It's now been almost two weeks since our return to Austin, Texas from beautiful Central America, and as we adjust to our previous, graduate student lives, visuals and memories of the trip linger in our minds.
Before I go any further with talks of our return, there are still a few missing days left to recap from Guatemala. Thursday left us all on a great high with the emotional building and destruction of our alfombra. With the expectations of Good Friday boasting the best and most elaborate alfombras, we wasted no time in trying to see as many as we could. Around midnight, a group of us strolled back through the streets to bare witness to the progress of some of Antigua's best known alfombra-making families. Here is a photo from the family that shared their knowledge and expertise with us earlier in the week. The team (clad with matching shirts) showed skill and technique that garnered detail unlike we had seen on any other alfombra. They even had a glittery hummingbird! Seeing this only fueled our fire to want to make another alfombra, and improve on our designs.
The itinerary for Good Friday was pretty open and relaxed. It was designed so that everyone would have the chance to see the processions they wished, and there were more on this day than any other one. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't on our side in the morning, and a trip view some processions in the neighboring town of Jocotenango was abandoned. Rains didn't last for long though, and flooded cobblestone streets dried up by the end of the day in time for more processions and celebrations. One I found to be particularly moving was the parade of the Stations of the Cross in the cool night.
Emily W. snapped some great photos of our adventures around Antigua on this day:
Saturday morning came quick as our super comfortable tour bus arrived early to bring us to our next destination: Lake Atitlan. This trip was our only venture out of the city of Antigua, and it was necessary to give us a more rounded perspective of Guatemala. The route to the lake was a winding two-way highway through mountainous terrain and colorful building fronts. It opened our eyes to the less fortunate, yet more common, impoverished communities in Guatemala. Often alongside these small towns are pockets of natural beauty, and Lake Atitlan is one of those gems. More commercialized than Antigua, Lake Atitlan seemed to attract the weekend boaters, party-ers, and admirers of the breathtaking scenery on the water. Sunshine and warm air were a perfect compliment to the spray of the teal-colored water as we made our way to the Women Weavers Cooperative across the lake by boat.
Once at the Cooperative, an inspiring demonstration of the hard work necessary to complete one scarf gave us insight into the care and quality of the textiles we bought so many of! Each of the women in the cooperative grow their own cotton to be cleaned, de-seeded, softened and beat into sheets, then expertly spun into thread. Organic dyes derived from plants and fruits, such as mango and berries, produce a stunning spectrum of colored scarves, place mats, belts, purses, blankets, and rugs.
Lunch on Lake Atitlan took us to a picturesque spot with brilliantly vibrant flowers and great local food. The adventure grew wilder as we unexpectedly stalled in the middle of the massive lake for a long enough amount of time for non-swimmer Dr. Bolin to learn how to survive for days by floating in the water! Luckily we were rescued by a fellow boat, and made it safely to land with only minor nerve damage.
As the sunrise glowed behind the volcanoes surrounding Antigua, our group arose with bittersweet feelings on Sunday morning. Our last day amongst the jade stores, open markets, mouthwateringly enticing bread bakeries, ancient ruins, and the affectionate, Spanish speaking society allowed us individual time to further explore the parts of Antigua that we each loved most. A farewell dinner at La Fonda de la Calle Real was our last opportunity to chat with Milady and Rene, learn more about them, and reminisce on the amazing week that had passed. I don't think I would be mistaken if I said we all felt deeply emotional as we thanked Milady and Rene with gifts on our last night.
After experiencing the driving culture of Guatemala for a week, the ride back to Guatemala City on Monday morning felt immensely less stressful than the first one that had brought us to Antigua. We had become so comfortable with the culture, and so in love with the lifestyle that it no longer phased our group of students from Austin.
Please check out the many photographs that were taken of our trip as they help to expand on the words of our blog! We thank you for joining us our on journey to Antigua, Guatemala - hopefully it won't be our last!
Stay tuned for some final reflections from each of the members on our Holy Week adventure!
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