Chichicastenango is well known for the very large market held there twice a week. Food, textiles, souvenirs, flowers incense, woodwork, you name it, it can probably be found.
This is the 400-year-old church of Santo Tomás. It is very interesting as actually built on the site of a pre-Columbian temple and the steps originally lead up to this Mayan temple. The 18 steps represent the 18 months of the Mayan Calendar.
We were told as the Spanish missionaries tried to convert the Mayans in sometimes less than gentle ways the locals still managed to incorporate their indigenous beliefs into the church decorations and rituals albeit covertly.
Nowadays, K’iche’ Mayan Priests can use the church more openly and bun incense and candles as part if the indigenous ceremonies. Every now and then a chicken may be burned for the gods. Although we did not see that, we did see lots of chooks meeting their maker at the local butchers.
We passed this chap playing his gourd xylaphone and as we passed through the arched entrance we found ourselves in a peaceful courtyard away from the hustle and bustle of the market,
Tuk tuks seem to be a world wide phenonmen!
In response to Norm 2.0‘s Thursday Doors.
Yoroshiku Onegai shimasu
Leanne
Very colourful, especially against the white of the building and steps in that first photo.
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Love those vibrant colours 🙂
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Leanne, what a glorious set of photos, so full of color and life. I especially like that first one.
On a completely different note, are you in NZ yet or still getting ready?
janet
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Getting ready. My senior students graduated today! Post Office is sending someone round tomorrow to pick up 4 big boxes
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I love their colour sense. Everything looks so colourful!
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It was! and it was a good thing I was pack packing for a year and at the start of my trip otherwise I would have gone crazy and doubled Guatelmala’s GNP in one hit!
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Oooh. Your explanation makes the lovely images more interesting. ❤
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Thanks Rosema!
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My pleasure, Leanne. 😉
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