World Travel Reportage
Photos and videos of travel, culture, nature, sports by professional reporters
World Travel Reportage
Photos and videos of travel, culture, nature, sports by professional reporters
Espiritu Maya (Guatemala)
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Lake Atitlan (1500 m.s.l.). It is surrounded by volcanoes and 12 villages that can be reached by boat
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Río de la Pasión, department of Petén. The canoe is still the means of transport used by the Indians as at the time of the civilization
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Cuchumatanes is the highest non-volcanic mountains of the Central America and one of the best areas for the cultivation of coffee
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The the ancient Mayan city of Tikal (Petén department): 16 sq km of rain forest includes 6 temples and over 4000 structures
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Antigua, against the backdrop of Volcán de Agua (3766 m). Founded in 1543, is famous for its Baroque architecture
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The cathedral of old Antigua town
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Chichicastenango: some villagers (at over 2000 m.s.l.) are waiting for the opening of the Calvary Church in the central square
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Chichicastenango. The steps represent the days of the month in the Mayan calendar and only the indians should climb the steps
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Chichicastenango. Festivities of Santo Tomas (patron of the town). Religious ceremonies with rites of Catholic and indigenous cults
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Chichicastenango. Festivities of Santo Tomas (patron of the town). Religious ceremonies with rites of Catholic and indigenous cults
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Chichicastenango. This mask it symbolizes the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors when the indians show off their wealth
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Chichicastenango. The clothes require the application of stones, mirrors, beads, embroidery and rattles
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Chichicastenango. The Indians come from distant villages to selling crafts, pottery, textiles, food, flowers, medicinal plants, pets
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Chichicastenango, the entrance to a confradias
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Chichigastenango. A moment of prayer in the church of St. Tomás lit by dozens of lighted candles
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Chichicastenango. Church of Santo Tomas, lit by candles as a ritual offering, the night before the day of the market
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Moments of sacred rites with candles of various colors, flowers, eggs, cigars, chocolate and copal, a resin extracted from pine trees
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Momostenango. A Mayan priest during a celebration
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Cuyotenango. A curandera (healer) performs a ritual using black magic rites and Maya, in the inside of a ceiba (Maya sacred tree)
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Pascual Abaj, surroundings of Chichicastenango: performing a sacred rite with shedding of aguardiente, the distillate of sugar cane
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Archaeological Site of Iximché, a Mayan priestess during a sacred ceremony.
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A curandero (village of Chicuŕ), shows the bark of a tree used to prepare infusions for sore liver, kidney problems or intestinal pains
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Left: Nueves Selles, portrait of a priestess. Right: Iximché, near Tecpán. A priest Maya kisses candles before using them
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San Jose Poaquil, Andrés Vicente spiritual guidance and curandero Hacienda Maria, with the Tzolquin Mayan calendars
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San Mateo Ixtatan, three girls back to the house carrying on his shoulders the water pitchers filled at the well
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San Mateo Ixtatan, an woman prepares the black salt. Evaporation of salt water heating it and then, add the corn ground and dry all
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Playa Grande. A trader buys the cardamom spice from small local producers
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San Mateo Ixtatan-Felipe the official in charge of the town hall to collect salt water from one of the wells local
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A woman in traditional clothes. Stand out the bright colors of the taperraj typical striped cloth used to cover the baskets
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With the traditional frame, women realize different types of fabrics with ancient Mayan designs
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Traditional Maya thread used to make hand-colored fabrics with which the women sew clothes, shawls, bags and towels purpose
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Color has a symbolic meaning-religious: brown is the Earth, white purity of woman, yellow to health, green to money, black to death
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Color has a symbolic meaning-religious: brown is the Earth, white purity of woman, yellow to health, green to money, black to death
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A Maya carpet with drawings and motifs depicting mythological animals, geometric shapes, but also plants and stylized flowers
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A traditional Maya carpet. Everyone with a symbolic meaning-religious as well as colors
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Maya women weave flowers during the Sunday market
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A Mayan woman with the typical taperraj carries his son on his shoulders
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Lake Atitlan (1500 m.s.l.). It is surrounded by volcanoes and 12 villages that can be reached by boat
Río de la Pasión, department of Petén. The canoe is still the means of transport used by the Indians as at the time of the civilization
Cuchumatanes is the highest non-volcanic mountains of the Central America and one of the best areas for the cultivation of coffee
The the ancient Mayan city of Tikal (Petén department): 16 sq km of rain forest includes 6 temples and over 4000 structures
Antigua, against the backdrop of Volcán de Agua (3766 m). Founded in 1543, is famous for its Baroque architecture
The cathedral of old Antigua town
Chichicastenango: some villagers (at over 2000 m.s.l.) are waiting for the opening of the Calvary Church in the central square
Chichicastenango. The steps represent the days of the month in the Mayan calendar and only the indians should climb the steps
Chichicastenango. Festivities of Santo Tomas (patron of the town). Religious ceremonies with rites of Catholic and indigenous cults
Chichicastenango. Festivities of Santo Tomas (patron of the town). Religious ceremonies with rites of Catholic and indigenous cults
Chichicastenango. This mask it symbolizes the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors when the indians show off their wealth
Chichicastenango. The clothes require the application of stones, mirrors, beads, embroidery and rattles
Chichicastenango. The Indians come from distant villages to selling crafts, pottery, textiles, food, flowers, medicinal plants, pets
Chichicastenango, the entrance to a confradias
Chichigastenango. A moment of prayer in the church of St. Tomás lit by dozens of lighted candles
Chichicastenango. Church of Santo Tomas, lit by candles as a ritual offering, the night before the day of the market
Moments of sacred rites with candles of various colors, flowers, eggs, cigars, chocolate and copal, a resin extracted from pine trees
Momostenango. A Mayan priest during a celebration
Cuyotenango. A curandera (healer) performs a ritual using black magic rites and Maya, in the inside of a ceiba (Maya sacred tree)
Pascual Abaj, surroundings of Chichicastenango: performing a sacred rite with shedding of aguardiente, the distillate of sugar cane
Archaeological Site of Iximché, a Mayan priestess during a sacred ceremony.
A curandero (village of Chicuŕ), shows the bark of a tree used to prepare infusions for sore liver, kidney problems or intestinal pains
Left: Nueves Selles, portrait of a priestess. Right: Iximché, near Tecpán. A priest Maya kisses candles before using them
San Jose Poaquil, Andrés Vicente spiritual guidance and curandero Hacienda Maria, with the Tzolquin Mayan calendars
San Mateo Ixtatan, three girls back to the house carrying on his shoulders the water pitchers filled at the well
San Mateo Ixtatan, an woman prepares the black salt. Evaporation of salt water heating it and then, add the corn ground and dry all
Playa Grande. A trader buys the cardamom spice from small local producers
San Mateo Ixtatan-Felipe the official in charge of the town hall to collect salt water from one of the wells local
A woman in traditional clothes. Stand out the bright colors of the taperraj typical striped cloth used to cover the baskets
With the traditional frame, women realize different types of fabrics with ancient Mayan designs
Traditional Maya thread used to make hand-colored fabrics with which the women sew clothes, shawls, bags and towels purpose
Color has a symbolic meaning-religious: brown is the Earth, white purity of woman, yellow to health, green to money, black to death
Color has a symbolic meaning-religious: brown is the Earth, white purity of woman, yellow to health, green to money, black to death
A Maya carpet with drawings and motifs depicting mythological animals, geometric shapes, but also plants and stylized flowers
A traditional Maya carpet. Everyone with a symbolic meaning-religious as well as colors
Maya women weave flowers during the Sunday market
A Mayan woman with the typical taperraj carries his son on his shoulders
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Guatemala - Curiosity - Back to index
ID: 14
ID: 14
The Mayan civilization was already in decline when the Spanish conquistadors colonized these lands, exterminating the indigenous population in a genocide that has tried to delete an entire civilization. Today the Indians account for about 40% of the population and maintain their traditions alive contaminating a fervent Catholicism with ancient shamanic rituals. If one listens to this country, he feels the pain of a people who have always had a close relationship with violence toward which seems to have developed a dangerous habit-forming in the absence of other perspectives. Visiting the Mayan archaeological sites in clearings vacated by the jungle, or in the small villages Indians, feels strong and intense, the strength of a culture that has an ancient nostalgia for an era of freedom.
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