Culture Day

Us, waiting for our ride. (I labeled in the previous post)


After returning to GBS, we had two culture days with our field coordinator, Mauricio, and his wife Myrna and daughter Andrea. Here is our friend Mauricio:

We went to a breakfast all-you-can-eat buffet that serves authentic Guatemalan food. This included: black bean paste, tortillas, plantain, cantalope, watermelon, papaya, pineapple, fried potatoes, salsa, rice, eggs, and coffee and juice. And it was only 20Q per person! (about $2.50)

Here is the place that they cook the tortillas. There is a fire underneath and a flat surface on top where the tortillas are fried.

Decor: an old pot.



Outside, three sheep were grazing. Jake still owes me 20 Q... he promised it to whoever could pick up the lamb. No one else could, but I did! (It wasn't really fair, I've had experience catching such things without causing trauma to the mother) [I don't think he'll ever pay me =)]

A couple flowers that I found to be really pretty:


A little place that sells "queso crema," or cream cheese.

Another little building on the property.

After breakfast, we drove to a Mayan ruin. It was pretty neat. There was a little museum with diagrams of what the ruin was thought to have looked like, artifacts from it, and descriptions of different people and events.

Wouldn't you like to have your head bashed in like this guy?

A model of the ruins, then a diagram.


The ruins!




Mayan people still perform sacrifices at the ruins, and there was one happening while we were there, so we observed for awhile. It wasn't an animal sacrifice, it was mostly flowers, alchohol, and some groceries.


This is the end, where the people doing the sacrifice are kneeling while a firework goes off. It was a loud firework.

After watching the sacrifice, we had our cultural anthropology class. It was quite fitting that that was the day Vanessa, Brit, and Sarah did their presentation on Guatemala's magic, religion, and worldview. After their presentation, we helped Myrna prepare a Guatemalan meal: refried black beans, meat cooked over a fire, salsa, guacamole, onions, tortillas, and I don't remember what all else. It was good!

Learning the culture of Guatemala with Mauricio was a lot of fun. =)

Here is a final picture, one of Mauricio, Myrna, and their daughter Andrea: