Thursday, August 16, 2007







Sylvia and I visited Santiago Atitlan this morning, a half hour boat ride from San Pedro. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and we enjoyed sitting on the top of the boat and snapping pictures as we plugged along.

I picked 6 photos from Santiago Atitlan, too tired to decide which one to cut out.

At the top is a picture of the town as our boat pulled in.

Next is a photo of me with the man we paid a few bucks to to show us the location of Maximom (see below), the plaza, and the best shopping areas. I´m getting used to feeling like a giant.

Next is Maximon, the saint of tobacco and alcohol, revered in several towns in Guatemala including Santiago. I had to pay a total of nearly $2 to visit and take one picture. He had "friends" who seemed to be enjoying the cigarettes and alcohol that had been left as gifts. In the background is a glass case with a life-sized Jesus. This was one of the strangest things I´ve seen in my travels.

The 4th photo is a crowd watching a group of traditionally dressed school kids singing. Santiago is a very traditional town where many of the men and nearly all women wear traditional dress. The huipiles (women´s blouses) were absolutely gorgeous (not the foreground of the photo).

The 5th photo is a group of workers pouring a 2nd story cement slab. Hard work and not one of them paused for a second the whole time we watched, just like clockwork. The guy in the red shirt was tossing down buckets one after another that were filled with cement and hauled up the ladder.

The last photo is a detail of the square of fabric I bought today covered with embroidered phoenix birds.

Happy trails!
Stacey

No comments: