Modern Maya World
Executive summary by darmansjah
Every year countless travelers visit the ruins of once great
Maya cities: Chichén Itzá (Mexico), Tikal (Guatemala), Caracol (Belize), and
Copán (Honduras). The pyramids and stelae are well worth seeing, especially at
jungle-shrouded Tikal (above), but here’s the thing: Maya civilization isn’t
long gone. Its apogee may have passed, but millions of Maya people and their
culture remain alive and well, most vibrantly in Guatemala’s Western Highlands.
The most alluring place in Maya Guatemala is
Chichicastenango, a walkable town about three hours by road from Guatemala City
where more than 95 percent of the people are indigenous. Each Thursday and
Sunday, Maya vendors carry their goods on their backs at dawn to Chichi’s
market, selling brilliantly hued textiles, fearsome wooden masks, golden and
purple maize, necklaces, and produce arranged in Escher-like patterns. Smoke
from grills perfumes the narrow aisles, and so many women briskly pat
stone-ground tortillas into shape that it sounds like a standing ovation.
No comments:
Post a Comment