Log 7: Iximche ruins
On Tuesday June 14, we were taken for a tour of the Iximche ruins outside of Tecpán. Don Simeone from Patzún performed a 3-hour traditional Kaqchikel ceremony. It started by lighting 5 colored candles, each signifying a different part of the universe (the sun/creator, mama earth, etc.), on a stone altar, and reciting a Kaqchikel prayer.
Next, Don Simeone used Sugar to draw a Mayan symbol on a platform next to the altar. The symbol, along with the particular point along its circumference that was singled out, represented the date of this day according to the Mayan calendar: jun b'atz'. With the help of Pedro and the teachers, he then proceeded to place various materials in and around the symbol that he had drawn: pieces of wood, a solid block of raw sugar, incense, and dozens of colored candles arranged in a radial fashion around the center of the symbol.
The entire thing was then set on fire, and as the fire burned, we were given our own candles and other materials to place in the fire. Don Simeone then dedicated a portion of the ceremony to each of the months of the Mayan calendar. He told us, in Spanish, the astrological significance of each month, followed by a prayer, in Kaqchikel, dedicated to that month. Those students or other attendees who were born on that month according to the Mayan calendar were given materials to throw into the fire while the portion dedicated to their month was going on.
As you can imagine, the ceremony was extremely long, and all of this sugar (some of it caramelizing) drew a huge amount of bees. None of the Kaqchikel folks seemed particularly bothered by this, but standing for 3 hours or more in the sun surrounded by bees was a bit much for some of us...
After that, we adjourned to the entrance to the ruins, where we sat on the grass for a delightful little picnic lunch. We had tamalitos, a chicken broth soup, and pineapple juice. Stray dogs were looking at us with optimistic eyes throughout the meal, and they indeed got what they were hoping for once we were done... delicious leftovers. Most of our food was vegetables, though, and as Emma was giving some of the dogs her leftovers, one of them was rejecting the vegetables even if those vegetables had been sitting in chicken broth. Only meat for me!
In the afternoon, we took a brief tour of some of the other areas of the ruins, including several other alters and the Mayan ballgame field, where we got further explanations from Don Simeone.
Later, the bus came to take us back to Wuqu' Kawoq, and it was... an American yellow schoolbus. (These are quite common around here. I guess this is where the old one goes when a county upgrades theirs?)
Finally, here are another couple of pictures for your enjoyment. (That's Gesoel admiring the view, in the first one.)
The entire thing was then set on fire, and as the fire burned, we were given our own candles and other materials to place in the fire. Don Simeone then dedicated a portion of the ceremony to each of the months of the Mayan calendar. He told us, in Spanish, the astrological significance of each month, followed by a prayer, in Kaqchikel, dedicated to that month. Those students or other attendees who were born on that month according to the Mayan calendar were given materials to throw into the fire while the portion dedicated to their month was going on.
As you can imagine, the ceremony was extremely long, and all of this sugar (some of it caramelizing) drew a huge amount of bees. None of the Kaqchikel folks seemed particularly bothered by this, but standing for 3 hours or more in the sun surrounded by bees was a bit much for some of us...
Later, the bus came to take us back to Wuqu' Kawoq, and it was... an American yellow schoolbus. (These are quite common around here. I guess this is where the old one goes when a county upgrades theirs?)
Finally, here are another couple of pictures for your enjoyment. (That's Gesoel admiring the view, in the first one.)
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