| Easter A Different View
March 22- April 8, 2007
March 6-23, 2008
18 days/ 17 nights
THURSDAY
Leave early and fly to Guatemala City. Arrival time will depend
on your departure city. We will be picked up at the airport and
taken to Antigua.
FRIDAY
A free morning to wander around and get to know Antigua. You will
probably haul your camera out now and photos ops will abound for
two weeks!
1:00 PM…. WELCOME LUNCH AT THE BEAUTIFUL
COLONIAL FLOWER-FILLED RESTAURANT, LA PANZA VERDE
5:00 PM ….Our first Holy Week sight will
be a stop at the San Bartolo Church, home of the Virgen de Los Dolores.
One of the largest and most intricate flower and fruit carpets is
constructed in the church for her procession. The viewing of the
carpet that night precedes the procession where La Virgen leaves
the church on Sunday morning. After the viewing we will have a welcome
get-together. Cocktails and conversation in the garden. Meet some
of Antigua’s interesting folks.
SATURDAY
A free day in Antigua. Some of the optional activities are:
9:30 am… Introductory walking tour of Antigua
conducted by cultural historian Liz Bell. Antigua, a colonial jewel
of the Americas, is an enchanting town, with great architectural
beauty. Rich in history, you will learn some of the rich history
of this 400-year-old city as well as learn your way around town.
The tour ends at the jade business and museum where you will learn
about the Maya and their reverence for the sacred stone of their
ancient culture.
1:00 pm …whether you have been on the walking
tour or not, don’t miss this opportunity for a personalized
tour of the jade museum and business of, Mary Lou Ridinger. Mary
Lou is the archaeologist who discovered the lost Mayan jade mines
and is the expert on Guatemalan jades.
4:00 pm…The optional activity will be going
to the Weaving Museum where there is an excellent display of home
life and the different textiles from various Mayan peoples.
SUNDAY
From mid-morning to late evening there will be the majestic Procession
of San Bartolo where the colonial sculptured figures of Jesus Nazareno
de la Caida and the Santisima Virgen de Los Dolores are carried
through the streets of Antigua crossing over some of the most intricate
and colorful carpets of Holy Week. The carpets are made from pine
needles, flower petals, sand, dyed sawdust, and are constructed
by friends and families along the processional route. You will be
free to witness the procession as long as you want during the day
and evening.
3:30 pm…the optional activity will be a tour
of a nearby macadamia nut farm. Nestled under a nearby volcano,
this is a demonstration project of a low-tech ecological project
that has great potential for enabling indigenous peoples to grow
a marketable product. You will be treated to a facial with the fabulous
oil and cream products!
Monday
Leave Antigua about 8.a.m, to drive to the Rio Dulce. Lunch and
tour of Quirigua, this is one of the most important archaeological
sites in the Mayan world. Some of the most elaborate carved stone
stelae in the Mundo Maya are in the Central Plaza of Quirigua. In
addition, there is an “Acropolis”, former houses of
the elite rulers, and Mayan vaults with multicolored stucco scenes.
Quirigua is an outstanding site for the architecture and monuments
of the Classic Maya (circa 750 A.D.) Arrive Lake Isabal/Rio Dulce
about 5p.m. Stay in a “river hotel”.
Tuesday
A boat trip down the Rio Dulce, floating past incredible jungle
vegetation, bird sanctuaries, and houses on stilts. As the river
joins the Atlantic, we will stop at Livingston, the juncture of
the Rio Dulce with the Atlantic. Livingston is unique in being the
only Afro-Caribe town in Guatemala. These English-speaking “Garifunas”
have their own fishing village, Caribe culture and traditions, including
Caribbean food and music. We will return upriver to one of the river
restaurants for lunch, and from there, back to our hotel.
Wednesday
We will leave the Rio Dulce and drive to Coban, high in the cloud
forests of Alta Verapaz. The Verapaz region has a variety of mountain
zones and climates. 60% of the population is indigenous, primarily
Kekchi and Pocomchi. We will make a stop at the Quetzal Sanctuary.
The Quetzal bird is the royal bird of the ancient Maya, and is now
a national emblem of Guatemala. As April-May is the nesting season
of this rare bird, there is a fair chance of seeing this resplendent
creature.
Lunch and afternoon in Coban, the 400-year-old
city, surrounded by coffee and cardamom plantations. If time provides,
we will visit the local market, well known for its silver jewelry.
Or visit nearby villages or the incredible Orchid Nursery of Coban.
These terraced hills are home to some 750 varieties of orchids and
bromeliads. Although the blooming season will have peaked, these
gardens are quite a marvel!
Thursday
Depending on the previous day’s schedule, we will either do
some of the activities mentioned above; or visit one of the nearby
caves that often have traditional Mayan healing ceremonies going
on; or visit one of the nearby towns with local markets.
Friday
Return to Antigua. We will return on the important Holy Day of La
Virgen de los Dolores. Processions start at 3a.m. and go on all
day. We will arrive in time to see the children’s procession
where the boys carry a float of Jesus Nazareno and the girls carry
a float of La Virgen. A funeral march band concert in front of La
Merced church at 8p.m. concludes the week of procession for the
“Virgin of Sorrows”.
Saturday
A half day in Antigua. For early risers a women’s procession
leaves the San Francisco church, wends down the Calle de los Pasos,
stopping for the 14 Stations of the Cross. This commemorates the
journey Jesus took to his crucifixion. Another procession takes
place in the afternoon. We leave after lunch for Chichicastenango.
We now will start our tour of the fabulous Maya Highlands. There
is not a better way to start than our night in the famous Mayan
Inn…built in the 1930’s, long before paved roads, this
hotel is virtually a museum of colonial furniture and artwork.
Sunday
Palm Sunday. Chichicastenango, with the famous Sunday market. We
will be on site to see the colorful procession and observance of
Palm Sunday in this heart of Quiche Maya territory. In addition,
this highlands town has the most impressive native market in Guatemala.
For over 1,000 years this market has been barter and trading grounds
for various groups… etc, descend from highland villages to
bring textiles, crafts, etc, in a long-standing tradition.
The famous church of Santo Tomas is home to both Indian and Catholic
traditions and friendly to tourists. Altars full of candles and
flower offerings, burning corncobs of copal resin, greet the eyes
and nose.
A second night at the famous Mayan Inn.
Monday
A three-hour drive takes us to Quetzaltenango, the largest town
in the Highlands. If time permits, we will stop in a small village
to see the most “Mayan Folk-Art Baroque” of churches
in Guatemala. Museums, parks, and churches are worth seeing as you
walk around town. Lunch in Quetzaltenango. Afterwards, an optional
activity of visiting the nearby town of Salcaja, home to the oldest
church in Guatemala, as well as center of the foot-loom weaving
industry of ikat cloth. A visit to a weaving cottage is possible.
Tuesday
We will visit small villages around Quetzaltenango…we will
choose from among the five that are within 5-15 miles of the “city”.
Some have hot springs, some unusual textiles, one musical instruments
etc. A must is a stop in Zunil to see the church and saint figures.
Also this is one of the few towns in Guatemala where the indigenous
saint, San Simon, is still a revered and holy figure. We will pay
a visit to his shrine. After returning to Quetzaltenango, at dusk
there is a simple and moving procession of indigenous women carrying
religious figures from the local church. A living tableau of local
traditional dress and faces, this simple procession is one of my
favorite experiences in Guatemala.
Wednesday
We will make the scenic drive to Lake Atitlan.
As we approach the lake, you will see the breathtaking views as
we drop down into the “center of the world”(as the ancient
Maya call it). The vast expanse of blue waters surrounded by volcanoes
and hills quilted by “milpas” and coffee fincas is unforgettable.
We will lunch in Panajachel.
After lunch, we launch. Yes, a boat ride across
the lake to the town of Santiago Atitlan, home of the Tzutujil Maya.
This town is the center of the Maya Catholicism called “La
Costumbre”. Pre-Hispanic deities and customs are layered by
Catholic Saints. The patron saint, Tzutujil style, is named Maximon
(San Simon) and he is given top billing over “NawaJesuchristo”
during Holy Week or Easter Week.
For the next three days we will be staying at a
lovely hotel on the bay, Hotel Santiago Atitlan (with private access
to the beach and waters of the lake), and observe the Mayan version
of Semana Santa. Between the festivities and the natural surroundings,
it will be hard to put the camera down. Should things pale, there
is kayaking, swimming, hang gliding, walking, bicycling, horseback
riding, and boat trips to the other colorful towns around the lake.
(Be forewarned…by this time you might be dizzy from all the
color in Guatemala and you might want to stay in the hotel with
night shades on or watch a black-and-white movie on TV.) We will
be here thru Holy Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Saturday
After lunch, we will take the boat back across the lake, and then
the van for the 3-hour drive back to Guatemala City. A night in
hotel in Guatemala City.
Sunday
We fly back on Easter Sunday. Your Easter eggs and jellybeans will
look pretty bland after the swirling colors and Indian pageantry
of Guatemala. But the indelible sights and sounds of Guatemala will
live on in your mind’s eye and thru your camera lens!
Optional Extension: Spend one more night in Santiago
Atitlan to extend the trip to Monday. |
