We had to make a hard choice: either to continue following in our friends' Dan and Lyssa's steps to Biotopo de Quetzales or check out this fiesta. The serendipity of this made it easy. It wasn't exactly on our route, but it wasn't far off and we were ahead of schedule. It took awhile and 3 buses to get here (not the 10 hrs. to Champey but easily 7 with no breaks.) It seems like the buses are just waiting for us when we arrive and we continue to be swept up with the guys who are hawking their destination. Zippity Do Dah and we're off on the next leg of the journey!
We got a room at Posada San Pablo which luckily was easily sighted from where the bus let us off. We were unable to reach them by phone though John (one of the travelers we traveled on the shuttle with) tried many times, but, again, like at Champey, there was room despite this huge festival and what may be the only hotel/hostel in town. (Ed: We later learned there were several hotels, but this was the most convenient.) After we got into our room, I hung up the wet clothes from yesterday and then started talking with a Guatemalan man who was reading a book in English. He had one of those t-shirts totally dedicated to Jesus and the Crucifixion. We had a delicious conversation about the deeper meanings of this festival and I added a bit of my own about Jewish mysticism. All 5 minutes of it! I originally engaged him to ask if he knew if we could make it to Guatemala City in 6 hours or less by taking the bus that leaves from Rabinal and goes the back way. In the process of showing me the map he took out of his SUV, he offered to give us a ride and, since we are leaving on the samet day, I gratefully accepted. My gracias was met with "it will be my pleasure." Wowie zowie!
Joanie conked out as soon as we got here, but I was starving with only a fruit salad and then a roll with cheese, so I went into the restaurant that the owner of the posada runs next door and ordered lunch. Someone said hello to me and I ended up in a conversation with a local who works in Minnesota for half the year. Usually he goes back in March, but this year he'll be there in a week. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
I took a walk to the Plaza and there was block after block of tables set up selling everything from shoes and bras, to pottery and paintings, to Guatemalan traditional material, which virtually all of the women we have seen since entering the country wear, and jeans. I finally reached the Parque Central in front of the church and it had row after row of locals and visitors checking out the dancers in the center.
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| the Central Square was surrounded by throngs of people watching about 50 dancers in mask and costume salsa dancing |
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| Catedral Rabinal |
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| these musicians were playing just inside the front door |
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| inside the main cathedral |
The costumes are more what you might see at a Gay event than the traditional ones and the band was playing salsa at top decibel, so I didn't stay long. Hopefully, I'll recover after a good night sleep enough to visit the homes that are assembling the floats dedicated to San Pablo and San Pedro that will be carried through the streets in a couple of days. Don't think we´ll be around for that, but we are definitely catching a cultural event. Joanie is looking forward to tomorrow when they will be performing a traditional dance form.
(Joanie: I did get up in the evening to walk over to the plaza to see the dancers. Amazing! to perhaps a samba about 60 dancers entered, fully masked, black hair flying, fully costumed, dancing what was announced as an "original improvisation" that continued for a long time. A witch. Another figure I cannot remember now. There must be strong cultural significance that was picked up into a contemporary form. Mostly the dancers danced alone, sometimes in duos, in lines, and such. The witch wandered all over the place with the other figure. Will have to look it up on Wikipedia.)
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| a repeat performance and we were standing right at their entry point! |
MONDAY - Can someone please tell me where to find a cup of real coffee in Guatemala? All I get is Nescafe. Someone told me that all the coffee gets exported, but I did buy some beans in the mercado so I know that isn't so.
Visiting the cemetary with Ernesto:
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| the two walls of the cemetery were covered with photos of the martyrs of the recent revolution who died in defense of this pueblo |
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| one of the more famous revolutionaries from the area |
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| Ernesto and the main organizer standing outside the shrine of San Pablo |
Well, we found some traditional dancers today as well as the Confidada San Pablo. One family keeps the Confidada - a large shrine made of colored feathers in which the figure of San Pablo is enshrined - for a year. People gather round, offer flowers, candles, to the Saint. The festival itself lasts for many days..
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| this troupe is coming from the shrine of San Pedro to pay respects at the shrine of San Pablo |
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| nowhere we went in Central America was traditional dress as common as it was in Guatemala |
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| paying respect at the shrine of San Pablo |
At the Confidada, we watched the entire community joining together to make tamales:
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| mixing the corn meal |
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| tortillas |
Some women were tearing banana leaves to the right side and with the center spine available to tie them:
Others were serving a sweet roll with a rather tasteless concoction of corn meal with cocoa on top. Sacred stuff (sangre de Cristo) so I decided to finish my bowl off:
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| wrapped, finished tamales on their way to be cooked |
The men were hauling huges pails of the stuffing or chopping up the meat.
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| butchering one of many pigs |
Others were holding out the leaves while others scooped the masa followed by the pork and tomatoe sauce in:
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| pig's foot |
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| his turn is coming |
A few men were hanging out outside the shrine with San Pedro, dozens of candles and decorations inside:
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| the altar inside the home |
Then there were others playing marimba, flute or drum.:
The host was paying for everything and going around taking donations and giving blessings. Prayer gathering were dedicated to individual members of his family:
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| Joanie & the Costa Rican women speaking with the host |
(Haven´t gotten to the Confidada San Pedro yet, but one of the dances was to happen in front of another home, though we didn't find out why. They too were distributing tamales to everyone attending).
The traditional dance of Rabinal, danced by about 6 characters in full masks and
costumes,commemorates the victory of an invading tribe into this area. The dance is performed 5 times in one day at various locations. There were 2 tribes and the weaker one allied with the invaders. Now all the descendents of this area trace their ancestry to this once weaker tribe. The most interesting thing was that the victors honored the chief of the defeated tribe. Though they beheaded him anyway, they allowed all him several wishes: to tell his story, to drink a special liquid, to dance with the King's daughter and to symbolically say good-by to his village. I suppose that it elevates the victor to have shown this kind of compassion. There are books written about this culture including Rabinal Achi which we plan to pick up after our return. I also had a chance to watch a group of children perform a dance.
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| poster inside the museum of Mayan Culture |
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| mural |
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| another nural |
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| hurrying to another performance of Rabinal Achi |
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| the children performed their own dance |
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| a masked Ernesto |
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| Yehudah masked |
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| a performance outside the shrine of San Pablo |
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| a small fortune's worth of feathers outline the shrine |
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| in the center, the statue of San Pablo that will grace this household for the next year |
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| a very well organized and furnished auto mechanic who spends most of his time working in the States |
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| sunset over the fiesta market |
We did a bit of shopping. Bought two bowls that come from the hollowed out shell of a large fruit we have seen all over Central America. Then it is painted bright colors. The vendor threw in a small black bowl. Another vendor had been given the task of figuring out which nawale, Mayan calendar/zodiac sign, corresponded to Joanie's birthday. It was Kawoq, the Turtle, and he had a necklace using the symbol as its pendant. Now Joanie proudly wears it everywhere.
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| you want some fresh goat milk? all you need is to ask and have a few quetzales. |
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| coyote hide |
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| bringing bouquets of flowers to a shrine |
