Photos near Nebaj, Guate

I wanted to be sure to get in some photos of the sweet communities near Nebaj...Xexocom, and Xexuxcap. This area is in the high country; it was maybe 50 degrees at night, so sitting around the stone cookstoves was a must. But during the day it's probably only 62 degrees, despite the bright sun. I loved this area; the sheep, the slow way things get when there are no cars, the hillside villages, striped baby pigs at the house of the woman in the photo--sister of our young guide; tumbling streams (you don't see much water in Guate at the end of this dry season). I could live there quite happily if it weren't so cold.

This is near the area of the worst atrocities during the war (mostly in the 80's). The guide told me his parents had to leave Xexocom during the day to avoid the soldiers; they would run to the higher mountains and hide for the day. They had no water and nothing to eat; they couldn't tend their fields because the soldiers were watching. A time of hardship and terror.

The Peace Accords were finally written in '96.

There were mostly adobe homes in these two villages, but some new homes were also being built. Francisco told us that almost every family has a member living and working in the U.S., mostly in Minnesota if I remember correctly. They depend on the money sent to them for any progress in their lives.

The languages spoken in ths area is Ixil, but I noticed they still use "Mak'tiosh" (spelling questionable) for Thank You, as they do in Tz'utujil. Our guide told me that Ixil is the one Mayan language that is not from the original root, but of course every area has a story about how their place is special.

Semana Santa - San Pedro

For some reason, I wasn't impressed with last night's procession in San Pedro, although it was very nice to view the three Andas carried by men (Jesus), men (the cross) and women (Mary,) in this more intimate setting. Fortuitously, we parked ourselves in the spot where the first change of carriers took place, so we got to watch the routine. Instead of men in pilgrim costumes—the deep purple color of penitence--as in Antigua, these various groups of men were wearing matching t-shirts, all striped, but in different colors for each group.
The women all wore the traditional traje and checked shawl of San Pedro. Young women wore short bridal veils. They carried the smaller anda bearing the cross in one section, but I noticed that coming down the steps of the church and going around the corners, the men took over for the women, briefly. As usual it was difficult to get these tall figures underneath the wires and the beautiful decorations of folded banana leaves, fruit and flowers on each significant corner, so more machinations (bending, shifting to the arms instead of shoulders) took place there. All the andas were lit by light bulbs; long wires trailed out for blocks behind to where the generator came, pulled by a couple of men on a wagon. There was a small but rather good band, with just one repetitious but rather lovely song; among the members were two women on trumpet and saxophone. The job I didn't envy was that of the drum carrier....this enormous thing on his back, secured by the tumpline on his forehead.
This morning's procession (this is after all "Good" Friday) was altogether different. We walked up through the stone streets at 7 am to see the carpets. Instead of being laid on different streets all over, as in Antigua, they were one after the other, touching, for all the blocks that surround the central plaza...maybe 10 blocks, in total. These alfombras were AMAZING....much more beautiful and creative than those I remember in Antigua.....more fruit and vegetables, several with designs from the textiles here and (I think I recognize) in Nabaj done in colored popsickle sticks (one) and chrysanthemum petals (the other.) The use of flower parts and flower/fruit combos was extremely varied and creative; one was entirely of different sizes, shapes and shades of green leaves all placed strategically. There must have been 60-70 carpets. Unfortunately I didn't take my camera. Que lastima! I hope to include a few from Antigua from last year.
The most beautiful vistas were from the steps up to the church looking up at the Christ figure as he first emerged from the church portal, long lines of shawl-covered women in front of him, singing a high-pitched dirge. And then looking down on the same anda after it passed to the steps below onto the street and onto the first carpet. For of course they proceed over these beautiful carpets. One person told me, “but of course; that is the sacrifice.”
The anda stopped at that point, carried by the slightly-straining men (11 to a side) and some priest I couldn't see gave a long prayer in Tz’utujil, the local language. When he began, a whole group of men in apricot-striped t-shirts knelt all along the beautiful carpet, and the women in the row above them quickly covered their heads. Then all the people repeated their part in the prayer. All of it in Tz'utujil.
Then they started up again and proceeded up through the first carpet, trampling large fan-shaped leaves decorated along their lines with fruit and flowers, abundant fresh-smelling pine needles, large arrays of flowers in a basket made of criss-crossed sticks....and on and on. Quite stunning. And always Maria Dolorosa follows her son to the cross, many more women covered in shawls following her and singing (including the one French woman who lives here, who speaks Tz'tujil perfectly and wears traje, or typical dress.).
But how lovely. I saw several people I know from here....one woman said they made the sawdust Mariposa carpet that was the last before re-entering the church. It was lovely, but sort of too-perfect. I preferred the hokier ones with more varied texture.

We have said we will go to San Juan this afternoon to see the beautiful carpets there.
Tomorrow the procession is "de la Virgen de la Soledad, cargado (carried) por las Madres de Familia e Hijas de Maria".........And Sunday es "solemne procesion del Senor Resucitado" at 8 am...Christ’s resurrection. I hope that turns out to be well-attended; in Antigua all the focus seems to be on the death, not the re-birth..
Interesting. And there are no stations of the cross here, as in Antigua.

I wanted to post photos from San Pedro, but failed to take my camera with me. So the photos above are from Antigua, last year.

Anyway. Lovely, lovely.