GUATEMALA HIGHLANDS-SANTA CRUZ DEL QUICHE to SAN ANDRES XECUL

Leaving Antigua with Manuel our friend and guide, we headed to the highlands of Guatemala.  We wanted a cultural tour with history and meeting local Maya in the areas where we traveled.

First stop: Santa Cruz del Quiche to see the archaeological site Gumarkaa'j (aka Utatlán), where the last Maya-Quiche king lived with his people before the conquest of the Spaniards in the mid 1500s.  Gumarkaa'j dates back to the 1400s.

As we walked into the site we saw a group of people near a stone altar.  One was an actual priest or shaman and another was being trained.  Manuel advised that photos could be taken from a distance. Hence, nothing is close or clear in the photos but hopefully you will be able to feel appreciation for a living ancient culture.

Message: Please be sensitive to these people and their rituals.  Don't take photos or videos of the participants without their permission.

The shaman in training is in the blue shirt.  Both men covered their heads with a ceremonial headband that was worn by Maya kings and priests in antiquity.  How do we know that?  They are depicted in precisely this way in stone monuments and mural paintings from ancient times.  There are also two women and two children.  In the fire are thrown all kinds of sweet smelling incense, plants, herbs, and food.  The stone altar is in front of them out of sight.

Here is a photos of natural foods, plants and herbs that may be used in their rituals. Corn is usually one of them.  In the center is black corn on a cob with flowers on top.

We stumbled across an area where ritual offerings had been burned.  The smell was still sweet and earthy.  There are many non-food items that are thrown into the fire.  Here coins, bits of rocks, obsidian, and branches of herbs are all that remain.

At the end of the ceremony the group faced each cardinal direction, chanted and then turned towards the next direction.  The Maya have a deep sense of respect for everything about them, a spirituality that one can often feel in speaking with them.   

Shamans are chosen when they are young and the training begins. Most shamans are male but there are a few females who are chosen for that role.  They take this calling very seriously and devote their lives to it when they are grown and have their own family.  They charge a small fee when called upon by lay people to heal the sick, perform marriages, give counsel based on Maya religious principles, or conduct funerals or other Maya rituals.

Guumarkcaa'j is an isolated plateau with views of the valley below on every side.  Caves are an important part of Maya belief as they represent the boundary and/or portal between the world we live in and worlds unseen.   Manuel took us to two below the plateau. 

The sweet earthy smells were in the caves too.

This gringo hit his head on the top of the cave.  He's too tall!

Legend has it that the Maya king hid women and children in these caves when the Spanish invaded. 

Soon we were off on an even higher road to San Andres Xecul to see it's brightly painted church.  It is also a region where herds of sheep provide wool for blankets and clothing.

We arrived at San Andres Xecul as the sun was descending. 

The Catholic church faces west and is at the foot of a steep incline up the mountain.  It was painted in these colors in 1900 and has remained the same since then.  The original church is much older and more subdued.  The confriada of female parishioners maintain the church today, inside and out.  The facade is said to model the intricate weaving and colors of the Maya woman's huipil or native blouse.  The beauty of these native blouses is very difficult to describe but the church facade will give you a rough idea. 

Manuel told us this is the only church that he has seen with a pregnant Mary in the facade.

In a side chapel the faithful women and men kneel before the altar and pray. The sound of these women's voices raised in quiet prayer was quite stirring. 

Further up the hill is a smaller chapel that faces east.

I'm sure when all of these candles are lit, it's an impressive sight to be seen from the other church below.

Since many Maya are also Catholic their living altar is next door and outside.

Notice the stalks of maiz (corn) near the main altar.  To the Maya, corn is the staff of life, a divine gift from the Father and Mother Creators.  One fire was still warm and I could spell the fresh herbs that had been used.

It was a great day to be in Guatemala!