Wednesday, March 28, 2007
It was Vitoriano's 57th birthday last weekend
And the family was there to celebrate
Martina handled the cooking
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
March is the month for planting corn (maiz). We are still in the dry season and powdery dust is a constant of life here, but the days are warmer. I did not need a jacket today. During one of our recent Spanish lessons, Vitoriano spoke with me about what maiz means to the Maya. It is more than a crop and more than just a tradition, although those are certainly parts of it. It is the very essence of being Mayan. The Maya believe that mankind was created not from the earth but from maiz. The ancient Mayan ruins are full of symbols of maiz. All meals here, including breakfast, are served with unlimited maiz tortillas (or tamales or tamalitos). For the very poor, meals may consist of tortillas and nothing else but water or broth. Not only is maiz sacred itself, but so too is the process of growing it. Thus it becomes hard to introduce changes and other ideas, such as terrace farming to reduce erosion or rotation of crops to replenish the soil.
It is important for every Mayan man to produce enough maiz by his own hand to feed his family for the coming year. The field must be prepared individually, using a hoe (azadon) to create a series of ridges. Shallow depressions are made in the ridges and the maiz is sewn in clumps of seven seeds. The first seed is for the poor. The second for the birds. The third for animals. The fourth for thieves. The last three are for the farmer and his family. When the maiz has grown to an inch or so the farmer will walk his field to be sure that every clump consists of seven plants, adding seeds to those clumps that lack the full complement.
Until a generation ago, the planting would be followed by a Mayan ceremony in the field to bless the maiz for the production of a bountiful crop, give thanks for the regeneration of life, and to celebrate the sun and the rain that will come. This ceremony is rarely performed any more, and instead there will be a special service and a blessing of the maiz held in the Catholic church.
Tonight I shared a DVD with Vitoriano. Xela is only an hour away, and it actually gets many first-run movies from the US. The movies about Africa don't stay long, though. I just missed seeing The Last King of Scotland in a cineplex, and had to buy the DVD instead. Pirated, of course, but still a pretty good copy. Last Saturday I went to Xela again, specifically to see Blood Diamond, only to find that Friday was the last day of its run. Again, I found an excellent DVD on the street, and watched it in English last night.
So Vitoriano and I shared Blood Diamond tonight, in dubbed Spanish. I actually understood the Spanish fairly well(!). As I expected, Vitoriano found many similarities with Guatemala in the scenery - the rugged mountains, long views, desperately poor villages, crowded village markets, the contrast with upscale cities. But more. He remarked repeatedly on the plight of the population violently caught in the middle between the gov't troops and the guerillas, and the rampant corruption that fed it all. He said that this was exactly the situation in rural Guatemala during the long civil war here. Villages laid waste, women raped, men killed, children abducted, people running into the forests and hills for their lives, and it was the same whether it was the army or the guerillas who suddenly appeared without warning. All fed by money and power from outside the country.
Really, Guatemala still hasn't recovered, even though Peace Accords were signed in 1996. The country is still awash with handguns and automatic rifles, the justice system is almost non-functional, impunity is rampant, and gross corruption is apparent even in the hightest levels of the National Police. Petty criminal violence in Guatemala City is out of control - the Peace Corps headquarters is moving to a safer rural location, the US State Department and European Countries have issued tourist warnings. We PCVs are under strict orders to avoid the City if possible, and when in the city not to use city buses or roving taxis.
It came to a head about a month ago, when three visiting Congressmen and their driver from El Salvador were abducted, tortured for several hours, and then assasinated. Surprisingly, only two days later four members of the secret police were arrested for the killings and placed in a high security prison. But the following day all four were found dead, shot in their cells. There is still no word on who killed the policemen or how this could happen inside a high security prison, nor any information about who was behind the attack on the Congressmen or why. Two high-ranking police officials were sacked. One showed up two days later "vacationing" at a beach in Costa Rica having shaved off his mustache and beard. He immediately left for Panama and then on to Venezuela, from where he is currently trying to negotiate "security" before returning to Guatemala for questioning. The other official apparently is in Mexico, fighting extradition.
It is important for every Mayan man to produce enough maiz by his own hand to feed his family for the coming year. The field must be prepared individually, using a hoe (azadon) to create a series of ridges. Shallow depressions are made in the ridges and the maiz is sewn in clumps of seven seeds. The first seed is for the poor. The second for the birds. The third for animals. The fourth for thieves. The last three are for the farmer and his family. When the maiz has grown to an inch or so the farmer will walk his field to be sure that every clump consists of seven plants, adding seeds to those clumps that lack the full complement.
Until a generation ago, the planting would be followed by a Mayan ceremony in the field to bless the maiz for the production of a bountiful crop, give thanks for the regeneration of life, and to celebrate the sun and the rain that will come. This ceremony is rarely performed any more, and instead there will be a special service and a blessing of the maiz held in the Catholic church.
Tonight I shared a DVD with Vitoriano. Xela is only an hour away, and it actually gets many first-run movies from the US. The movies about Africa don't stay long, though. I just missed seeing The Last King of Scotland in a cineplex, and had to buy the DVD instead. Pirated, of course, but still a pretty good copy. Last Saturday I went to Xela again, specifically to see Blood Diamond, only to find that Friday was the last day of its run. Again, I found an excellent DVD on the street, and watched it in English last night.
So Vitoriano and I shared Blood Diamond tonight, in dubbed Spanish. I actually understood the Spanish fairly well(!). As I expected, Vitoriano found many similarities with Guatemala in the scenery - the rugged mountains, long views, desperately poor villages, crowded village markets, the contrast with upscale cities. But more. He remarked repeatedly on the plight of the population violently caught in the middle between the gov't troops and the guerillas, and the rampant corruption that fed it all. He said that this was exactly the situation in rural Guatemala during the long civil war here. Villages laid waste, women raped, men killed, children abducted, people running into the forests and hills for their lives, and it was the same whether it was the army or the guerillas who suddenly appeared without warning. All fed by money and power from outside the country.
Really, Guatemala still hasn't recovered, even though Peace Accords were signed in 1996. The country is still awash with handguns and automatic rifles, the justice system is almost non-functional, impunity is rampant, and gross corruption is apparent even in the hightest levels of the National Police. Petty criminal violence in Guatemala City is out of control - the Peace Corps headquarters is moving to a safer rural location, the US State Department and European Countries have issued tourist warnings. We PCVs are under strict orders to avoid the City if possible, and when in the city not to use city buses or roving taxis.
It came to a head about a month ago, when three visiting Congressmen and their driver from El Salvador were abducted, tortured for several hours, and then assasinated. Surprisingly, only two days later four members of the secret police were arrested for the killings and placed in a high security prison. But the following day all four were found dead, shot in their cells. There is still no word on who killed the policemen or how this could happen inside a high security prison, nor any information about who was behind the attack on the Congressmen or why. Two high-ranking police officials were sacked. One showed up two days later "vacationing" at a beach in Costa Rica having shaved off his mustache and beard. He immediately left for Panama and then on to Venezuela, from where he is currently trying to negotiate "security" before returning to Guatemala for questioning. The other official apparently is in Mexico, fighting extradition.
March is the month for planting corn (maiz). We are still in the dry season and powdery dust is a constant of life here, but the days are warmer. I did not need a jacket today. During one of our recent Spanish lessons, Vitoriano spoke with me about what maiz means to the Maya. It is more than a crop and more than just a tradition, although those are certainly parts of it. It is the very essence of being Mayan. The Maya believe that mankind was created not from the earth but from maiz. The ancient Mayan ruins are full of symbols of maiz. All meals here, including breakfast, are served with unlimited maiz tortillas (or tamales or tamalitos). For the very poor, meals may consist of tortillas and nothing else but water or broth. Not only is maiz sacred itself, but so too is the process of growing it. Thus it becomes hard to introduce changes and other ideas, such as terrace farming to reduce erosion or rotation of crops to replenish the soil.
It is important for every Mayan man to produce enough maiz by his own hand to feed his family for the coming year. The field must be prepared individually, using a hoe (azadon) to create a series of ridges. Shallow depressions are made in the ridges and the maiz is sewn in clumps of seven seeds. The first seed is for the poor. The second for the birds. The third for animals. The fourth for thieves. The last three are for the farmer and his family. When the maiz has grown to an inch or so the farmer will walk his field to be sure that every clump consists of seven plants, adding seeds to those clumps that lack the full complement.
Until a generation ago, the planting would be followed by a Mayan ceremony in the field to bless the maiz for the production of a bountiful crop, give thanks for the regeneration of life, and to celebrate the sun and the rain that will come. This ceremony is rarely performed any more, and instead there will be a special service and a blessing of the maiz held in the Catholic church.
Tonight I shared a DVD with Vitoriano. Xela is only an hour away, and it actually gets many first-run movies from the US. The movies about Africa don't stay long, though. I just missed seeing The Last King of Scotland in a cineplex, and had to buy the DVD instead. Pirated, of course, but still a pretty good copy. Last Saturday I went to Xela again, specifically to see Blood Diamond, only to find that Friday was the last day of its run. Again, I found an excellent DVD on the street, and watched it in English last night.
So Vitoriano and I shared Blood Diamond tonight, in dubbed Spanish. I actually understood the Spanish fairly well(!). As I expected, Vitoriano found many similarities with Guatemala in the scenery - the rugged mountains, long views, desperately poor villages, crowded village markets, the contrast with upscale cities. But more. He remarked repeatedly on the plight of the population violently caught in the middle between the gov't troops and the guerillas, and the rampant corruption that fed it all. He said that this was exactly the situation in rural Guatemala during the long civil war here. Villages laid waste, women raped, men killed, children abducted, people running into the forests and hills for their lives, and it was the same whether it was the army or the guerillas who suddenly appeared without warning. All fed by money and power from outside the country.
Really, Guatemala still hasn't recovered, even though Peace Accords were signed in 1996. The country is still awash with handguns and automatic rifles, the justice system is almost non-functional, impunity is rampant, and gross corruption is apparent even in the hightest levels of the National Police. Petty criminal violence in Guatemala City is out of control - the Peace Corps headquarters is moving to a safer rural location, the US State Department and European Countries have issued tourist warnings. We PCVs are under strict orders to avoid the City if possible, and when in the city not to use city buses or roving taxis.
It came to a head about a month ago, when three visiting Congressmen and their driver from El Salvador were abducted, tortured for several hours, and then assasinated. Surprisingly, only two days later four members of the secret police were arrested for the killings and placed in a high security prison. But the following day all four were found dead, shot in their cells. There is still no word on who killed the policemen or how this could happen inside a high security prison, nor any information about who was behind the attack on the Congressmen or why. Two high-ranking police officials were sacked. One showed up two days later "vacationing" at a beach in Costa Rica having shaved off his mustache and beard. He immediately left for Panama and then on to Venezuela, from where he is currently trying to negotiate "security" before returning to Guatemala for questioning. The other official apparently is in Mexico, fighting extradition.
It is important for every Mayan man to produce enough maiz by his own hand to feed his family for the coming year. The field must be prepared individually, using a hoe (azadon) to create a series of ridges. Shallow depressions are made in the ridges and the maiz is sewn in clumps of seven seeds. The first seed is for the poor. The second for the birds. The third for animals. The fourth for thieves. The last three are for the farmer and his family. When the maiz has grown to an inch or so the farmer will walk his field to be sure that every clump consists of seven plants, adding seeds to those clumps that lack the full complement.
Until a generation ago, the planting would be followed by a Mayan ceremony in the field to bless the maiz for the production of a bountiful crop, give thanks for the regeneration of life, and to celebrate the sun and the rain that will come. This ceremony is rarely performed any more, and instead there will be a special service and a blessing of the maiz held in the Catholic church.
Tonight I shared a DVD with Vitoriano. Xela is only an hour away, and it actually gets many first-run movies from the US. The movies about Africa don't stay long, though. I just missed seeing The Last King of Scotland in a cineplex, and had to buy the DVD instead. Pirated, of course, but still a pretty good copy. Last Saturday I went to Xela again, specifically to see Blood Diamond, only to find that Friday was the last day of its run. Again, I found an excellent DVD on the street, and watched it in English last night.
So Vitoriano and I shared Blood Diamond tonight, in dubbed Spanish. I actually understood the Spanish fairly well(!). As I expected, Vitoriano found many similarities with Guatemala in the scenery - the rugged mountains, long views, desperately poor villages, crowded village markets, the contrast with upscale cities. But more. He remarked repeatedly on the plight of the population violently caught in the middle between the gov't troops and the guerillas, and the rampant corruption that fed it all. He said that this was exactly the situation in rural Guatemala during the long civil war here. Villages laid waste, women raped, men killed, children abducted, people running into the forests and hills for their lives, and it was the same whether it was the army or the guerillas who suddenly appeared without warning. All fed by money and power from outside the country.
Really, Guatemala still hasn't recovered, even though Peace Accords were signed in 1996. The country is still awash with handguns and automatic rifles, the justice system is almost non-functional, impunity is rampant, and gross corruption is apparent even in the hightest levels of the National Police. Petty criminal violence in Guatemala City is out of control - the Peace Corps headquarters is moving to a safer rural location, the US State Department and European Countries have issued tourist warnings. We PCVs are under strict orders to avoid the City if possible, and when in the city not to use city buses or roving taxis.
It came to a head about a month ago, when three visiting Congressmen and their driver from El Salvador were abducted, tortured for several hours, and then assasinated. Surprisingly, only two days later four members of the secret police were arrested for the killings and placed in a high security prison. But the following day all four were found dead, shot in their cells. There is still no word on who killed the policemen or how this could happen inside a high security prison, nor any information about who was behind the attack on the Congressmen or why. Two high-ranking police officials were sacked. One showed up two days later "vacationing" at a beach in Costa Rica having shaved off his mustache and beard. He immediately left for Panama and then on to Venezuela, from where he is currently trying to negotiate "security" before returning to Guatemala for questioning. The other official apparently is in Mexico, fighting extradition.
Friday, March 23, 2007
The old Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan, now looking much like a ghost town.
But not everybody has left. Here are three of the current residents.
A small corner of the market in Momostenango.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
I've been getting out to more communities, partly just out of interest, mostly to record their position using GPS. Yesterday I hiked for about three hours, visiting small towns. Along the trail, some children were curious about this strange guy with a beard, others quickly ran away. At one home, the Mother chased her children away and ran herself as soon as she saw me. There is a level of concern here about "foreigners" who want to abduct children for adoption or nefarious medical uses.
I ended up walking about 7km from home - double that for the highway route which doesn't follow the more direct trails over the mountains. The road maps for this region look like the trails of drunken worms as they wind around the mountains. For the ride back, I got a ride in a microbus with Juan. Juan told me that he worked in construction in Los Angeles for two years, during which time he saved enough money to return to Guatemala and buy a home and the microbus which now provides his livlihood. He has three sons, one of whom was with him, working as the conductor of the bus.
Just yesterday the newspaper reported that remittances from abroad provide 10% of Guatemala's income, providing benefits such as Juan's success but also indicating the failure of the economy here to generate sufficient jobs for its population. It is one more facet of the immigration issue in the Americas - the paper takes the view that if the US spent a little more money on improving the Central American economies, there would be no need for our expensive wall.
Still, Guatemala is better off than El Salvador, where remittances provide 16% of the national income, Nicaragua's 12%, or Honduras' whopping 25%. Costa Rica, apparently, is self sufficient.
The current economic issue is the government's attempt to privatize education at the insistance of the World Bank et al (the people here say "at the insistance of Bush"). The average family here has over 5 children - fees for education are prohibitive. What policy could be more detrimental to decreasing illiteracy than accessible education?
There is a major demonstration in the Capital today by teachers and their supporters from all over Guatemala. My host, Angel, is a teacher and left by bus this morning with many others for the Capital.
Anyway, in my ramblings I have gotten to Momastenango, noted for the blankets woven by local craftspeople. Sunday is the major market day, as it is in most Guatemalan communities. Besides woven goods, much fruit and vegetables, clothes, plastic toys, Snake Oil venders...
Antigua Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan, the town that the people here in Nueva Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan mostly came from in 2002, looks like a semi-ghost town, with broken and rotting buildings. The problem stemmed from Hurricane Mitch, but was unique - the terrain is volcanic, and all the water from the Hurricane undercut the loose porous soil so that the buildings sank, cracking foundations and walls. But there remains a beautiful church (although with slanting walls) and the local priest strongly opposed leaving the town so a few people still remain there.
I really did want to add some photos of Momastenango and the old Sta.Cat.Ixt., but they just aren't uploading today. Maybe next time.
I ended up walking about 7km from home - double that for the highway route which doesn't follow the more direct trails over the mountains. The road maps for this region look like the trails of drunken worms as they wind around the mountains. For the ride back, I got a ride in a microbus with Juan. Juan told me that he worked in construction in Los Angeles for two years, during which time he saved enough money to return to Guatemala and buy a home and the microbus which now provides his livlihood. He has three sons, one of whom was with him, working as the conductor of the bus.
Just yesterday the newspaper reported that remittances from abroad provide 10% of Guatemala's income, providing benefits such as Juan's success but also indicating the failure of the economy here to generate sufficient jobs for its population. It is one more facet of the immigration issue in the Americas - the paper takes the view that if the US spent a little more money on improving the Central American economies, there would be no need for our expensive wall.
Still, Guatemala is better off than El Salvador, where remittances provide 16% of the national income, Nicaragua's 12%, or Honduras' whopping 25%. Costa Rica, apparently, is self sufficient.
The current economic issue is the government's attempt to privatize education at the insistance of the World Bank et al (the people here say "at the insistance of Bush"). The average family here has over 5 children - fees for education are prohibitive. What policy could be more detrimental to decreasing illiteracy than accessible education?
There is a major demonstration in the Capital today by teachers and their supporters from all over Guatemala. My host, Angel, is a teacher and left by bus this morning with many others for the Capital.
Anyway, in my ramblings I have gotten to Momastenango, noted for the blankets woven by local craftspeople. Sunday is the major market day, as it is in most Guatemalan communities. Besides woven goods, much fruit and vegetables, clothes, plastic toys, Snake Oil venders...
Antigua Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan, the town that the people here in Nueva Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan mostly came from in 2002, looks like a semi-ghost town, with broken and rotting buildings. The problem stemmed from Hurricane Mitch, but was unique - the terrain is volcanic, and all the water from the Hurricane undercut the loose porous soil so that the buildings sank, cracking foundations and walls. But there remains a beautiful church (although with slanting walls) and the local priest strongly opposed leaving the town so a few people still remain there.
I really did want to add some photos of Momastenango and the old Sta.Cat.Ixt., but they just aren't uploading today. Maybe next time.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
I've been in Guatemala City for a three-day conference of the Emergency Capacity Building Project. That refers to a consortium of six big international NGOs who have been working on various projects over the last 2 years to test methods of coordinating their efforts in 4 different types of projects. One of those projects was Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, my interest here in Guatemala. The funding from the Bill Gates Foundation hasn't been renewed, so this was a meeting to share and compare results.
The meeting was powerful. I got a lot of ideas, new resources and contacts. My counterpart from the Municipality, Tomas, was there too, and I think he was surprised at just what really can be done to prepare for catastrophies, and what a good plan looks like. And it didn't hurt that the meeting was at a posh conference center and accomodations were at an upscale hotel. I really feel fortunate to have been invited to the meeting. I feel that I am learning so much, much more than I can ever give back in return.
The NGO participants were really impressive for their leadership and accomplishments, including Mercycorps, CARE, Oxfam, World Vision, Save the Children, and Catholic Relief Services. Lots of Powerpoint presentations.
This whole process of preparing for disasters seems to come down to four major requirements:
1. Organization at all levels, so responsibilities and needs can be addressed.
2. Secure Communications, so assessments and assistance can be accomplished.
3. A Center of Emergency Operations that can be set up, staffed and functioning rapidly.
4. Instruction, so people know how to prepare, and where to look for help.
We have a long way to go to establish these four pillars of preparation, here.
Meanwhile, things seem to have been quiet at Nueva Sta. Catarina Ixtahuacan. No new fights. I do hear that there have been more meetings and all, but that is the way things should be.
The meeting was powerful. I got a lot of ideas, new resources and contacts. My counterpart from the Municipality, Tomas, was there too, and I think he was surprised at just what really can be done to prepare for catastrophies, and what a good plan looks like. And it didn't hurt that the meeting was at a posh conference center and accomodations were at an upscale hotel. I really feel fortunate to have been invited to the meeting. I feel that I am learning so much, much more than I can ever give back in return.
The NGO participants were really impressive for their leadership and accomplishments, including Mercycorps, CARE, Oxfam, World Vision, Save the Children, and Catholic Relief Services. Lots of Powerpoint presentations.
This whole process of preparing for disasters seems to come down to four major requirements:
1. Organization at all levels, so responsibilities and needs can be addressed.
2. Secure Communications, so assessments and assistance can be accomplished.
3. A Center of Emergency Operations that can be set up, staffed and functioning rapidly.
4. Instruction, so people know how to prepare, and where to look for help.
We have a long way to go to establish these four pillars of preparation, here.
Meanwhile, things seem to have been quiet at Nueva Sta. Catarina Ixtahuacan. No new fights. I do hear that there have been more meetings and all, but that is the way things should be.
Friday, March 09, 2007
Two more pictures that I wanted to include with the previous post:
I liked the juxtaposition of the soldiers in riot gear with the BIENVENIDOS on the Municipal building in the background.
The drum is the community call for a meeting when something unusual or potentially dangerous needs to be handled immediately.
I liked the juxtaposition of the soldiers in riot gear with the BIENVENIDOS on the Municipal building in the background.
The drum is the community call for a meeting when something unusual or potentially dangerous needs to be handled immediately.
Well, the emotions are cooling in Nueva Santa Catarina Ixthauacán. A delegation of some 40 men went to Solalá yesterday to meet with the Governor and other officials - there is another meeting there, scheduled for next Tuesday. The army left yesterday afternoon, and all seems quiet.
With my counterpart, Tomás, we met with the mayor this morning and he approved out idea of inviting a group of aid agencies here on the 29th to discuss coordination problems related to disaster preparation and response. That is more than I had hoped for at this time.
I had wanted to add some pictures to my Hatfield/McCoy posting of yesterday, but couldn´t do it. So here they are, now:
The Municipal Center, at a more tranquil time.
Part of the army squadron from Huehuetenango who arrived during the night. They were quite friendly, and seemed to welcome the chance to talk with people.
Lots of groupings of men talking about the problems. The guys in skirts/kilts are wearing the traditional Quiche clothing. The mayor, Francisco Tambríz y Tambríz, is in profile at the center-right, the only person wearing glasses
My good friend, my guide to the local customs and history, and my Spanish teacher, Victoriano Guachiac. Like most people here, he is a powerfully built small man.
With my counterpart, Tomás, we met with the mayor this morning and he approved out idea of inviting a group of aid agencies here on the 29th to discuss coordination problems related to disaster preparation and response. That is more than I had hoped for at this time.
I had wanted to add some pictures to my Hatfield/McCoy posting of yesterday, but couldn´t do it. So here they are, now:
The Municipal Center, at a more tranquil time.
Part of the army squadron from Huehuetenango who arrived during the night. They were quite friendly, and seemed to welcome the chance to talk with people.
Lots of groupings of men talking about the problems. The guys in skirts/kilts are wearing the traditional Quiche clothing. The mayor, Francisco Tambríz y Tambríz, is in profile at the center-right, the only person wearing glasses
My good friend, my guide to the local customs and history, and my Spanish teacher, Victoriano Guachiac. Like most people here, he is a powerfully built small man.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Hatfields vs McCoys
My assignment here is to work with the Municipality (this term describes a region which, in the USA, would be equivalent to a County) of Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán. Sta.Cat.Ixt. is shaped rather like a fat football, oriented north-south. A fanciful story tells the tale how, 131 years ago, a falling out between Miguel Salquill and Manuel Tzoc led to half the population marching off and forming what became the Municipality of Nahualá. The story of their disagreement, according to an internet posting from Nahualá, goes like this:
Miguel Salquill was elected Governor of Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán. He played the marimba , drank liquor, and “introduced vices” on Saturday and Sunday, according to the views of Manuel Tzoc, who was the “principal cantonal” at the time. When the Church was damaged by an earthquake, Salquill wanted to repair it, but Tzoc wanted to tear it down and rebuild. This became a disagreement that could not be resolved, and it led to a bloody armed conflict at Pacaja (located between Chirijox and Racantacaj). The Gov’t of Gen. Barrios had to intervene, and declare the separation of Nahualá and Sta.Cat.Ixt. Miguel and Pascual Salquill were arrested and jailed in Santa Lucia Utatlan, while Manuel Tzoc was arrested and jailed in Quetzaltenango. The Salquills then sent a man from Totonicapán and a mulato with two heads (one human, the other animal) to kill Tzoc. The mulato opened the door to the jail and challenged Tzoc to a fight if he was truly strong. He entered the jail, found Tzoc, and gave him two blows to the head. Tzoc fell back, then escaped in the shadows and darkness, and changed into a “Culawicot” (an monstrous dragon with two faces) and came back to beat up the mulato badly, grabbing him and throwing him to the ground. After this, Tzoc was believed to have the power of more than one man. Several years later the Municipality of Nahualá was created, with Tzoc as its elected leader.
How can you contradict a story about a Culawicot? But Victoriano Guachiac, my authority on local customs and history and my Spanish teacher, assures me that this story is patently false and the disagreement between Salquill and Tzoc was based on their competition for a very attractive woman. But then, he lives in Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán.
The national maps of Guatemala show Nahualá completely bordering Sta.Cat.Ixt. on both the north and west. However, Sta.Cat.Ixt. claims all the land to the west and a good portion of the land to the north. Indeed, the national maps would place the new town of Sta.Cat.Ixt. that contains the seat of its government well inside the border of Nahualá. Adding to the confusion, towns claiming allegiance to either of these Municipalities are mixed together all along the northern and western borders.
The Municipalities do not work together. This makes it hard to devise a master plan for mitigating disasters, which is what I am supposed to be doing here. Help this town that “belongs” to Sta.Cat.Ixt. and ignore the needs of that Nahualá town next door? But this is a small problem. The looming issues involve communal land and water rights.
There is not enough arable land to go around, and we at the end of the dry season when water is scarcest. Moreover, we are coming into the planting season so all the men are getting their plots ready to plant corn. A fight took place recently, in which men from Nahualá reportedly drove a Sta.Cat.Ixt. farmer from his plot, sending him to the hospital with multiple machete wounds. As a result, there have been meetings and crowds of angry men at the municipal center in Sta.Cat.Ixt. every evening for several days now. The Alcalde (mayor) has met with the Alcalde de Nahualá and has been to Solalá to seek remedy, apparently with little success.
Tonight (Wed the 7th) the crowds were more angry and emotional. Quite a few men were carrying machetes. Men were milling around, several pickups loaded with men were driving here and there. Lots of shouting and waving of arms. It looked like things could get nasty. A story was circulating that several girls from Sta.Cat.Ixt. were driven away by people from Nahualá when they tried to get water, as usual.
I don’t have a dog in this fight; I left to go to my room and will try to catch up on the rest of the story tomorrow.
Victoriano came in, excited and disturbed, to say that eight men from Sta.Cat.Ixt. have been taken to the hospital with injuries. The hospital is an hour away. Right now there are barking dogs outside, trucks driving around, drumming going on.
My progress in facilitating the prevention and mitigation of natural disasters may be somewhat interrupted.
****
Thursday, the 8th. It is a quiet, cold, sunny morning. Tranquil and quiet. I received an early morning call from the Peace Corps HQ in Guatemala City. They had heard that there were problems last night, even a report of several people killed, and they wanted to be sure that I was OK, not in danger, and to remind me to avoid emotional crowds.
I was glad to say that all is calm. The reports I hear this morning indicate a few machete injuries, perhaps one serious, but no deaths or extreme violence. It appears that the main confrontation was at Chiquisis, one of the Sta.Cat.Ixt. towns that is adjacent to other Nahualá towns, about 10km from here.
Thursdays are market day, and the vendors are arriving and setting up their stands as usual. But this morning we also have the army here, a squadron from Huehuetenango with helmets, guns and riot gear. They arrived last night to tamp down the violence and assure calm. They are friendly, and seem to be enjoying the sunshine. Hopefully things will settle down and this can all turn into a legal issue in the courts.
My assignment here is to work with the Municipality (this term describes a region which, in the USA, would be equivalent to a County) of Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán. Sta.Cat.Ixt. is shaped rather like a fat football, oriented north-south. A fanciful story tells the tale how, 131 years ago, a falling out between Miguel Salquill and Manuel Tzoc led to half the population marching off and forming what became the Municipality of Nahualá. The story of their disagreement, according to an internet posting from Nahualá, goes like this:
Miguel Salquill was elected Governor of Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán. He played the marimba , drank liquor, and “introduced vices” on Saturday and Sunday, according to the views of Manuel Tzoc, who was the “principal cantonal” at the time. When the Church was damaged by an earthquake, Salquill wanted to repair it, but Tzoc wanted to tear it down and rebuild. This became a disagreement that could not be resolved, and it led to a bloody armed conflict at Pacaja (located between Chirijox and Racantacaj). The Gov’t of Gen. Barrios had to intervene, and declare the separation of Nahualá and Sta.Cat.Ixt. Miguel and Pascual Salquill were arrested and jailed in Santa Lucia Utatlan, while Manuel Tzoc was arrested and jailed in Quetzaltenango. The Salquills then sent a man from Totonicapán and a mulato with two heads (one human, the other animal) to kill Tzoc. The mulato opened the door to the jail and challenged Tzoc to a fight if he was truly strong. He entered the jail, found Tzoc, and gave him two blows to the head. Tzoc fell back, then escaped in the shadows and darkness, and changed into a “Culawicot” (an monstrous dragon with two faces) and came back to beat up the mulato badly, grabbing him and throwing him to the ground. After this, Tzoc was believed to have the power of more than one man. Several years later the Municipality of Nahualá was created, with Tzoc as its elected leader.
How can you contradict a story about a Culawicot? But Victoriano Guachiac, my authority on local customs and history and my Spanish teacher, assures me that this story is patently false and the disagreement between Salquill and Tzoc was based on their competition for a very attractive woman. But then, he lives in Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán.
The national maps of Guatemala show Nahualá completely bordering Sta.Cat.Ixt. on both the north and west. However, Sta.Cat.Ixt. claims all the land to the west and a good portion of the land to the north. Indeed, the national maps would place the new town of Sta.Cat.Ixt. that contains the seat of its government well inside the border of Nahualá. Adding to the confusion, towns claiming allegiance to either of these Municipalities are mixed together all along the northern and western borders.
The Municipalities do not work together. This makes it hard to devise a master plan for mitigating disasters, which is what I am supposed to be doing here. Help this town that “belongs” to Sta.Cat.Ixt. and ignore the needs of that Nahualá town next door? But this is a small problem. The looming issues involve communal land and water rights.
There is not enough arable land to go around, and we at the end of the dry season when water is scarcest. Moreover, we are coming into the planting season so all the men are getting their plots ready to plant corn. A fight took place recently, in which men from Nahualá reportedly drove a Sta.Cat.Ixt. farmer from his plot, sending him to the hospital with multiple machete wounds. As a result, there have been meetings and crowds of angry men at the municipal center in Sta.Cat.Ixt. every evening for several days now. The Alcalde (mayor) has met with the Alcalde de Nahualá and has been to Solalá to seek remedy, apparently with little success.
Tonight (Wed the 7th) the crowds were more angry and emotional. Quite a few men were carrying machetes. Men were milling around, several pickups loaded with men were driving here and there. Lots of shouting and waving of arms. It looked like things could get nasty. A story was circulating that several girls from Sta.Cat.Ixt. were driven away by people from Nahualá when they tried to get water, as usual.
I don’t have a dog in this fight; I left to go to my room and will try to catch up on the rest of the story tomorrow.
Victoriano came in, excited and disturbed, to say that eight men from Sta.Cat.Ixt. have been taken to the hospital with injuries. The hospital is an hour away. Right now there are barking dogs outside, trucks driving around, drumming going on.
My progress in facilitating the prevention and mitigation of natural disasters may be somewhat interrupted.
****
Thursday, the 8th. It is a quiet, cold, sunny morning. Tranquil and quiet. I received an early morning call from the Peace Corps HQ in Guatemala City. They had heard that there were problems last night, even a report of several people killed, and they wanted to be sure that I was OK, not in danger, and to remind me to avoid emotional crowds.
I was glad to say that all is calm. The reports I hear this morning indicate a few machete injuries, perhaps one serious, but no deaths or extreme violence. It appears that the main confrontation was at Chiquisis, one of the Sta.Cat.Ixt. towns that is adjacent to other Nahualá towns, about 10km from here.
Thursdays are market day, and the vendors are arriving and setting up their stands as usual. But this morning we also have the army here, a squadron from Huehuetenango with helmets, guns and riot gear. They arrived last night to tamp down the violence and assure calm. They are friendly, and seem to be enjoying the sunshine. Hopefully things will settle down and this can all turn into a legal issue in the courts.
Since it was clear that I wouldn´t get anything done at the Municipalidad today, I caught a ride on a pickup truck to, of all places, Nahualá where I can find an internet café. There is a really big Thurday market in Nahualá, and everything appears absolutely normal. No police, no army, no groups of men in earnest conversation.
Well, I had a bunch of pictures I wanted to upload, but the connection here is just too slow. When I get to a faster site, in Xela, I will post them.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Visiting Chiquisis
I’m writing this at 2:00am. It is quiet and peaceful, except for some barking dogs somewhere. I was out “in the field” yesterday from noon until about 5, and came back invigorated, but bone tired. Skipped dinner and was in bed by 8, knowing I would be awake later but not caring.
There is this little publication that the Peace Corps Volunteers put together periodically, to keep in touch with each other and share anecdotes about their experiences here in Guatemala. The most recent one includes comments from a PCV who says he feels like he is living an experience out of National Geographic Magazine. I had that feeling today.
I had accompanied the two architects from Consorcio Bizkaia (a group of 3 Spanish aid agencies) out to Chiquisis. C. is a relocated mountaintop community of about 200 people, dating from late 2005 after Tropical Storm Stan. Most of the people are still living in temporary shelters – a basic framework wrapped in tough plastic provided by USAID. But Consorcio Bizkaia has done the planning for the community and is building new houses at a rapid rate. They expect to have completed some 290 houses by April.
There is this little publication that the Peace Corps Volunteers put together periodically, to keep in touch with each other and share anecdotes about their experiences here in Guatemala. The most recent one includes comments from a PCV who says he feels like he is living an experience out of National Geographic Magazine. I had that feeling today.
I had accompanied the two architects from Consorcio Bizkaia (a group of 3 Spanish aid agencies) out to Chiquisis. C. is a relocated mountaintop community of about 200 people, dating from late 2005 after Tropical Storm Stan. Most of the people are still living in temporary shelters – a basic framework wrapped in tough plastic provided by USAID. But Consorcio Bizkaia has done the planning for the community and is building new houses at a rapid rate. They expect to have completed some 290 houses by April.
It feels like being on the top of the world, there are no higher mountains on the horizon. It is above 9,000 ft., and the air is thin – feels chilly but the sun is strong and warm. You don’t seem to sweat in this atmosphere, even climbing steep slopes.
The houses are basic. Concrete block, corrugated tin roof, on a concrete slab. Almost square, divided in the middle to provide a room for the kitchen-living space, the other half divided again into two small bedrooms. The average family here has 5 or 6 children, so these houses will be very full. No indoor plumbing, no water. No stoves yet, but there will be wood-fired hearths eventually.
The architects were checking every site, to be sure that the houses were not too close to the embankments, that the reinforcing bars were spaced properly, that all specifications were being met, or mistakes corrected. They are doing careful, excellent work.
The houses are basic. Concrete block, corrugated tin roof, on a concrete slab. Almost square, divided in the middle to provide a room for the kitchen-living space, the other half divided again into two small bedrooms. The average family here has 5 or 6 children, so these houses will be very full. No indoor plumbing, no water. No stoves yet, but there will be wood-fired hearths eventually.
The architects were checking every site, to be sure that the houses were not too close to the embankments, that the reinforcing bars were spaced properly, that all specifications were being met, or mistakes corrected. They are doing careful, excellent work.
It is a strange scene. There are utility poles, but no wires, no electricity – yet. Lots of dust, it swirls around your feet at every step. The streets are laid out in checkerboard style, as much as the steep terrain will allow. Curbing is largely in, but no paving yet. But today, a group of men were putting in sidewalks (!), which just seems surreal. The predominant color is gray – the plastic sheeting, cement block mostly unfinished houses, the color of the ground itself. 
The people provide the color. The women in their bright, multicolored huipils, skirts and wraps. The men working everywhere, moving piles of gravel and sand, building the houses, mixing concrete... The atmosphere did not seem pressured, but there was a sense of intensity and industriousness in all this building going on.My task was to do GPS mapping of the very bumpy dirt road that brought us to Chiquisis, and to define the coordinates (longitude and latitude) of the town and its nearby neighbors. So I had a good bit of free time to explore. The first man we met, Eduardo, was glad for an opportunity to practice has English. I spoke Spanish, he spoke English. It turned out that he had received a grant to study geology at the U. of Delaware. He had fond memories of being invited by a friend to go to Philadelphia to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show, which HE found to be a surreal experience. Everyone I talked to spoke about how much better and safer this site was than where they had lived before. This, despite the chill air, the clouds drifting by, and the gray-ness of the raw construction scene.
Despite the warm sun, clouds roll in over the hilltop. It increases the "gray-ness" of the landscape, but also gives it a mysterious, other-worldly kind of atmosphere.
I found a boy who pointed out the trail to an neighboring town on an adjacent peak. The trail was through a pine forest, then fields where men were preparing their milpas to plant corn. This town, Pacatuma Section 2, had more completed houses than Chiquisis, and a very solid, functional school building, and a pretty, basic church. I talked with several women, who again expressed their pleasure at being able to live in a town such as this.
Back in Neuva Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán, the sauna felt wonderful, my stash of apples, cheese, club crackers and a tin of tuna with vegetables were very welcome luxuries.
Labels: Visiting Chiquisis
