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Post by kerouac2 on May 27, 2018 18:48:30 GMT
On Thursday and Sunday, Chichicastenango reputedly holds the largest market in Central America in the heart of Mayan country. It is about 140km from Guatemala City, nestled among the mountains at an altitude of about 2000m.
I had seen some impressive markets in Mexico, but I have to say "Wow" about this one.
We had to stop on the road for breakfast. Apparently, only the poorest people eat breakfast at home.
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This is what I actually ordered -- the most typical Guatemalan breakfast: scrambled eggs with capiscum, frijoles refritos with taco chips and fried plantain bananas. Okay, but it has not become a favourite.
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I always find the road to anywhere interesting.
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The name for tuktuk in Guatemala is tuktuk.
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After a few hours on the (not very good) road, we finally arrived in town. The roads have a lot of cracks from earthquakes with resultant potholes. Car weave right and left as needed to avoid the bad spots. This gets complicated when there is a lot of traffic. I was very happy to not be driving, especially when we finally arrived in Chichicastenango which was steep and chaotic, with apparently no driving rules except on the (ignored) signs but also some traffic police to direct people to places in contradiction of the signs. Luckily, my friends had been there before several times and pretty much knew where to go, including a friendly parqueo where we could leave the car for a small fee.
Finally on foot, it was time to discover the market.
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Post by bjd on May 27, 2018 18:56:54 GMT
Oh, I'm happy to see some pictures. As impatient as I get having to stand in line at home, I also like to look out bus/train/car windows in foreign places, even if it's for hours. Especially when it's so different from where I live.
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Post by onlyMark on May 27, 2018 19:22:49 GMT
"The name for tuktuk in Guatemala is tuktuk."
Hmmm........... I wonder......... if you can rent one. I need to look in to that.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 27, 2018 19:39:15 GMT
Pues, para mí, hasta este punto parece mucho a México. Looking forward to the market!
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Post by kerouac2 on May 27, 2018 21:05:58 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on May 27, 2018 21:10:53 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on May 27, 2018 21:22:36 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on May 27, 2018 22:00:54 GMT
Now you're talking! You must have enjoyed it and been inspired, as you certainly took some wonderful pictures. The first thing that struck me was the angle in the pictures in #4. Then I remembered how short Guatemalans, especially Guatemalan women are. You are tall, but normal tall. In that market, though, you must have seemed like Paul Bunyan. I'm thinking those mini-skirted mannequins aren't really sporting mini skirts, but are just regular commercial mannequins whose knees show by default in a skirt that's knee-length for the locals. Absolutely delighted to see people wearing the gorgeous Guatemalan weaving and embroidery, which brings me to: I do not have the slightest idea of the use of the various stakes that this woman is selling, but they were marvellous anyway. Call on me! Call on me! I know! The round dowels are for waist-looms. The warp (long) threads are attacked to those, one for each end. Then one end is hung from something and a sling attached to the other end to go around the weaver's waist or butt. Thus the weaver herself provides the tension. The flattened, slight sharpened stakes are shuttles. They pass the thread back and forth through the warp threads. The hoops on the left of that picture are for embroidery. Note the blouse of the woman holding the ice cream cone girl -- that's classic Guatemalan needlepoint. Those fabulous garments are cut up when they're worn out and the still good part used to make the quilts shown in #5. I am so enjoying these pictures as they really are very different from what would be seen in Mexico outside of maybe Chiapas. The shots of the steps are wonderful and completely timeless. Love the pictures of the folkcraft, especially the carved pieces. Did you try the tortillas? I've heard they aren't nearly as good as Mexican ones, she said provincially. I got a chuckle over the small banner in the church which says "fear of the Lord". I remember learning that phrase in preparation for Confirmation. I thought it was funny when I was 13, and still find it very odd. I'm astounded by the flowers, which are beyond perfect. That crisp mountain air must keep them that way. Wonderful report. I can't wait to see what else you have in store for us.
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Post by bjd on May 28, 2018 5:03:29 GMT
Bixa beat me to it, although she knows the details better than I do. My husband bought a couple of small woven things in Mexico years ago. They were done on waist looms, and seeing the thread at the same stand confirmed my guess.
Indeed it's nice to see that so many women are still dressed in those bright colours and embroidered clothes.
It looks like a great place to spend some time. I think the fruit and vegetables don't look too "foreign" but are mostly foods I recognize.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 28, 2018 5:10:29 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on May 28, 2018 5:40:12 GMT
Did you try the tortillas? I've heard they aren't nearly as good as Mexican ones, she said provincially.
I confirm that the tortillas are tasteless. I can imagine them being good only for dipping into a tasty sauce. In many places, pan de ajo was proposed as an alternative, and even though it was just white bread fried in oil and garlic, it was better than the tortillas.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 28, 2018 5:54:33 GMT
One of the best things about the market was the enormous variety of embroidered items on sale. In many markets I have seen the same bedspreads or tablecloths or blouses over and over again. In this market the various stands tried to sell things different from each other, including potholders, aprons, slippers, curtains, etc. Just about all of the Mayan women I saw in any town were dressed traditionally in all of the red-based hues of various design. Male attire is totally ordinary on the other hand. It would be interesting to see what they wear for special events or ceremonies, but I suspect that it would just be suits and ties. Most -- but not all -- of the men are siginificantly taller than the women. I have long read that Guatemalan women are the shortest in the world, which made me wonder which country has the shortest men. Apparently, Bolivia and Indonesia are pretty much tied for this "honour." And the size of the people has less to do with genetics than malnutrition
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Post by onlyMark on May 28, 2018 6:10:10 GMT
The church looks churchy in a normal way, but I'm a bit confused about the steps outside. They look to be quite decrepit and as they are the church steps, I'd have thought they'd have been in better condition.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 28, 2018 6:18:29 GMT
I don't know why they are not in better condition. However, it can be pointed out that Guatemala is the country where the greatest percentage of people have deserted the Catholic church. More than 40% of them have joined evangelical movements and it is the same trend throughout Latin America. The evangelical movements support extremely conservative politics and are great supporters of President Trump.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 28, 2018 12:15:04 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on May 28, 2018 12:18:29 GMT
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Post by bjd on May 28, 2018 13:26:29 GMT
I wonder why they paint the tombstones but not their houses.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 28, 2018 15:31:53 GMT
There are more flies than seeds on these watermelons. Those aren't flies, they're bees -- little stingless native bees. You'll see them on sweet stuff in many of my market pictures. Even though they don't sting, you have to be alert. I once got a bee along with a bite of ice cream. They like to paint their tombs here. You really, really outdid yourself with those graveyard pictures -- beautiful! Everyone always remarks on the color in Mexico, but I think Guatemala must win on that score. Any idea what the woman is burning and why? They look to be quite decrepit and as they are the church steps, I'd have thought they'd have been in better condition. I've seen church steps used the same way in Chiapas, a state culturally related to Guatemala. It's a chicken/egg situation as to whether the market grew up around the church or vice-versa. Markets in Mexico and Guatemala are often centuries old -- pre-columbian old. Whichever, the steps are handy market space and the markets go on every day, so it's probably a case of no one wanting to shift long enough for the steps to get fixed. Also, even though the steps are probably @500 years old, you can see signs of recent repair on them. Guatemala is the country where the greatest percentage of people have deserted the Catholic church. More than 40% of them have joined evangelical movements and it is the same trend throughout Latin America. That is most interesting. It should be pointed out that some of those converts may not have been "regular" Catholics, though. In some of the very traditional villages in Chiapas, converts to Protestantism have been expelled. Those villages practice their pre-columbian religion, although often interwoven with aspects of Catholicism. (The reason I keep referencing Chiapas is because despite its division from Guatemala by a political border, it's a population of the same peoples and culture: https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1177_122112maya.gif <-- copy & paste) I wonder why they paint the tombstones but not their houses. That's the same sort of thing that foreigners wonder around here -- why market stands are arranged with care and artistry, but often homes are left bare and plain. Tell me if I'm talking too much! I am just completely enthralled by this report.
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Post by mossie on May 28, 2018 15:43:36 GMT
Very vibrant and colourful, as this forum has led me to expect from that part of the world. The painted tombstones are quite something, would never be allowed in dreary Ipswich.
Liked the market, the chickens in a basket reminded me of Egypt where they were sold live on markets. The stallholder would casually wring the birds neck while selling it for the pot.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 28, 2018 16:03:47 GMT
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Post by bjd on May 28, 2018 16:50:14 GMT
I too was struck by the unprofessional lettering on the tombs -- to the extent that there are spelling mistakes.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 28, 2018 17:20:46 GMT
*Applause* Wonderful report, Kerouac. I'm glad Mossie brought up the chickens, as that photo with the hens inside the net is one of my favorites. Sorry about having a picture in my last post -- someone rang the doorbell & I posted without realizing the picture url showed as a picture. It's fixed now. I could have tricked you into thinking it was an ordinary cemetery. Not really! Actually, the b&w pictures show how exotic the cemetery is. It made me notice the pyramid-ish form of one of the tombs, for instance. Can't wait to see more reports on your Guatemalan trip.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on May 28, 2018 17:36:22 GMT
Wow...that market looks very lively (if claustrophobic) you certainly believe in immersing yourself in the culture Kerouac. I supose markets are similar all over the world altho each has a certain individual flavour. I love the circular carved plaques..and the fabrics are amazing.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 28, 2018 17:46:05 GMT
Actually, I was told that it was less crowded than usual for a Sunday. For people who don't like crowds, Thursday is the day to go. ("Completely dead" according to some.)
You kind of expect a certain amount of English to be spoken in a place like that, but there were some vendors with remarkable knowledge of French.
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Post by lagatta on Jun 7, 2018 11:56:53 GMT
All the tombs I noticed seemed to have only the date of death, not the date of birth. Too bad, as one can't get a sense of life expectancy.
I know a couple who are United Church ministers who were working with Mayan villagers in Guatemmala (the United Church is very "liberal" and social-justice oriented in its outlook, completely the opposite of the Central American evangelists who are very US bible-belt in outlok). They say the evangelists are very much opposed to indigenous culture and discourage the wearing of traditional garments. They act as churches did throughout the Americas a century ago and earlier.
A little boy was wearing a "Messi" shirt in one of the shots. I think he is very popular with short kids around the world...
I also noticed pictures showing both humans and canines as social animals. Perhaps that is why we are so drawn to markets, and why some modern supermarkets feign an appearance of traditional markets.
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