Lake Atitlan
Beautiful Lake Atitlan in the Guatemala highlands is backed by volcanoes and 12 Mayan villages. Traditional values are strong and the original Mayan languages are still widely spoken. The Mayan women still wear the traditional clothing and many of the men are commonly seen wearing the colourful patterns that vary between villages.
Today’s Highland Maya practice religious rituals based on ceremonies with roots in the world of their ancient forebears and in the world of Medieval and Catholic followings. We had the opportunity to witness some of these rites during visits to churches where Maya presently worship, to holy sites that are open to foreigners, and to Quemaderos (sacred shrines) that are hidden places where shaman come to worship in secret.(Within a Catholic Cathedral) And we clearly saw the blending of these beliefs as we observe three different, cigar smoking, whisky drinking statues that are worshiped as living gods within the Catholic Churches.
We witnessed a Mayan wedding and funeral, visited cemeteries that are colourful continuances of the deceased lives.
We visited the small village of Santa Catrina. The first thing we witness was the poverty of the area. Very few children have the opportunity to attend school. It is very costly for persons that are trying to just have the necessities of life.