Did I mention that we are in the rainy season? No, but I mean, the rainy part of the rainy season. So the rainy season lasts from April to October, I think, so it´s almost a joke to call it a "season". But within the rainy season, there is THE rainy season, which is basically all of August and September. And let me tell you, you definitely notice the difference! I didn´t mind so much the once- or twice-a-day rainstorms in July, but as soon as the month of August hit... SPLASH! It now rains at any and all times of the day. Steg, if I haven´t thanked you for the flip-flops before, they are wonderfully appreciated now!
Anyway, back to San Andres Xecul. We started by using taking three separate chicken busses to get out there. We kept forking over money.. but it came to like $1 total, I think, so I really can´t complain.
The first stop in San Andres Xecul (pronounced Sheh-COOL) was to la iglesia catolica, which is pretty impressive. It is evidently often used in marketing for the region due to its distinctive appearance.
Different, no? The inside of the church was also somewhat unique. Never before have I seen neon in the sanctuary.
It´s a shame that I didn´t find out until later that night, but the parish priest at this particular church is the cousin of Patricia, my host family mother! What a strange coincidence! (He wasn´t around, though, so I don´t feel too bad for not knowing ahead of time!)
After the parish, we headed up the hill.. to visit a different San Simon. I was going to fork over the 5Q this time for a picture for the blog, now that I understood a little better. But it was very dark in the room, and besides, this San Simon didn´t look half as good as Zunil´s version. Therefore, I passed yet again. Sorry, everyone!
But since we did go up the hill, I did get some incredible views of the city and the surrounding mountains. Of course, again, the camera failed to be as impressed as I was. I think I need to take lessons in how to speak camera-ese after my Spanish lessons are finished. But here´s maybe the best of the bunch. (Funny how the church stands out!)
Then, we visited a small chapel, up the hill (again) from the church. Look closely, it is different. I said that I like the image of the "ghosts with the Host", until another student pointed out that they were probably angels, which makes a lot more sense.
We also got to witness some Mayan ceremonies. This was very interesting, and I´ll talk more about it in a moment, but for now, just enjoy the photos.
Finally, to return to Xela, there was no chicken bus handy... but for a measly 3Q a head (about $0.38), this pickup truck was willing to drive us halfway back. So we clambered into the back of the truck for a pretty memorable and fun trip. (We then boarded a chicken bus for the rest of journey.)
All-in-all, a nice excursion.
I do want to talk for a moment about Mayan religious practices. But first, it is critical to understand the following things: (1) I am not speaking as the voice of the Catholic Church; (2) I am not speaking as an expert on all things Maya; and (3) in general, I´m pretty uninformed, so these are just my own random thoughts on the subject. They may be totally incoherent, or inaccurate, or both; the fault lies solely with my interpretation.
I find it very hard to classify the Maya religion. Indeed, I am not even sure that it is properly termed a "religion", as much as a philosophy with rites and ceremonies. Bear with me while I try to explain.
First of all, my understanding is that the vast majority of Mayans (I´m not even sure if it is "Mayans" or "Mayas", so that just shows my ignorance here!) who practice the Mayan religion are Christian. They believe in the Trinity and the salvific death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If my experience at Mass is anything to go by, they are very devoted to the church. They are Christians, plain-and-simple.
Well, maybe not "simple". There are Mayan holy books that mirror the Bible in many ways, and these books are still honored and studied. There are Mayan ceremonies, as clearly seen in the above pictures. And there are Mayan priests too. And all of this exists side-by-side, in harmony, with their Christian faith. To those of us in the United States, this seems very unusual; here, it is just a normal and natural part of life.
If I understand it correctly, Mayan life is patterned after the ideas of duality, harmony, and balance (my enumeration, not theirs!). Duality, as in light-and-dark, good-and-evil, life-and-death, etc. Harmony, as in all things being expressions of the totality of God´s single harmonious creation. Balance, as in taking and receiving, utilizing things from nature, but respecting and protecting it. To me, these concepts are more philosophical in nature than religious, but they appear to be the fundamental foundations to the Mayan ethos.
Enter Christianity. As far as I understand it, the conversion of the Maya to Christianity was relatively simple, because everything that the Maya believed in is compatible, indeed harmonious, with a true Christian lifestyle. There were resistors, of couse (see my post on San Simon), but in general, the conversion of the Mayan people to Christianity was much more smooth than that of the Incas, Aztecs, or other indiginous peoples of the Americas because the Maya did not see conflict.
For generations, however, well-meaning European Christians attempted to eradicate Mayan religious practices. After all, aren´t those "idols" on the Mayan altar above? That the Maya had accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior was not enough; the pious Spanish wanted to ensure the salvation of the souls of the Maya by getting rid of all traces of pagan worship. Unsurprisingly, these ceremonies and practices went underground, where the Maya would worship with their Spanish conquerors openly, and continue to hand on the ancient traditions in secret. Loyola told me that Pope John Paul II finally lifted the ban on Guatemalan Catholics who wished to continue to participate in Mayan rites, understanding that they are not worshipping other gods or idols, but are a cultural expression of a way of life.
And yet, we still refer to it as the Mayan "religion". The God that is the object of worship in these Mayan ceremonies is the One True God. I am reminded of the tale in Acts of the Apostles, when Paul, visiting Athens, finds the altar dedicated to an unknown god, and uses it to teach the Athenians about God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. As Christians, we believe that revelation of God was perfected in Jesus Christ through Israel to the whole world. But since God can be known in other ways, albeit imperfectly, such as through the harmony of nature, or science, or philosophy, it is almost a no-brainer to think that the Maya, who were so adept at mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and philosophy, could have discovered an imperfect vision of God through observation and thought. When the Spaniards came to "complete the picture", they were more than happy to absorb the new information regarding the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
I'm about to study some ancient Greek philosophy, which purports to similar have similar imperfect understandings of God, so maybe I'll be wiser about these things in a few months. Probably not. But it is a fascinating topic, and I am continually amazed, perplexed, and filled with wonder at the ways of God. Every new piece of information that I learn reminds me of how little I actually know! Trying to weave these tidbits into a coherent thought takes a wiser man than me!
Anyway, if you´re still with me, it´s been fascinating to get a glimpse of the Maya. And no, 2012 is not going to be the end of the world. (Apparently it is really predicted as the climax of an ecological struggle that supposedly began in 1998... have we plugged that hole in the gulf yet? Just asking...) Anyway, I haven´t even begun to scratch the surface of the Maya.. but it is more intriguing than I could possibly have imagined!
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