Travel, Relationships, and The New Twenty

 

A monster roams San Cristobal Totonicapan, scaring children (and tourists) until December 15th, when he and his cohorts will be ritually driven from town.

 

More monsters, taking a break from scaring to pose.

 

San Simon, the porcelain “evil saint” who is fed offerings of alcohol and cigarettes to supplement requests of assistance. San Cristobal is one of five towns where an effigy of San Simon is housed (and taken very seriously).

 

San Simon enjoys a quiet moment, without the ritual requests being muttered in his ear.

 

The church in San Andres Xecul, decorated for the main festival day of the patron saint.

 

Close up of the gorgeous church.

 

Costumed dancers in the ritual dances of the San Andres Xecul festival.

 

 

 

 

The high school festival at San Andres Xecul featured even more eclectic costumes.

 

Including a footloose pair of Bill Clintons.

 

They danced to a packed courtyard.

 

 

Click the still shots below to watch my YouTube videos of the dancing in the main festival and the high school festival!

 

 

 

 

 

Banana plant and the beautiful waterfall near San Cristobal, which we visited on a day hike in our final weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

Our incredible cast of roomates, without whom this trip would have been far less entertaining. Top (from L to R): Bente, Kunal and Lacey. Bottom: Marc, Emily, and me.

 

A weekend trip took us to a coffee finca owned cooperatively by ex-guerillas, who are simultaneously trying to overcome the legacy of near-slavery on Guatemala’s plantations and figure out how to run an (organic!) business. These beans have just ripened.

 

Coffee beans drying (not pictured: Lacey salivating).

 

The main processing plant.

 

Mural on the side of the old plantation owner’s house depicts scenes from the civil war.

 

Close up of mural (signing of the peace treaty).

 

View of the highlands and coastal slope.

 

Much like Lacey, butterflies love coffee.