...to say good-bye to "The Conlin Chronicles." After four years, the allotted space is full. You can continue to have access to this blog and my family history blogs. I will be posting on my newest blog from now on. "The Conlin Chronicles II" can be found at: www.reedkathyc.blogspot.com. Right now it is not private but I plan to restrict access later on like I did on my original blog. Let me know if you want an invite.
If anyone knows how to easily back up a blog onto an external hard drive or discs, let me know. My blogs are my journal and photo albums. I would hate to loose everything. Already, my Costa Rica trip at the very beginning of my blog has no visable pictures.
I am still working on my Guatemalan posts. It takes lots of time for me to go through hundreds of pictures on two different cameras and get them posted in some sort of order.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Guatemalan Laundromat
While doing a walking tour of Antigua, we came across this laundry center. The women scrubbed their clothes in the old, concrete, built-in tubs. They used hands or a scrubbing brush. After rinsing and wringing, they would take them home to dry on a line or fence. This is a very antiquated method. It was interesting that one woman has a cell phone. On our rides throughout the country nearly every home had laundry hanging out. Many homes had these same types of 'washing machines' in their yards.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
House update
This is what our home looks like now. The garage doors have been installed, the base stucco is on, drywall has been taped and textured (ready for paint), they have started with the stone in front and they had to rip up sidewalk that got cracked.Guatemala - Animals & Birds
We passed field after field of cattle. Most were Brahmas. Generally whenever there was a cow, there were white birds next to them...probably snowy egrets. We saw a fair amount of deer. I wish I had been able to get a picture of the pigs. They roamed many yards and one time we passed a truck full of big pigs probably going to market.
Lake Atitlan
Two nights of our accommodations were in a hotel with beautiful gardens on the shore of Lake Atitlan. The elevation is about 5000 feet above sea level. The water is very deep. Lake Atitlan is dominated by three dormant volcanoes and ringed by Indian villages where Mayans still wear their traditional dress. We took a boat cruise across the lake to visit Santiago Atitlan. 
Friday, February 17, 2012
Guatemalan Culture Performances
We were treated to a couple of performances by Guatemalans. This first picture was actually taken at the conclusion of one program where the performers invited people in the audience to dance with them. Some were good sports. Our tour director, Oscar, is the guy in the dark shirt. Incidently, the woman in the center of the picture in purple was also in our tour group. I don't know how big her suitcase was but every night she dressed up for dinner. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. She has traveled the world extensively but loves Latin American countries. She is one very positive, active, friendly, 'with-it' lady. I find it unbelievable that she is 84 years old! 
The dancers had lots of enthusiasm and energy and seemed to enjoy every minute of it.
The next performers were three brothers who played songs full of sounds from Guatemalan tropical jungles...birds trilling, animals calling etc. They made every one of their instruments using wood, turtle shells, gourds, seashells and whatever was available to them.
J Lo and Marc Anthony have a similar thing to "America's Got Talent" for Latin American performers. The program is to showcase the various native cultures and music of those countries. These brothers have been in Los Angeles for a month and are still in the running. For the next round of competition they go to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The dancers had lots of enthusiasm and energy and seemed to enjoy every minute of it.
The next performers were three brothers who played songs full of sounds from Guatemalan tropical jungles...birds trilling, animals calling etc. They made every one of their instruments using wood, turtle shells, gourds, seashells and whatever was available to them.
J Lo and Marc Anthony have a similar thing to "America's Got Talent" for Latin American performers. The program is to showcase the various native cultures and music of those countries. These brothers have been in Los Angeles for a month and are still in the running. For the next round of competition they go to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The People of Guatemala
We flew to Guatemala on February 7th and returned home February 16th. We haven't finished unpacking completely but I wanted to get started on blogging while the experience is still fresh in my mind.
Of all the significant historical things, sights, sounds and smells of Guatemala, I chose the indigenous Mayan people to blog about first. They live much the same as their parents, grandparents and ancestors did dating back to ancient times. They do everything by hand. The Guatemalan countrysides and impossibly steep mountainsides had corn growing in evenly spaced rows, each seed being planted individually. Looms, crude tools, picks, shovels, ropes etc. are their necessary implements. Available wood is used to make fires for cooking. Bricks are made out of clay soil. Animal hides are used for the leather.
The Mayan people, as a whole, are fairly uneducated, self-sufficient and poor, yet they have what they need to sustain life. We were told they live worry and stress-free. As a people they are somewhat superstitious and religious and do things in a manner of tradition. The various Indian clans live in villages scattered throughout the country. Most of them wear their native costume or clothing of the group to which they belong. The clothing can have various meanings. For instance, in one village the women wore woven wrap-around skirts and a blouse. If a female is unmarried, colorful flowers adorned the blouse. If married, the blouse had beautifully embroidered birds on them. Each of the twenty-something recognized sub-cultures of Mayans have their own dialect based on the Spanish language but when our tour director spoke Spanish to some of the natives they could not understand him. He couldn't understand them either.
The Mayan families eke out an existance in a poor home, hut or basic dwelling. They have no running water, electricity etc. They raise crops and animals and might have a trade or skill to help support themselves. They take their crops, woven goods, furniture and leathergoods to sell in markets. The mainstay of their diet is corn. It is used in many ways but its' most common use is in making corn tortillas. They eat a lot of beans, rice, and fruits. Vegetables and meat round out their meals.
All throughout the Guatemalan countryside, native Mayan or not, the homes and yards have children and dogs playing, chickens scratching and pigs foraging around. Often someone is resting in a hammock. It appears to be a very unhurried and laid-back life.
The Indians who still live like the ancients are fairly tiny people. Most fully grown adults came no higher than my shoulder...and I am short. None of them wore glasses. None of the women wore pants. Supposedly their skirts contained three yards of fabric. They carried things on their heads. For heavy items they had a leather headband with ropes attached and hauled things on their backs. One time I saw a little man carrying 200 pounds of dried corn rigged upon his back.
This woman was preparing for a Mayan ceremony or ritual. This first layer had lots of candles and flower petals. She was spreading something that looked like ground spices on top of that.
Most young children are bundled on their Mother's backs. Some are more in front or tied on the side, resting on a hip. For the most part, the babies or toddlers seemed content to travel in this mode. And it left the mother's hands free for other things. How strong their backs must be!
Lots of families seem to be somewhere between the modern and old world or a blend of both, not wanting to give up old traditions, but not completely embracing the new culture.
Of all the significant historical things, sights, sounds and smells of Guatemala, I chose the indigenous Mayan people to blog about first. They live much the same as their parents, grandparents and ancestors did dating back to ancient times. They do everything by hand. The Guatemalan countrysides and impossibly steep mountainsides had corn growing in evenly spaced rows, each seed being planted individually. Looms, crude tools, picks, shovels, ropes etc. are their necessary implements. Available wood is used to make fires for cooking. Bricks are made out of clay soil. Animal hides are used for the leather.
The Mayan people, as a whole, are fairly uneducated, self-sufficient and poor, yet they have what they need to sustain life. We were told they live worry and stress-free. As a people they are somewhat superstitious and religious and do things in a manner of tradition. The various Indian clans live in villages scattered throughout the country. Most of them wear their native costume or clothing of the group to which they belong. The clothing can have various meanings. For instance, in one village the women wore woven wrap-around skirts and a blouse. If a female is unmarried, colorful flowers adorned the blouse. If married, the blouse had beautifully embroidered birds on them. Each of the twenty-something recognized sub-cultures of Mayans have their own dialect based on the Spanish language but when our tour director spoke Spanish to some of the natives they could not understand him. He couldn't understand them either.
The Mayan families eke out an existance in a poor home, hut or basic dwelling. They have no running water, electricity etc. They raise crops and animals and might have a trade or skill to help support themselves. They take their crops, woven goods, furniture and leathergoods to sell in markets. The mainstay of their diet is corn. It is used in many ways but its' most common use is in making corn tortillas. They eat a lot of beans, rice, and fruits. Vegetables and meat round out their meals.
All throughout the Guatemalan countryside, native Mayan or not, the homes and yards have children and dogs playing, chickens scratching and pigs foraging around. Often someone is resting in a hammock. It appears to be a very unhurried and laid-back life.
The Indians who still live like the ancients are fairly tiny people. Most fully grown adults came no higher than my shoulder...and I am short. None of them wore glasses. None of the women wore pants. Supposedly their skirts contained three yards of fabric. They carried things on their heads. For heavy items they had a leather headband with ropes attached and hauled things on their backs. One time I saw a little man carrying 200 pounds of dried corn rigged upon his back.
This woman was preparing for a Mayan ceremony or ritual. This first layer had lots of candles and flower petals. She was spreading something that looked like ground spices on top of that.
Wherever we went we were hounded by persistant people trying to sell their wares. Seriously, we were mobbed. The lady above kept hounding me. We were supposed to pay them when we took their picture but we never did.
These women demonstrated their hats to us. They had quite an interesting way of 'applying' their hats. The rim of the hat is actually about 13 yards of a flat woven webbing that is wound around and around.
This man was out fishing in his little boat. He wasn't using a pole but set lines or nets instead.
This woman was weaving at her loom in a little 'hole in the wall' store-front. One of the women on our tour told me she purchased some pretty woven fabric about 3 feet wide by 6 feet long from a Mayan woman for $10. She was told it had taken two months to make. $10 for two months work! 
These are some 'modern' Guatemalan young women who were posing for someone to take their pictures.
This guy was one of our local tour guide helpers in Santiago. He wove some colorful threads around a pen to create pen coverings personalized with people's names. He dressed in his native costume but was somewhat more modern and could speak English.
We pulled off the road to take pictures and found this family struggling up the hillside. Evidently they had been down gathering wood.
Most young children are bundled on their Mother's backs. Some are more in front or tied on the side, resting on a hip. For the most part, the babies or toddlers seemed content to travel in this mode. And it left the mother's hands free for other things. How strong their backs must be!
Lots of families seem to be somewhere between the modern and old world or a blend of both, not wanting to give up old traditions, but not completely embracing the new culture.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)