Boat trip to San Juan de Atitlan

Bernicio, our guide collected us from the hotel jetty this morning for a full day of visiting the villages and towns around the lake.
San Juan is a beautiful village, where the people have pooled together their resources to form co-operatives. There are three or four that specialise in natural dyeing and weaving; several that specialise in pottery; a number of communities of natural plant medicines and a few others that are communities of artists; painting scenery and images of local cultural practice.

Within each co-operative, there are experts at certain aspects of each process in the creation of the various artifacts. Within the textile groups which are all women, there are expert in dyeing, spinning, weaving specific types of pieces. Each woman is paid immediately on delivery of finished articles; 80% goes to the artist and the remainder stays in the co-op to cover expenses, like electricity etc.
Within the natural medicines co-op, there are midwives, bone break and fracture experts etc. All the midwives were away dealing with clients as were the bone experts.
The streets are really clean and tidy. The people take a great deal of pride in their town. Recycling is very important as is education for all and the equality between male and female.
Most of the population are direct descentants of the Mayans. There is a great deal of importance placed on maintaining tradition.
So why was Catholicism able to become so important in the lives of the people? The Mayans main symbol for their god was a cross, albeit an equal sided cross, with the sun behind. The woman wear skirts with a cross on the back, that much more resembles the Christian cross. The Mayans used to worship outside under a sacred tree. So the early Spanish migrants placed a cross on that tree and then built a church on that sacred spot.
The main church of Santiago Atitlan, has mostly Mayan iconology within it. The religious sculptures are all Mayan in appearance except for one small row. Apparently the locals pay no attention to those at all. But the Mayan ones are regularly re-clothed and have ornamentations added to them in the form of brighly colour scarves. The main altar at the back of the church, depicts, in carvings, the Mayan story of creation. This is shown alonside the Christian depiction of Christ and the apostles.

We were offered the opportunity to visit the anti-saint Maximon. Every year, he goes to live with a new chosen family within the community. Maximon was a very wicked man, who smoked and drank alcohol and who committed henious crimes. So the local people captured him to punish him by cutting off his arms and legs. He repented and asked for forgiveness and asked that an effigy be created in his image and that he would create miracles and look after the ordinary people if they cared for his effigy.

Here is the healer, appealing to Maximon to help a young woman struggling with her life in the USA. As you can see Macimon, still smokes and drinks alcohol. Our guide sent for some beer and spirits. Maximon was fed the spirits and the beer was shared amongst us all with a blessing for out good heelth an future happiness.

Sunset from this beautiful hotel!