Conociendo Zunil y San Simon

Zunil crossroads

My first week here in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala (the country's second largest city set in the Highlands) was a great transition period for me.  One week of full-time immersion classes at the school ICA helped me adjust to speaking and thinking in Spanish again.  Classes run from 8am - 1pm with a 30 minute pause at 11am.  The students are from Holland, Germany, Denmark, and the U.S.  My maestro was excellent: young, creative in his teachings, experienced.  While my inattentive nature challenged him I'm sure, he seemed flexible and patient.  My host family, 60+ year old Anita and her daughter have been exceptional and feed me VERY well!!  No doubt I get my daily dose of frijoles negros!

God is Love

The Spanish language school typically offers activities daily.  My second day there, I ventured with other students to the nearby town of Zunil where food for nearly the entire country is grown.  Since Zunil is graced with an abundance of rains and fertile land, every patch of land is transformed into a cultivo such as of espinaca (spanish), brocoli, zanahoria (carrots) etc.

The women here are elegantly dressed in traje indigena -- made of textiles characteristic of the Mayan culture -- often weaved by hand with a back strap.  In Zunil, a women's cooperative of nearly 500 share a space where they receive fair prices for their meticulous craft.  I purchased a weaved ribbon that women use to first wrap around their hair, then continue to wrap creating a crown around the head.

Catholicism is prevalent here and at Zunil's center is a beautiful stark white church that possesses a large silver cross on its altar.  Inside, patrons light candles and make offerings to statues of Jesus.

One curious practice in this town is worship of San Simon, a life-size plastic representation of the god of indulgence, drunkenness and sexuality.  The result of a strange combination of Mayan religion and Catholicism, this god is hosted by a family chosen by the cofradia-- a brotherhood of leaders -- for a year.  Worshippers visit the pint-size doll and pray for fortune, good health, a prosperous growing season, etc...  Here are a few photos from my visit to see this deity. 

Up close and personal with San Simon.

Offering a nice cold beverage to the parched deity.

While obviously a tourist in this country -- a gringo, or sometimes referred to as chinita, when not mistaken for as a guatemalteca -- my preference is to experience it in full immersion through person to person experiences, encounters, and relationships.  This is what I hope to build in the short time that I am here, especially at Primeros Pasos Clinic which serves several communities in the dusty Palajunoj Valley.