2nd Oct. 2016
The weather is always best early morning, so we head out for photos as the town is waking. (I jib at a 5:30 start for sunrise so we make it up about an hour later). Even the dogs are still sleeping on one of the jetties and we watch the first boat arrive with locals and their wares to sell. we just love the setting here on the lakeside with the volcanoes towering over the shoreline, the makeshift jetties for all the boats to come and moor up.
We arranged our itinerary so we would be at Chichicastenango on a Sunday to visit the weekly market. This is quite different to the working market we visited on Friday in Solola as a large part of the market is dedicated to locals bringing their colourful cloth, clothing, jewellery, ceramics, knives, flutes, masks and all other manner of tourist goods. They spend the week crafting to sell on Sundays.
There are far more tourists here visiting and we are allocated a guide to show us around and explain many of the customs (and without the guide, we would have quickly become totally lost). Jose spoke five languages including good English, so we could rest our limited but improving Spanish for a while. There was actually some good stuff on sale and we got carried away looking at a hand woven cloth depicting the Mayan calendar. Before we knew it we were whisked into the stall and being shown many more. Asking the price we were told Q1200 (£120) but with haggle could probably have purchased it for Q600.
We still considered this to be excessive (or more than we wanted to spend) and so we firmly said no and moved on. We do not mind paying for quality but would we use it when we got back home? After wandering up and down a few more aisles not being tempted Jose leads us off to admire the two churches overlooking town. The steps of the first are covered in flower sellers. Inside there are both the Catholic and the Mayan symbolisms and we again learn from Jose much about the local culture.
We would have got completely lost without our guide as he lead us down more paths and up a flight of steps to peep over a balcony at the local fruit and veg market, which was more our style, as we still prefer the untouristised sights. We were not allowed down in amongst the stalls but we would probably have only been in the way. A firework at noon signified a ceremony was starting but to us it was a lady with a mic talking in Mayan in a courtyard full of locals, so we were happy to move on to the Cemetery, another of our pet likes.
Jose gave us a fascinating talk about the significance of all the different colours in both the tombs and the candles being burnt. A different colour for each day of the week, yellow signifying gold being for Sunday as the market brings wealth. We wandered amongst the graves with all manner of tombstones from a simple hand written Mayan cross to large family vaults for up to fifteen family members. The Mayan cross has all four “arms” the same size, whereas the Christian one has the bottom arm longer.There are Mayan doctors on hand to burn candles and provide comfort and advice for locals.
In the car on the drive to Antigua Guatemala, I again reflect on the pricing structure here and the economics of the tourist industry with the sheer number of street sellers and the quantity of goods for sale and how it all fitted together. It is the accountant in me coming out and my distance recollections of Economics covered in my degree course many years ago, but in the end I give up and enjoy the scenery.
This theme continues as we walk around the town centre bustling with tourists and locals intermingled with yet more street sellers. Enough! I am soon (and easily) distracted by a very late lunch of coffee and yummy chocolate cake.
Our hotel, El Meson de Maria is a place of tranquillity one block from the centre with a fountain providing soothing water sounds and rooms over three floors around courtyards. There is also a roof terrace with amazing views of the three volcanoes which surround the town. I have promised Dave cocktails tonight and we find a roof bar overlooking a ruined convent. We avoid the Long Island Ice tea and try some local cocktails which are much weaker than those headache inducing ones we had in Greece with Ann and John earlier this year!
