Greetings!
After a drive up several thousand feet to the town of Chichicastenango, we walked through a public market held twice a week at the foot of the steps of the San Tomas Church. Built in 1540, the Spanish destroyed a Mayan temple on the site, and sought to convert the Mayans to Catholicism.
To this day, Mayans have honored the remaining temple steps as sacred.
As we carefully made our way through the vendor stalls and praying parishioners, our guide told us that the Popol Vuh, the bible of Mayan culture, was ground in this church.
Fire is a vital tools in the Mayan culture, and plays an important role in understanding the cosmos.
We visited a workshop where masks, headdresses, and capes were being made and stored. Masks play and important function in Mayan and present day ceremonies. Societies with beliefs anchored in characters who control our lives, and stories which explain our circumstances, pay homage to them regularly. Our understanding of the world has been portrayed in plays and presentations made to our family, our tribe, or village.
Afterward, the craftsman and his family gave us a short presentation of the town's non-violent bull-fighting activity.
Tomorrow will be our last day exploring Antigua, and on the trip. Hopefully, I'll be able to better understand my IPad, and that these posts will again prove to be useful in communicating the story of our adventure.
To this day, Mayans have honored the remaining temple steps as sacred.
As we carefully made our way through the vendor stalls and praying parishioners, our guide told us that the Popol Vuh, the bible of Mayan culture, was ground in this church.
Afterward, the craftsman and his family gave us a short presentation of the town's non-violent bull-fighting activity.
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