Central American Meanderings: I almost forgot about the Easter Bunny...

Antigua, Guatemala

There has been a lot going on in the city in preparation for Easter week or Semana Santa. Tradition here is very strong, and most everyone in the city comes out to view or be part of the massive processions that go through the streets every Sunday leading up to Easter and on all the special days like Good Friday. The men dress in purple robes and some as Roman guards. They recreate Christs march as he carried his cross to be crucified. There are hundreds of men in purple robes (and boys as well), they come to carry a huge wooden float on top of which is carried a figure of Christ and his cross. At night it is lit up with lights. These processions go on for 12 hours, all day long until 10 at night winding through the streets of Antigua. The people who can afford to make large ¨alfombras¨ or carpets out of colored saw dust, flowers, fruits and vegetables in the street in front of their houses. The procession walks around these carpets exept for the 80 people that are needed to carry the float, they walk over them. Incense is burned at the front of the processions in such quantities that it is hard to breath until they pass. The streets are packed and traffic is stopped on the streets where the preocesions walk. Huge bands play sad music behind the floats. The floats are so heavy and the people must trade off carrying them. There is also a float for the Virgin Mary and that float is carried over the cobblestone streets only by women all dressed in black. You can see the people sweating under the weight of the float as it sways back and forth and moves slowly down the street. The atmosphere is not all sad however, the streets are filled with vendors selling food and ice cream, balloons, and toys. At night the many churches in town take turns decorating themselves fully inside with the alfombras hosting the holy nights where everyones comes out to eat and view the churches in full tribute to Semana Santa. The city is full and will be until Easter is over. It is an interesting experience to be able to see how much energy is put into Semana Santa and how Guatemaltecans celebrate Easter week.

The inside of Iglesia la Merced while it was decorated with an alfombra and had a scene in adoration of the Virgin Mary.

The outide of Iglesia la Merced with indigenous women selling bouqets of dried palm fronds and flowers.

The wooden float depicting Christ and his cross.

One of Antigua´s main streets with an alfombra of pine needles and flowers.

On Saturday we went on a tour of Pacaya, a nearby volcano which you can climb and is still active. It is one of the more incredible things I have ever seen or done really. We took a bus an hour and a half to the village of Pacaya. Then climbed up a steep trail for almost an hour. The people from the village were following our group hounding us to rent horses to ride up. Everyone declined at first (mostly for pride) but the trail was seriously steep and as people dropped off they payed to take a horse up the rest of the way. It was a joke amungst the group guessing who was going next. At the top you could see the mist and foggy steam rushing up and out of the caldera. The volcano is lush and green but inside the cone was black and rocky, and you could just make the orangy red lava in the center. It was a great view, very cool we thought resting at the top, very cool. Until our guide then led us down into the caldera. And it grew hot, very hot. We walked first over dry grey black crust (remanants of previous flows) and we could just feel the heat from the center blowing over us at times. Then the dry, hard crust began to gain heat and we headed out with our walking sticks to balance us. Then we began using the sticks to check the strenght of the crust in front of us, and we started to see patches of florescent orange in cracks in the crust beside where we were stepping. The heat grew more intense and I admit, I was scared of burning to death. Especially when the english guy in front of me stuck his walking stick in the crust just to the right of his foot to steady himself and the bottom of the stick instantly leapt into flames. We freaked out a second, then he pulled up his stick and the flames went out. It was soo hot I was afraid my camera wouldnt work. When a gust of cold wind came over you it was such a relief. It was a very unique experience for sure.

Trying not to melt as we get closer for the picture....just a little further....

Sunday we went to Chichicastenango with the family we are staying with, the Ruiz´s. In case I didn't say they are Luiz and Patty, and the girls are Avi (9), Luisa(5) and Angelita (1 1/2). Now this was an interesting day as well. We were awoken at 5:30 am with ranchero music blaring through the house and intermittent fireworks in the garden (for Luis´s birthday). We got up, drank hot chocolate and didn't get going until 8:30 am for the trip. We all smashed into their Honda (Civic you say? I don't think so, its even smaller, must be the smallest Honda they make with 5 seats). We...well we had some additions. Patty´s father and brother came yesterday from El Salvador for a visit, so we had 2 more. So in front sat, Luis, Patty, (the grandpa) Caesar, Avi, Luisa and Angelita, and in back sat me, Mike, Caesar (the brother) and Tobias (the German student). 10 people! And they said they have fit 14 before...I don't know how! And the car dragged all the way... 3 hours to Chichicastenango. We were very much like sardines at the time. Can you imagine the fus we would have made at home?? But here no, the baby cried once or twice, but nobody complained and they played games and chatted the whole time. ¡Increible! But there are lots of speed bumps in Guatemala...the towns here love them and they are called topos. The car was soo heavy that we scraped (badly) every topo and finally we started all getting out of the backseat and walking over them then getting back in before the next one. Wow, it was a loong trip. Mike and I took a minibus back from the market so we didn't cause further damage to their car. But the market at Chichicastenango was awesome! Huge and full of the most beautiful textiles. We we will go back again if we have the time.