Category Archives: Guatemala

Guatemalan Cemeteries part III – Care and Color

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Christine

There are two characteristics that I found most notable in the cemeteries in Guatemala. The most immediately obvious is the extensive use of color. There is nothing sedate or boring about a Guatemalan cemetery.

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More Cemeteries in Guatemala

Posted on March 22, 2015 by Christine

I have always had a bit of a fascination for cemeteries because they hold intriguing clues to the culture and history of an area. And perhaps I just enjoy walking with ghosts.

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Colors of Guatemala

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Christine

Quetzal tail feathers photographed in Maya history museum, village of Chajul, Ixil Triangle, Department of Quiché The Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) is emblematic of Guatemala – it is the name of Guatemala’s currency and its national bird. And yes, it … Continue reading →

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Cemeteries in Guatemala

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Christine

I’ve always had a bit of a fascination for cemeteries because they hold intriguing clues to the culture and history of an area. And perhaps I just enjoy walking with ghosts. Los cementerios guatemaltecos promised to be of particular interest … Continue reading →

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Guatemalan Food part 2 – Changes Over Time

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Christine

I wrote a first installment on food at the end of my first full day in Guatemala. This second installment is a retrospective. Fifty years ago, the foods that were available in Guatemala were highly location specific. Around Lago Atitalan, … Continue reading →

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Six and half weeks in Guatemala

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Christine

photo above from Uspantán Traveling with a fixed plan doesn’t work so well for me. There is a poor psychology to the whole thing as all too often what is expected simply changes. When things don’t go as they are … Continue reading →

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Santa Cruz del Quiché to Guate

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Christine

There are ‘rules’ for safe travel in Central America and I am about to be challenged by several of them. I am in Quiché, and flying out of Guatemala City in a couple of days. The conservative approach might be … Continue reading →

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Ixil Region – Acul, Xexuxcap, Xexocom

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Christine

The morning in Nebaj, Guatemala, started with light rain. A friend had organized a couple of young boys to guide me on my planned walk, but truly I just wanted this day to be a solitary one – one when … Continue reading →

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Chajul – Children, Cemetery and Comedor Cristina

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Christine

Often the village cemetery is up on one of the hills above the town. In Chajul, my random exploration of the hillside streets to the north of town neither led to the cemetery, nor revealed a view of it. My … Continue reading →

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Chajul walkabout

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Christine

Apart from the obvious interest of the market day, what I enjoyed most in my visit to Chajul was the simple, quiet pleasure of wandering around this lightly visited village, without a map or really much idea of what I … Continue reading →

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Market Day in Chajul

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Christine

It is market day in San Gaspar Chajul, Guatemala. In many rural areas, the local market days rotate among a few of the more prominent villages in the region. In the Ixil Triangle region of Guatemala, Nebaj is the largest … Continue reading →

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Nebaj – somewhere, in the middle of nowhere

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Christine

Nebaj. The name rings magical. This town of 35,000 tucked into a lush mountain valley in the highlands of Guatemala is the political center of the Ixil Triangle region. The Ixil (pronounced Ish-il) Maya live here and in the nearly … Continue reading →

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Uspantán to el Entronque de Nebaj

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Christine

Mud bricks, tile roofs, dividing fences made of piled wood for the cooking fire. Pigs tethered between close-set houses. Fences of vertical sticks tied together with twine. Men in dark clothing with dark faces beneath pale straw cowboy hats. If … Continue reading →

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Uspantán

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Christine

It is mid-afternoon. The whole day til now has been spent traveling and it is time to wander around this quite isolated village of 3500 where the only languages are Spanish and Q’eqchi Maya. My two goals are to get … Continue reading →

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Heading for Uspantán

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Christine

When I was planning this trip from home, the area I found most intriguing was a region little visited by tourists – the Ixil Triangle (Nebal-Chajul-Cotzal), and the region surrounding – where indigenous culture is still very much alive; an … Continue reading →

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