Photos

 This is a temple at the Mayan Ruins in Iximche.  This temple is dedicated to the Sun.

 Nina spoke of the city dump, where many of Guatemala's poorest people forage through the trash.  The yellow trucks are bringing in the trash. 

 You can see people looking through the trash for items they can sell.  Some even live in the dump.  It is rain season now, so this makes the conditions at the dump even more deplorable.  Land slides happen frequently.

 Sara weaving according to Mayan tradition.  It takes months to create specialized pieces.

 Nina dressed in traditional Mayan garb

 This is the "wedding simulation" in which our group took part.  All are in traditional Mayan dress.

 Many Mayans wear this clothing every day - except the men.  There is tremendous racism against the Mayan men, so most have had to wear Western clothing to avoid mistreatment.  The indigenous Mayan people continue to suffer at the hands of the "ladinos." 

 Women carry goods on their heads, even in the city streets.

Sara making tortillas.  She is laughing because she dropped the "bolita," and had to start all over again.

A Mayan elder showing Nina how to make corn tortillas.  Corn is sacred here.  Guatemalan men are "Men of the Corn."

Isn't this amazing?  The bananas here are the best I have ever tasted.  They are unusually sweet.  Locals sell fresh fruit everywhere.  We've had over a dozen different types of juices, and they are incredibly delicious.

Sara and Nina at Santa Clara Monastery in Antigua.  The earthquakes have destroyed the beautiful monument, but this is what is left.  This particular monastery was only for the Spanish women, therefore it was very wealthy.  Families would give the girl's dowry to the monastery, and it was considered an honor to join.

Antigua is currently restoring the monastery.

This is a view of "Shanty Town" or "La Limonada," Make-shift shacks are piled upon one another.  To get to a shack on the bottom, one has to climb down from the shacks on top.  There are no roads.  We are told that the gangs run this city within a city.  Most drug trafficking is done here.  A lack of roads makes it difficult for the police to arrest drug dealers.  For the most part, law enforcement  turns the other cheek anyway, as locals believe that they, too, are corrupt.

My Sarita doing what she loves most

Do you see the volcano in the background?

The monastery

We are in front of the main cathedral in Antigua.  There are 28 Catholic churches here.  With the Spanish conquest came the imposition of Catholicism.  The indigenous Mayans practice Catholicism as well as continue to practice their own rituals.  

We only two more days in beautiful Guatemala.  I have fallen in love with the people here and am already looking forward to my return.  I will volunteer here again!  This amazing country is in great need of support.  

The average Guatemalan has a fourth grade education.  Higher education is a privilege because most cannot afford to attend school past "La Primaria."  Locals are so grateful for our work in the schools and hospitals.  They "protect" us, knowing that we are volunteers.  Even those who work in the clinic outside "La Limonada" are protected by the gangs.  

Teachers, in Guatemala, make very little money (about six hundred dollars a year).  They are among the hardest working, most dedicated people I have ever met. 

The city hospital does not have money to buy basic necessities, like gloves, gauze, etc.  Doctors here have plenty of patients they simply cannot treat.  Private hospitals are for the wealthy and I am told (by our host) that they are "Five-Star." 

This trip has been among the greatest of my life, and I am happy to have shared it with Sara and Nina. Thanks for reading!

Anna