready on Saturday afternoon for the Sunday activity.

Towards the center bottom of the photo, notice the boy in a black shirt next to to the cabbages. We watched him for about 20 minutes, prepping the cabbages for sale. He was taking cabbages from the pile on his right, then trimming the base and cutting off loose and damaged leaves, leaving the nice tight heads that you can see him stacking in the photo.

The boy looked to be about ten years old. To trim the cabbages he was wielding a machete that was almost as long as his arm. Of course he was quite skilled with it. When he would remove dead leaves he would chop straight into the head near the base, but he knew exactly how much force to use to remove the leaf without damaging the underlying leaves. When there was a bad spot further up the leaf, it was just a quick "chop-chop" and the bad spot was gone, again without damaging the underlying area.

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Here's the same scene, on Sunday morning about 10 am.

By the way, these pictures do not do justice to the quality of the produce in the marketplaces is saw in Guatemala. The size, quality, and freshness is stunning. I doubt that most of the stuff in our groceries in the USA would sell in Guatemala.

I think there is tremendous opportunity for Guatemala to become a world exporter of fruits and vegetables; there are signs the country is, in fact, moving in that direction. Development of a food export economy would, I think, do wonders to improve conditions in the country.

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I previously put up some pictures of the outdoor areas of the market, and here's another.

This steps in this photo are the steps leading up to the main cathedral in town. As you can see, the market engulfs the front of the church as well.

I'll have more to say about the church in my next post.

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A final note on the market. All of the photos above are pretty much on the fringes of the market. When you get in the center of the market, it is incredibly crowded. In many of the aisles people are packed body-to-body working their way through the market.

It's no place for the meek or retiring. If you try to create a bit of space, almost immediately someone will insert their arm into the space and shove their way in ahead of you. The most aggressive people in that regard are the women. Most of the women are well under five feet tall, and many are about 4'-6". At first you think it's a child trying to squeeze in, then you look and it's a 40 year old woman, often carrying about 20 lbs of goods on her back and with a flock of children in tow. Several times I saw women inserting both their arms into a space between two people, then shove the people apart so she could squeeze in.

I soon learned that the best way to get through the crowd was to find one of those women shoving her way through the crowd, then get right in behind her, leaning my body up against her pack from the back. Then I would just her clear the way while trying to keep other people from squeezing in between us.

It's quite a difference from my experiences with traditional Latin American culture, where courtesy and graciousness are the norm, and "gringo" connotes pushiness and rudeness (among other traits). Of course Chichi culture is much more Mayan than it is Latin.

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The Chichi market is also a well-known hangout for pickpockets. They take advantage of the crowded quarters and extensive physical contact to conceal their activities.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Religion!!!!

I trust this isn't delving into forbidden territory, because this isn't really a religious post but a cultural narrative. But my running narrative wouldn't be complete if I didn't address this. I'm simply going to report; please don't use it as an excuse to start a discussion about religious beliefs. And if you're interested in the cultural narrative I hope that you will find this as fascinating as I did.

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The central square in Chichicastenango runs roughly east and west, and there is cathedral located on each end of the square.

The photo below (which is a repeat post) shows the cathedral on the east side of the square. This is the principal (i.e., larger) cathedral Note the steps leading up to the cathedral.

I don't have a separate photo showing the building of the cathedral on the west side of the square - but conveniently here's a web photo that does. Again note the steps leading up to the buildings, and, while you're at it, note the similarities in styles between the two structures. This is the lesser of the two structures.

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So why do I mention the steps??? Well .....

Chichicastenango was a significant settlement before the Spaniards arrived. The two churches above literally sit on the sites of Mayan temples that predate the Spaniards, and the steps that you see in the photos were part of those temples.

When the Spaniards arrived in Chichi, they destroyed the Mayan temples that were on the platforms and built the churches that you see in the photos. Except that in many ways the Mayans never did convert to Catholicism. They superficially adopted enough Catholic rituals and signs to appease their new rulers, but I gather that mostly they simply grafted those new practices onto their traditional beliefs.

So, you do see an essentially traditional Catholic altar when you go in the churches. But then inside the sanctuary there are other areas where there are smaller traditional Mayan altars where incense is continually burned, and at which people worship, pray, and conduct other traditional Mayan worship practices.

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And outside both churches you see this:

This is an altar fire, in which incense is burned almost continually. I was told there are people who tend these fires, almost around the clock, and they support themselves from the gifts of local people who pay them to burn incense on the altars for them - both on the steps and inside the buildings - and offer prayers on their behalf.

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And then I was struck by this sign:

This sign is in the doorway of the cathedral on the west side of the square. The translation(if I've got it correctly) would be:The Order (or "Brotherhood" or "Community") of the Buried Lord. I don't know if my jaw dropped; I wasn't paying attention.

Throughout most of the world into which Christian beliefs have taken root (both Catholic and Protestant) the focus is on the "risen" Lord. When the Mayan's incorporated Christianity, however, they focused on the buried Lord, because that matched their beliefs about the dead and the spiritual world. So they focused on a Lord who was buried, not a Lord who rose from the dead. Also note the Mayan worship artifact placed in front of the sign.

And the equally fascinating element is that the Spanish Catholic priests working in the area must have given up on trying to "convert" the locals and reached a syncretic peace with the local people.

 

[John Cummings]

Steve,

The correct translation is "Brotherhood of the buried Lord".

I have enjoyed your wonderful pictures and narrative.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Steve,

The correct translation is "Brotherhood of the buried Lord".

I have enjoyed your wonderful pictures and narrative.

Thanks for your comments, John. I appreciate the translation assistance.

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I would like to add a comment. In the photo with the sign, above, note the candles burning in the church, behind the sign. The burning of candles as a religious practice was prevalent throughout Guatemala, and I'm pretty sure it's connected with traditional Mayan worship.

Upthread I mentioned the burning of candles at the tomb of Santo Hermano Pedro. Similarly, when I entered other churches in La Antigua, candles were almost always burning in the holy or sacred locations. Here in Chichi you see candles burning continuously in the churches and on the steps. Some other people in our group went to another holy spot near Chichi, and again candles and incense were continually being burned. In the hotels in which we stayed it was common that there would be a worship area set aside, usually with the distinctly Guatemalan version of the Virgin, and again with candles with burning.

I'm not talking one or two candles in a candelabra. Five votive candles burning simultaneously is about the minimum (e.g., in a niche at a hotel), and at the tomb of Santo Hermano Pedro I saw more like 50 votives burning.

 

[John Cummings]

Thanks for your comments, John. I appreciate the translation assistance.

I would like to add a comment. In the photo with the sign, above, note the candles burning in the church, behind the sign. The burning of candles as a religious practice was prevalent throughout Guatemala, and I'm pretty sure it's connected with traditional Mayan worship.

The burning of candles may be Mayan but it is also VERY Catholic. We lit candles when we attended mass at St. Patricks Cathedral in NYC and we burn candles in our home to illuminate the souls of our dead loved ones.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

The burning of candles may be Mayan but it is also VERY Catholic. We lit candles when we attended mass at St. Patricks Cathedral in NYC and we burn candles in our home to illuminate the souls of our dead loved ones.

Perhaps it's a lack of extent of exposure on my part to Catholicism - but what I observed to be different in Guatemala was the extent of the burning of candles. It was far more common in Guatemala than I have observed in my experiences in the US. Even the Catholic members of the group I was with noted the continual burning of candles.

Having made that mental note while in Guatemala I tried to make parallel observations when we were in Puerto Vallarta a couple of weeks later, including some travels into the countryside away from Puerto Vallarta. In the churches in Puerto Vallarta I visited the burning of candles was far less ubiquitous than I observed in Guatemala.

 

[sstamm]

Very interesting, Steve. Thanks for sharing both your photos and the narrative. I may never get to visit there, but can enjoy and benefit from your experience!!

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

The Murals of Chichicastenango

The 20-year Guatemalan civil war was mostly fought in the Mayan areas of the country. The war was a brutal affair, with Mayan civilian populations subject to tremendous atrocities.

There are two municipal buildings that front the plaza in Chichicastenango, both of which have a series have murals that have been painted on the outside walls of the buildings, facing the public square, depicting aspects of the war and of Mayan culture. The murals speak far more eloquently than I ever could, so I'll keep my narrative to a minimum.

The murals go in progression starting with traditional life, the horrors of the war, and healing after the war. I will start with the older of the two sets of murals.

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"Pop wuj" is reference to Popol Vuh, the Mayan "Book of the People", containing narratives of Mayan history and practices before the arrival of the Spaniards.

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The land is destroyed, and houses are burned with the occupants trapped inside.

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"Linchiamientos" means "lynchings". I was initially puzzled about the significance of wolves or wild dogs in relation to lynchings. In my mind "lynching" means hanging of a person by a mob. I then learned that in the local vernacular "lynching" means any mob assault and killing of a person; possibly by hanging but more often a brutally beating someone to death. Then I understood the wolf pack symbolism.

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The church in this photo is the principal church in Chichi, the same one as shown in photos above.

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"This Historical Monument (or Memorial) 'Memory and Art' are testimonies of the people of Chichicastenango and the victims of the armed internal fighting. "

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Next, the second set of murals.