Yojb'iyin kik'in ri tijonela' (Walking with the Teachers)

As another cultural event, we all visited the Museo Regional de Santiago Sacatepéquez one afternoon. As we were walking there, Emily took a picture of us all making our way through the streets....

Amazing Balancing Talents!

Another thing that never ceased to amaze me about the Mayan communities is how the women manage to balance things on their heads. I have seen women transport items of various sizes on their heads, which is astounding!

One day, I had to pick up our laundry from Wicha's house, and, being the untalented gringa that I am, I had to lug the massive weight in my arms. As I was walking down the street, I can't tell you how many people stopped at stared at me like I was a flaming idiot as they were carrying things much heavier on their heads. Oh, the many things that we have to learn from the Maya!

K’aybäl (Market)

One of my favorite things about Guatemala in general is the market. We always go there to buy our fruit and vegetables for each meal, and then on the way home, we always buy wäy (corn tortillas), which are more often than not the primary staple of a Mayan diet. Apart from the assortment of fresh produce, there are also vendors that sell a variety of other things, including traje (the traditional dress still worn by Mayan women).

Yojkemon rik'in Ixkamey (We weave with Ixkamey)

Another real treat of the Kab'lajuj Ey course was that one of the teachers, Ixkamey, is a renowned weaver. For our cultural event, one day she brought some of her weaving supplies and taught us how to weave.

In Mayan numerology, the number 20 is fundamental, because that is the number of fingers and toes that each human being has. In weaving, the strings are counted off in twenties, so Ixkamey showed us how to count the correct number of threads to make the pattern consistent.

Since it takes a great deal of strength to be able to support a loom, women generally strap themselves to their loom, which is then secured to anything sturdy (a wall, a door frame, etc.).

I was absolutely terrified when I first started because I was really afraid that I was going to mess it up, but after I while I began to really enjoy it. Each of the threads that we used was an astonishingly beautiful hue, and I thanked Ixkamey profusely for teaching us how to weave. She is not only an extremely talented Kaqchikel teacher, but she is also a superb weaving instructor. Ütz rusamaj, Ixkamey!

Xukulem (Day Keeper Ceremony) pa Wuqu' Kawoq

A cloth with the different colored candles that were used during the ceremony.

Wicha making sure the candles were placed correctly.

Clarice and Kate helping set up the materials needed for the fire.

Clarice, Claire and I focusing on the fire.

The daykeeper took my candles and touched them to my 13 joints during the part of the ceremony for my nahual (Toj).

After we all got back from Antigua, we had the opportunity to participate in a xukulem (Day Keeper's ceremony). According to the day that you were born, you have a number (1-13), and a nahual, which is a spirit that accompanies your soul in life. My day is Julajuj Toj, which means that my birthdate corresponds with the number 11, and my nahual is a Toj, which is a raindrop or a tear. It is said that the higher the number you have, the more strength you have.

During the ceremony, the daykeeper (aj q'ij) uses various materials, such as candles of different colors, incense, liquor, red soda, sugar, salt, rosemary, etc. Once the fire is started, he summons the ancestors to give the people participating in the ceremony guidance. For us, we asked our ancestors for strength as we continued to learn Kaqchikel.

As the ceremony proceeds, he goes through all of the different possible nahuales, and then names off the numbers 1-13 that correspond to each nahual. When your nahual is being summoned, you can toss your candles into the fire, or you can kneel and have the daykeeper take your candles and rub them all of over you, touching them to the 13 points of your body.

At other points in the ceremony, if you would like to put candles in the fire for a loved one, you are welcome to do so when that person's nahual is being summoned. For Brian's nahual, he is Waqi' Tz'ikin, which means that his number is 6 and his nahual is Bird. It is particularly interesting when the bird is summoned because everyone in the ceremony takes a handful of birdseed and sprinkles it over the fire while making a bird sound.

After having spent a year working to learn Kaqchikel, it was so beautiful to hear it being used in such a poetic way to summon the ancestors. However, what was the most amazing part of this particular ceremony was the fact that the day keeper sat with us after it was all over to explain what had just happened. According to him, our fire was very positive in that it indicated that we all approached the ceremony with open, pure hearts. The fire had several tornado-like swirls, which is the response of the ancestors. He told us that so far, there hasn't been any disturbance in our work and that our path is open. Now, we just need to continue to do good work, which ultimately depends on each of us.

Antigua: June 11-13, 2010

Some merimba players busking in the streets.


Claire walking towards the famous arch.


A picture of one of the volcanoes surrounding Antigua that I took from the roof of our hotel.

Claire and Graham playing pool in Red's.


My first gallo, or better known as "Mama aq" (Rooster in Kaqchikel). I will never be able to look at it quite the same after Filiberto's rendition of "q'abarel" (drunk) with a water bottle pretending to be a Mama Aq.


Strolling through the streets with the group....


Sitting in front of the fountain in Café Condessa waiting for my lunch. The highlight of this place is that the coffee is amazing, which was much appreciated after a solid week of instant coffee in Santiago.


Claire, Kate, and Clarice in the hotel.

Claire and I walking towards the market.


Another lovely fountain....

Hanging out with Graham, Miranda, Kab'la, Claire, and Clarice at Kafka's. The joy of this place is the fact that you can sit for hours and smoke while you watch the World Cup games.

Ah, Café Condessa (again)...


Clarice and Kab'la having some Mama Aq....


The whole group at Café Condessa.

The colorful streets of Antigua.

After our first week with Kab'lajuj Ey, all of us tijoxela' (students) headed to Antigua for the weekend to take care of logistical things (i.e. withdraw money, buy cell phones, etc.).

While we were there, we also took advantage of our time to take a much-deserved break from studying....

Despedida de Ixche' chuqa' Kab'la

At the end of the first week, Ixche' and Kab'la had to go their separate ways. Ixche' flew back to the States, whereas Kab'la was moving on to Antigua to work with some doctors from KU-Med. We were all sad to see them go, but we at least took advantage of taking the photo of the inaugurating class of Kab'lajuj Ey while they were still with us.

Maximón enjoying a Rubio….

After Maximón got a bath, Claire and I sat down with him to have a Rubio, a Guatemalan brand of cigarettes. Undoubtedly, there is something to be said for a cigarette that does not have the flame repellent chemicals in them that the ones in the States have. Poor Maximón would have been chappy had he not gotten to enjoy his entire smoke!

Wa'in pa Rochoch Wicha (Lunch at Wicha's House)

The tijonela' and tijoxela' (students and teachers) having lunch together.

A soup with squash, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, and other vegetables.

Fresh, steaming wäy (tortillas) wrapped in a cloth to keep them warm.

This is a lady who lives with Wicha playing with the cat that lives there. She was always so kind to us and was VERY patient with us when we tried to practice our Kaqchikel with her.

The altar inside of Wicha's house.

Everyday we had Wa'in (lunch) at Wicha's house. We always ate at a huge table, and there was always plenty of wäy (tortillas) to go around! As the community leader, there was also a large altar in the corner of the room where we ate. It was always a beautiful ambiance to have lunch. Plus, the added opportunity to speak Kaqchikel was invaluable!

Kab'lajuj Ey Kaqchikel Maya Language School

Emily getting things ready for class to begin....

Reviewing with Ixkamey during the Kamulunïk (Review) early in the morning.

At the end of each day, we always had an etzlanem (game) to review the material that we had learned. As you can see, you never get too old for these things!

The tijonela' (teachers) planning our lessons....

Kem Chi (Grammar Lesson) with Filiberto, who is a renowned linguistic who wrote the infamous white OKMA dictionary!

Reviewing the day's material with Ixim Nik'te during the Kamulunïk (Review).

One day, Ixkamey told us a story about a man who needed to take some medication. On the label of the bottle, it said "Agítese bien antes de tomar." In Spanish, that mean shake well before taking the medicine. However, the man thought he was supposed to shake his body well, not the medication. This is Ixkamey doing her "Agítese bien" dance at the end of her story!

For our lesson on food, Anita and Clarice prepared a meal for the teachers and explained to them what ingredients they used to prepare. We all had a blast, especially when it came time to eat! Matyöx chi nuway!

Washing dishes in the pila with Ixim Nik'te and Ixkamey. Everyone else tried to help, but they insisted that they were "chanin, chanin" (fast, fast). I pulled out the married card and convinced them that three ixöqi’ (married women) are better than two!

Lajuj Tijax helping Clarice and I during the Kamulunïk (Review).

From June 7th - June 18th, I was one of the tijoxela' (students) that participated in Kab'lajuj Ey, a Kaqchikel Maya Language School that Wuqu' Kawoq organized. Wuqu' Kawoq is an NGO that promotes ethnolinguistics and ethnomedicine in the Highlands of Guatemala amongst Kaqchikel-speaking communities. It was an amazing opportunity to work with Lajuj Tijax, Ixkamey, Ixim Nikte, and Filiberto from 7am until 4:30pm every day. The lessons were intensive, but the interactive components really helped us learn the material. Here are some of the pictures from our first week of classes....