Semana Santa (Easter) procession

19 April, 2019

Semana Santa main procession which is held on Good Friday, San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala.


Leading the parade is this fellow with the drum and flute, a kind of "call to service". I also saw them doing this standing or sitting outside the church doors before the service at several churches. I'm not certain whether this is only during Semana Santa or year round.

The women in their traditional handwoven clothing. I cannot say enough how beautiful these textiles are. In a small pueblo like San Pedro, these are made locally and have local colors and patters specific to the pueblo and group.

The procession moves along in stages, when not in motion, the women lower their shawls, but when moving they cover their heads.

The attendants and bearers of the palos (the heavy wooden platforms upon which are scenes of Christ, the Vigin Mary, and the cross) wear special robes and hats.

Here you can see the float with the cross being lowered to pass under the arch of fruits. Since it is immensely heavy, this move must have been really difficult; even more so with the larger floats which followed.

Here is a video so that you can see just how ponderous the movement of these floats are. They can weigh as much as 2000 kg (4400 lbs) and so you can see how many people are required to carry them.

A close up view. They stand very close together to fit enough people under it to bear this much weight. (Imagine a pool table and multiply it by several times in size.)

After the procession passes by, children run to play in the colored sawdust that has been left behind once the alfombras (flower carpets) have been trampled.

At the very end of the parade, as the floats were entering the cathedral, everyone joined in a mass hymn.

Street Art, San Pedro, Guatemala

28 March, 2019
 

Street art, San Pedro la Laguna, Guatemala

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Corazón Maya Spanish School

22 March, 2019

I spent the past week at  Corazón Maya Spanish School in San Pedro La Laguna, Lake Atitlán, Guatemala. Altough I am moving on for personal reasons, the school is wonderful and I would certainly recommend them for the beautiful location, family atmosphere, friendly teachers, and the tranquility.

Here is the view upon entering the gate from the street. The propery is long and narrow, going all the way down to the lake.
 

 A little farther down the path looking back up towards the office. There are flowering plants and trees throughout the property.

Further down the path beyond the office buildings and are the bungalows, tiny cottages which can be rented for a very reasonable price. Many of the students choose to live in this peaceful garden.

The experience of living with my host family has also been very rewarding in a completely different way, and I definitely speak more Spanish with them than I would otherwise, as I tend to be a bit of a hermit when left to myself.

Past the bungalows next to come to the open space of the garden which is dotted with little pavilions in which each teacher-student pair takes lessons together.

At the end of the garden is a lovely little pool; swimming pools are somewhat rare here, so this is quite the find.

At the very bottom next to the lake is the vegetable garden, and beyond that, the lake.

The private beach may be small, but it has spectacular views of the lake.

The school has activities in the evenings 4 times per week.

It's nice that they have evening activities, so that the afternoon students are able to participate as well.

 Making tamales was  time consuming but not nearly as difficult a process as I had anticipated. Everyone had a good time.

These tamales, also called paches, are made with potates rather than cornmeal.

Playing Spanish vocabulary bingo while waiting for the tamales to steam.I

Another evening, we made tostadas. Much faster top make than tamales, and also delicious.

They are careful to make sure there are vegetarian options available for those who want.

A few students were leaving, so there were some farewell speeches after dinner.

And if all that isn't enticing enough, there is a sweet little cat named Puma living at the school.

Thank you to all the wonderful people at Corazón Maya Spanish School for a beautiful experience!

Full Moon over Lake Atitlán

21 March, 2019

Just another day in San Pedro, having a cup of coffee at my favorite coffee shop.

Several other students and I were sitting around playing cards when the spectacular moonrise made us drop everything! The full moon reflecting on Lake Atitlán, as seen from the garden of the school Corazon Maya.

 

I am simply enchanted by Guatemala.

Heavy loads, coffee, and Flemitos

20 March, 2019

On the way to school, I saw this elderly gent walking. He is carrying something unidentified, but very heavy based on the way he was moving. I frequently see Mayan men carrying things this way: a rope or strap holding the load is put around the forehead and the load is on the back. 

Examples I have seen include gasoline canisters and stacks of cinder blocks.

Mayan women carry heavy loads by making a little crown of cloth and balancing the load on their heads. 

Another day at my favorite Cafe Chuasenayi. The owner is raking the drying coffee beans.

Homework time: iced coffee, shade, and the little cat.

Still coughing a bit from the smog inhalation, so I thought I would try a herbal cough syrup instead of medicine. The name "Flemitos" sounds like a really gross snack food, and it tastes about like it sounds. 

Coffee, Cats, and Tamales

19 March, 2019

Homework time in the afternoon... Today I found another family owned coffee house that harvests and roasts their own coffee. I ordered the same drink, as good as the other place, but this one has more milk and ice, less mocha, like a milkshake. 

Not only is it close by where I'm staying, it also has a great view of the lake. There is a swimming pool behind the cafe, one of these days I will have a swim.

BONUS: this cafe has a friendly cat! However, one has to be vigilant, as the cat is persistent in attempting to taste your food and drinks.

 I can't remember the name of the flower at the moment, but this one is especially beautiful. It is in front of a neighboring house.

 All of the Spanish schools offer organized activities of some kind. I skipped playing fútbol (soccer) yesterday - all I need is another foot our leg injury - but today's activity was making tamales! I'm in!!!!

 One type of tamale here in Guatemala is called pache, and it is made of mashed potatoes, with a tomato based salsa (sauce) mixed in, and in the middle various things, but always one Tony hot chile. Fortunately for me, the chile is left intact, so it's easy to pick it out.
We started with cleaning the leaves and peeling and mashing the potatoes.

 Salt and oil are afded.top the potatoes, then the salsa, and mixed by hand.

 Estela, the sweetest woman ever, pain roasting the seeds and spices for the salsa.

 After peeling and mashing potatoes, I took a cat worship break.

 

 The it was time to assemble the paches. I'm not sure what plant these leaves are from, but I was told that they are definitely not banana leaves. Wrapping them was a lit easier than I expected and rather fun as we had an assembly line going.

 Then we wait for the giant pots of tamales to steam. We passed the time playing Spanish vocabulary bingo, using dried corn as the markers.

When the tamales finally arrived at the table, I was to hungry to take any more photos. Deeeelicious! Went for a walkabout with the other students afterward to a gelato shop, the test went on to a bar which I skipped. It was a fun evening.