Vamos a Panajachel

Left for Panajachel today. We loaded up the vans around 9 am this morning, left Guatemala City, and headed towards the highlands. The transition from city to country was remarkable. Although the city has a flavor of its own, I was struck by the beauty of the rural countryside. On the way to Pana we stopped in Iximche - an important Maya ruin site in Guatemala. While wandering around the site we came across a traditional shaman ceremony. Iximche is unique in that it is one of the only ruin sites in the country still used by today's indigenous people. They frequently hold events and have picnics throughout the site. The ritual we witnessed was particularly interesting. It involved a Mayan woman in traditional dress and three younger looking men. It was held in front of the ruins of a temple...which had been draped in colorful streamers and flowers. The shaman was circling a fire pit, throwing soda and alcohol into the flames. After chanting for a period of time, live chickens were pulled out of a series of canvas bags. They were held above the fire and shortly after, decapitated as a sacrifice to the gods. The blood was drained around the fire ring, the head was tossed into the flames, and the bodies were placed carefully in a circle around the pit. Although the ceremony was difficult to watch, I forced myself to see the ritual through the lens of the cultural relativist...attempting to understand what I was seeing through the eyes of the culture within which I was living. Although we were not entirely sure why the ceremony was being carried out, we were told that it had something to do with bringing prosperity to the three men in their future business endeavors. 

After leaving Iximche, we drove through Tecpan - a very impoverished village bordering the ruin site - and ate at the restaurant Los Pinos (which apparently served as the CIA headquarters during President Bush's visit to Guatemala). After lunch the rains began. I am visiting Guatemala during the rainy season. Meaning...every day around 2 pm, the sun disappears and is quickly replaced by dark thundering clouds. In this case...the term when it rains it pours has never been so true. The rain today was not a drizzle, it was a torrential downpour. Driving out of Tecpan towards Pana on unpaved roads in heavy rain was interesting. I am glad I wasn't doing the driving. After a fews hours of bumpyness and curvy roads we arrived in Solola and continued driving into Pana. We unloaded at the Hotel Utz Jay and spent the rest of the afternoon/evening exploring the main touristy street in town. Driving here is pretty crazy and the roads are constantly filled with chicken buses and tuk-tuks. The streets are beyond colorful...with traditional trajes and side bags using every shade of the rainbow imaginable. We had another orientation session tonight and tomorrow we leave for our homestays. I will be headed up to Santa Clara La Laguna. I am really excited to meet my family and anxious to get settled in. 

More updates to come as soon as I find my town's local internet cafe. 

peace and love,

Jen

Hola! 

For the next seven weeks I am going to be participating in an anthropology-based research program in the Lake Atitlan region of Guatemala. During this time, I will be living in Santa Clara La Laguna, a small town located above the larger, more touristy towns of San Pedro and San Marcos. Although I will be taking two classes - one that deals with tourism and anthropology and one that focuses on the application of research methods - I will spend the majority of my time carrying out an independent research project. I have yet to determine the topic of my project but I will keep you posted and let you know when I do. 

I am attempting to keep a blog but - due to the rural location of my village - internet access will be limited. 

I arrived into Guatemala City, Guatemala late last night and I spent most of today bumming around the hotel and surrounding area. From what I have seen, Guatemala City is large, dirty, and polluted (like any large city); however, in betwixt and between the streets, buildings, cars, and motorcycles the city seems to be imbued with a plethora of color. 

Tonight we met for a brief orientation session and tomorrow morning we are leaving for Panajachel, one of the main towns located on the shores of Lake Atitlan. On the way we are stopping at the Mayan ruins of Iximche and grabbing lunch in the village of Tecpan. I will write another update next time I able to access the internet. For now...I am just trying to adjust to a new culture, recall my Spanish, and soak up as much Guatemala goodness as possible. 

adios para ahora,

Jen