Maybe the highlight of the trip to Zunil last week, certainly the most unusual, was the stop at the home of San Simon. I didn´t take any pictures, you will soon understand why, but it was definitely noteworthy. It was our last stop before the harrowing journey home by chicken bus, and it left an impression.
Before we had gone, we were told one thing: you will be stopping at the home of the local deity, San Simon (also called Mashimon or Maximon). "And trust us, you just have to see this one." Maybe, I should have done a little research beforehand, but I didn´t.
What greeted us as we entered the dark building was an empty front room, where the "plebians" could remain. Then, if we wanted to pay 5Q (about 65 cents), we could enter the inner room, (which was completely visible anyway). But in this inner room was San Simon: a life-sized wooden mannequin, seated in a chair, dressed in sombrero, suit, and Mexican-style poncho, with a Spanish complexion and full-grown mustache, smoking a cigarette. I´m not sure, but there may have been a cup of alcohol in his hand. And my reaction was "okayyyy..."
On the floor in front of San Simon were many lit votive candles. There was also a crucifix on the wall, but it was clear that most of the attention was toward San Simon. There was a man there collecting donations from people who wanted to enter the room with San Simon, to offer him offerings of alcohol or tobacco (his preferred forms of donation), or to take a picture of him (which would cost another 5Q). Fearing for the health and safety of my immortal soul, I declined to partake of the generous offers. Instead, I took some pictures of the river road.
The whole thing was very ethereal. After the visit, I decided to do a little more research on San Simon, wanting to understand exactly what the whole thing was about. Various people and various websites had different interpretations: San Simon was originally a Jesuit priest revered by the locals; San Simon was a Mayan god worshipped in secret after the conversion of the Maya to Christianity; San Simon was a Mayan priest or priestess whom the Church tried to link with Judas; San Simon was an idol to which local Mayans made offerings to increase their virility and find a mate. And of course the obvious one: San Simon was a scam to score free booze and smokes.
What everyone seemed to agree on was that there were three or four San Simon/Maximon objects in the highlands of Guatemala, and Zunil was the home of one (or maybe two) of them.
A few days later, one of the other guys on the trip (the guy who had dislocated his shoulder on the volcano hike) asked me if I was as creeped out by San Simon as he had been. We both thought we recalled something in the Bible somewhere that might have mentioned idols in some way...
The following is a (terrible, I know) picture of a votive candle (I think) that I took at El Mercado La Democracia the other day. Unfortunately, the glare obscures mostly what I wanted to capture, which was San Simon's likeness. But hopefully, if my above description was not evocative enough, what you *can* see in the picture fills in the gaps (although to be honest, I´m pretty sure that this is an image of one of the other Maximons).
So I decided to ask my teacher, Loyola, about the phenomenon. Loyola is highly educated and very knowledgeable about Mayan culture and history, among other things, and as her husband is the department chair for Mayan Studies at the local university, I figured that I would get the real scoop from her. Her version of the story, based on the latest archaeology and sociological research, is fascinating.
First of all, the word Max (pronounced Mash in the Mayan language K'iche) means "priest". Some versions of the statue, such as the one in Zunil, are referred to as San Simon in an attempt to incorporate the likeness into the Church´s canon of saints, and Maximon is a hybrid name. One mystery solved.
Second, when the Mayans were being Christianized, there were obviously segments of the population that were not interested in this new religion. Much Mayan religious practice went underground, but the new Spanish government and the Church were intent on saving the souls of the indiginous populations. They worked hard to root out any pagan worship that was still occurring, and they would deal with it harshly.
So the original San Simon is believed to have been a Mayan priest who was caught by authorities, and unrepentant, was hanged on a tree. As his neck snapped, his blood ran down the side of the tree on which he was hanged.
Here is where the story gets really interesting. Like most peoples, the Mayans recognized the intrinsic life-giving nature of blood. According to their beliefs at the time, the blood running down the tree transferred the life essence of the Max into the tree. Effectively, this tree "became" the martyred Mayan priest. After the Spaniards removed the body from the tree, the devout Mayans cut down the tree, and carved the wood into the various Maximon statues that are located in the highlands of Guatemala. Thus, the questions of what the statue is, and why there are several of them, are answered.
What about the get-up, the sombrero and the poncho? The obvious Spanish features? The mustache that could be pulled off the set of any 1950´s cowboy movie? The lit cigarette hanging out of his mouth? Loyola explained that for centuries, the natives had to hide their continued veneration of Maximon from the government and Church authorities. Thus, the disguise of San Simon: who would object to an image reminiscent of the leadership of the nation?
Okay, but what about the "offerings" of tobacco and alcohol? Another ancient tradition. Apparently, alcohol was used in a lot of ceremonies and services as a purifier. Oh yeah, that´s right, Mayan traditional medicines were always more advanced than their European counterparts of the time. I´m not sure what they do with all the proferred alcohol nowadays, but Loyola was pretty sure that some of it was poured into a cup out of which a straw was rigged to transfer alcohol up to the statue´s mouth, again perhaps to disguise the Mayan religious roots. And the tobacco.. in Mayan ceremonies, participants used to rub tobacco on their faces and arms as a protection against evil spirits. I´m guessing that the Mayans also recognized the noxious aspects of tobacco, and decided that there was little else as nasty in the world with which to frighten off demons!
All right, everything sounds good so far, but how does the worship of San Simon exist side-by-side in a culture that has been so heavily Christianized to even have a crucifix on the wall at casa de San Simon? The answer is simple.. it doesn't! The vast majority of Mayans who continue to make offerings and light votive candles are not worshipping San Simon, but are venerating and honoring him, the same way that we Catholics venerate and honor the saints. The Mayans recognize that the original Maximon was a martyr for the Mayan people, if not quite in the Christian sense. They believe that he was a holy man of God, and they pray to ask for his intercession in their lives. The honor and respect the original Maximon, but they absolutely do not worship the statue. Calling him a "local deity" is an incredibly inappropriate description of the local customs and practices. He is not that at all; the Mayans treat him as an intercessor for themselves. A very important distinction, and one that makes a lot more sense when you consider that the Mayan people are more heavily Christian than many nations in the West.
Okay, almost all my questions had been answered at this point. But what about the rip-off to charge you to enter the room with San Simon and to take his picture. The simplest answer of all, but one that we would "never" have experienced in the U.S.: greed. To the tune of $1.25 in total. The outrage! ;)
So anyway, there you have it, the more hysterical and wacky version of San Simon, and the more reverant and historically-based tale of Maximon. You can decide which is more likely; obviously, I´ve already made my judgment!
I'm with you Jeff... you couldn't have "given" me money to then give to the guys at the "shrine"... how strange.
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