Chichicastenango, is a small town in the Western Highlands
of Guatemala, known for being the home of the largest market in Central and
South America (possibly all the Americas).
The market is crammed into 20 blocks filled with vibrant colors,
shoulder to shoulder people, and hosts flowers, weavings, live chickens,
raw/butchered meat, freshly made tortillas, fruits, vegetables, wood carvings,
second hand clothes, shoes, and more.
Because of its location, a 2012 consensus estimates that 98%
of the people are indigenous with many others coming here to buy and sell. The people and their dress are
beautiful. We were told that taking a
photo too close would capture their spirit, and so we did our best to be
respectful and non-invasive. Below is a
slideshow we put together from our day at market.
According to the Joshua project, "70 percent of these indigenous people are animists, who revere spirits in nature and of ancestors. About 30 percent are Christians, but their impact has been minimal. Mayan religion pervades traditional rites, customs, and ways of thinking. In recent years, foreigners have stirred a resurgence of interest in Mayan worldview, along with its religious practices."
We hired a tour guide to explain some of the Mayan history
and practices that we were seeing take place.
This was amazingly informative and interesting.
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| Santo Tomas Church |
Above is the Santo Tomas Church. It is currently a Roman Catholic church that
shares in worship with the Mayans. When
the Spanish arrived here there was an ‘X’ on the land where the church is. The Spanish thought this was a bad sign and
destroyed it and tried to build a church on the sight. However, the church kept falling down. A local shaman (Mayan priest), named Pasqual,
offered to help the Spanish build their church in return for a stone from the
completed church. In 1545 when he
received his stone, Pasqual was told to take it very far away from the church,
so he went up the mountain and disappeared, never to be seen again.
The place where the Mayans found Pasqual’s stone became the
place where they made their sacrifices to their gods. (Mayans used to sacrifice humans but when the Spanish came,
they convinced them that chickens and animals could take the place of human
life for sacrifices.) One day a Mayan
prayed for Pasqual’s return and got other Mayans to come up and pray for the
same thing. Then they realized that the
stone that had been given to Pasqual resembled a human face. While Pasqual’s
remains have never been found, to this day the Mayans wonder if maybe the sky
god turned Pasqual into the stone.
Meanwhile, the Spanish read the Mayan bible and realized the
‘X’ wasn’t evil but instead represented the 4 directions of the Earth (North,
South, East, and West). The church of
Santo Tomas was built on the Mayan’s North site, which is where they go to pray
for light and good things. On the
opposite side of the city is another site where the Mayan go to pray for dark
things, black magic as they refer to it.
Mayans do not believe in police, so if they are wronged, this is an
example of when they would go to the shaman at the South/dark site to pray for
revenge or bad things to happen to their wrong doer. The Mayans believe that there was a creator
of life and that the creator took the four colors of corn and combined them to
get different races and skin colors.
The Catholics and the Mayans both use the Santo Tomas Church
as their own. There is a crucifix on the
wall and mass is held here. However,
down the main aisle and throughout the church are areas where Mayans come to
light candles and pray. Along with the
Catholic priest, there are also shamans who sit in the church and advise
people. Mayans also offer burnt sacrifices on the steps leading up to the church.
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| Mayan prayer candle line the center floor |
Each of the 18 steps leading up to the church relates to a
month in the Mayan calendar year (18 months consisting of 20 days each, plus an additional
5 days for a total of 365 days to a calendar year). When a baby is born, the shaman is
immediately consulted and a book is read predicting the baby’s personality,
strengths, struggles, and path in life.
The details of this prediction depend on the year, date, time of day and
other factors, and much of the child’s life will be determined by this reading.
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| 18 Steps for the Mayan months and behind the boy is smoke coming from a recent sacrifice |
The extra 5 days in a Mayan calendar year are used for days
to decide and commit to making a major change in one’s life (for example
stopping being an alcoholic). In front
of the church is a large pole. People
who decide to make a major life change will climb up this pole, tie themselves
to it at the top, and then jump off! Similar to bungee jumping, but more extreme! We
found a framed picture of this in one of the local shops. It was explained to us that these people are showing their commitment to
change and the pain that goes with that!
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| This is a picture of a picture as this only occurs on Dec. 18th |
Growing up Mayan is not easy. Because Mayans do not believe in doctors, when
they get sick they go see a shaman. The
belief is that one is sick because of something bad they did, so they are hit
with sticks and beaten until they have confessed all of the bad things that might
have led to their illness. Then they
feel better. Being that the shaman is
also a doctor, he mixes up herbs for medicines and healings and is consulted
for health purposes, often using a temazcal, a Mayan sauna, in the healing prescription. When a woman is one month pregnant, she goes
to visit the shaman. She is required to
go in the sauna and the shaman massages her belly and foretells the baby’s
health while in the womb.
There is no divorce in the Mayan culture because when a
couple wants to marry (which can happen as early as 12 or 13 years old), they
bring their shamans together a month prior to the wedding date to meet and
discuss their compatibility. Going back to each
of their paths based on the date and time they were born, should there be
anything alarming about their paths joining together in harmony, the shamans
would not marry the couple. Being in love has no impact on this. Most marriages are free choice, but some
Mayan marriages are arranged and in some instances a dowry must be paid.
The Mayans have many gods that they pray to and worship. San Simon is a popular god as he is god of the ladies. Women present their requests to him (in a
statue form) and then give him a lit cigarette.
If the cigarette stays lit, the request will be granted, but if the
cigarette goes out quickly, the woman is not allowed to present her request
again for another full year. San Simon
also enjoys receiving alcohol and somehow it gets poured into a funnel in his
mouth, which will increase his favor towards the lady.
We hiked up to where the Mayans make their sacrifices and
where Pasqual’s stone is to this day.
While up there, a sacrifice was being made for a man, praying that good things
would come his way (maybe a new job, positive opportunity, or kind
gesture). The man sacrificing and
praying layered chocolate brownies into a cone shape, filled the middle of the
cone with jelly beans and other sweet delicacies and then placed light colored
candles around the sacrifice. He lit the
candles, covered his head, and read from a prayer book. Meanwhile the man who was being prayed for
received a call on his cell phone, so he started talking to someone, while the
other man was sacrificing for his well being!
We asked if this was considered rude or bad manners and was told that it
was not.
Near the rock of Pasqual there are what seem to be a pile of
crosses, which caused us to wonder their significance. However, we learned that they
are actually the Mayan ‘X’ and that one is placed their every time a shaman
dies and his name is written on it.
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| Center stone is Pasqual's rock |
Finally, we saw from a distance the colorful city
cemetery. All religions are buried in
this cemetery. The colorful mausoleums
belong to the Catholics and Mayans who celebrate the Day of the Dead, while the
plain cement mausoleums are the Evangelicals, who do not celebrate the Day of
the Dead. On November 1st
each year, the Catholics make large salads with different meats in it and pass
them out for their celebration, while the Mayans make a drink with the four
types of corn.
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| Cemetary |
We learned so much more about conquistadors, festivities, masks, and celebrations, but have shared some of the details that fascinated us the most. While it is interesting to learn about another culture and religion and think back to their history, we are so grateful to know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. To know that Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice, that He took the burden of our sins when He died on the cross, and that as Christians we are redeemed by His blood and not our own efforts. The Bible tells us in Acts 4:11-12 that this Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is one name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
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| Kids posing with Conquistadors |
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