Cuanto Cuesta?

When you ask a person, “How much is it?” in Panajachel, Guatemala.  The price is not final and there is some room for negotiation depending on the product. All vendors are dressed traditionally in their Mayan clothing, which includes a traditional skirt and a square over sized top with a belt.  Everything they wear is full of color including their head band, belt, top, and skirt. The men wear tribal pants, an apron looking skirt, and a long sleeved button down top with tribal colored pattern.  Everything they are wearing they are usually selling.  When they are selling an item, they are willing to negotiate, but what is interesting is there explanation of the origin of the product. They give you background stories on the item and always tell you the amount of time it took to make.  For example, mi amiga Ana selling a traditional Mayan shirt says that it took 6 months to hand weave the knit woven shirt.  They use many different colors when sewing producing weaves of beauty.  It is easy to believe that this cost 300 Quetzal because it took 6 months to make. 

Also, another vendor pointed out the time spent painting a handmade ceramic cross. He pointed out the detailing used when painting the various colors. When you buy something from Guatemala, it can be made my machine or made by hand.  When it’s made by hand, the price is more expensive and the quality is priceless.  One woman who had been coming to Guatemala for years said that she always buys everything hand made and she has never had one item fall apart, rip, or tear.  It seems to be very clear with the quality of work and the quantity of time.    

Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi is a Latin Rite liturgical solemnity celebrating the tradition and belief in the body and blood of Jesus Christ and his Real Presence in the Eucharist (Wikipedia).  


For this religious celebration, they have an extra special tradition, which involves bombs.  For the whole week, real bombs are set off throughout the city-yes real bombs.  No one really had an answer for what kinds of bombs, but they went off all through the day and all through the night.  You would be just sitting and eating your lunch and "Boom" it goes off startling you and making you jump out of your seat.  Once you got used to them, you would feel less startled, but somedays they would just continuously go off and it was distracting and annoying.  

On the actual Holy Day, they had a whole procession with men carrying Jesus on a platform while other men followed behind them dressed up in scarey masks.  The children would run away from the scary masks and so would little kids..  It was religious yet it felt more like a show rather than celebrating the actual importance.The real importance was celebrated in church.  

La Cabesa

While traveling, one of my favorite traditions is placing items on top of the head.  It's quite special with the women of Guatemala as they use nothing to hold it onto the head rather than their own balance.  

In Panajachel, everything goes on the head, jewelry, clothing, food- on the head. The weight can be anywhere from 15 to 30 pounds. In the market, I asked one of my friends, Ana, if I could try it( This is really where the video camera would come in if I brought it).  I had everyone laughing as I thought I could do it, but it turns out I only made it a few steps.  I was definitely better at it in India, but clearly I had no skills this time.  No points scored for American on that one.  It proves to be a hard task and a laborious one for the women of Guatemala who are older in their 50s and 60s.  They are selling all day from 7am to 8 or 9 pm no matter how tired they get.  
One day I had an encounter with a very tired Mayan women. . The sun was setting with not many people around except the boat that had just docked. She had her basket off her head and she presented a bracelet in front of me lazily. It was clearly that it was the end of the day for her and she was tired. She said that the basket is too heavy.  

All the people were leaving the boat and I encouraged her to get out there and sell. It was her last sell for the day and then she could go home. She said, "Okay" and headed down to the dock. I sat above giving her some positive encouragement. 

Unfortunately, I could not carry her stuff on my head, but some encouragement at least got her up to bat in the last inning.  

There is unlimited beauty in acknowledgement, encouragement, and empowerment. PRIS