In the 2nd half of the 15th Century Aztec warriors from Mexixco conquered the region resident Maya called Xelajuj Noj, "Under the 10 Mountains of Wisdom." The Aztecs did not stay, moving on to leave little except for a demand for regular tribute and a new name:
Quetzaltenango:
"The Place of the Quetzal Birds"
A photo album of photos by Max Kintner & Friends of the Maya Collaborative along with historical highlights and commentary about the city and area by Max Kintner
Site Still Under Construction - Come back Soon!!!
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Between the Pan American Highway and the cone of Volcan Santa María in the distance, and below the clouds in this photo is the Almolonga Valley, This shots is taken from the mountain tops of the Municipaolity of Totonicapan, northeast of Quetzaltenango City, at least a thousand feet above the Valley floor. Straight down the through the clouds one arrives at the Llano Pinal, where in 1524 the Spanish Invador, Pedro de Alvarado defeated the K'iche' Maya Prince, Tecún Umán. Various legends surround the battle. The most common is that the two Generals, wishing to spare their troops a terrible bloodletting, agreed to do personal battle with each other, with the winner taking all. The story is just that: a story, made silly by being at odds not only with by historical evidence, but by a genuinely unbelievable notion of how noboe either of the warriors were. Other stories include that the Maya, never having seen a man astride a horse, thought the two were one and were terrified into submission. Maya scholars reject that myth under the justification that it makes the Maya seems either stupid or cowardly, both of which were obviously not true. Another more romantic myth is that while the battle raging below turned the valley's streams red with blood, in the sky above an eagle - the "Nagual" warrior of the Maya, did battle with the White Dove of Christianity, the "Nagual" warrior of the Spaniards. Then the accompany animal spirit, the "Nagual" of the Christians defeated the Eagle, the army below also fell. That story, say Maya scholars, is a bit of missionary vision thrown into a story that has much more to do with a search for the greater glory of Spanish Wealth than the greater glory of God. Technology, including both the horse and steel, had a significant element in this clash of two civilizations. Biology, however, almost certainly played a greater part. By the time the Spaniards made it to Central America en masse, the microbes that came from Europe and Africa had already decimated and disabled the Maya. With tight lines of hierarchical authority already in place, meanwhile, once the Spaniards bested the primary K'iche' army, the K'iche' kingdom fell without an ongoing bloody struggle. Still, the conquest did not happen overnight; the Kaqchikel, who initially helped the Spaniards defeat their old enemies the K'iche', resisted for years, while sporadic uprisings by the K'iche' continued for decades or even centuries, depending on how one defines "uprising." Throughout all, disease remained the great killer, and the best guess by ethnohistorians is that some 90 percent of the West/Central Highland K'iche' succumbed to flu, smallpox, and any number of other "common" European illnesses in the hundred years after Columbus first blundered onto American shores.
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This Church in Salcaja, just north of Xela, is said by locals to be the oldest in Central America. Is it? Maybe. Or at least the site itself is in a good place for a couple historical reasons for a church to have been established short after Pedro de Alvarado defeated Tecún Umán. The nature of its construction, meanwhile, with its massive buttresses, would likely have withstood the earthquakes that have shake the region since that time. But is it the oldest? Probably not, Panama is not, strictly speaking, part of Central America, but certainly there were Christian shrines and Churches built there prior to 1524. Further west, meanwhile, it was not until 1822 or so tht Chiapas declared itself Mexico and turned its back on Central America. In any event, the age of Salcaja's church seems never to have become a reason for the little town to have beome the destination of religious pilgrimages, and in fact the pueblo was best known not for its religion, but for its ongoing conflict with neighboring Cantel, Quetzaltenango, over boundary disputes and the primacy of the two community's cofrades, or religious brotherhods that were a large part of its parallel Indigenous government. Nowadays, Salcaja is best known for its production of "corte," or womena's skirt fabric, made by tie-dying long ropes of thread prior to weaving. Its other claim to fame is that a very high percentage of its young men, especially, find their way to the United States to spend months, years or the rest of their lives working en el norte. |
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The Church at San Andrés Xecul is old, but its bright yellow color was the handiwork of a recent mayor (late 1990s or early 2000s) who envisioned Xecul becoming tourist destination. Another shrine sits high on a hill overlooking the town. That shrine is a Maya holy site to which costumbristas (those who continue to practice the old rites) come to build ceremonial fires and chant prayers. Meanwhile, below in the town, Xecul remains known for its adherence to traditional Mayan custom and the life of its cofrades, or religious brotherhoods. The town is one to one of the more important representations of "Maximon," or St. Simon, a syncretic deity whose story line and explanation is different in each place his representation is on display. In Santiago Atitlan, one of the best known sites for Maximon, the storyline is typical of aboriginal mythology, with a "trickster" god who is eventually tricked by the forces of nature or more powerful Gods. In Zunil, meanwhile, another of the very important Maximon sites, the tales that explain Maximon's meanings tend to be more reverent, harkening back to what is almost certainly a real-life, 17th century visionary who foresaw airplanes and telephones. All Maximons we are aware of are open to the public for a nominal admission fee, with photography allowed with an additional fee. When this photo was taken, and presumably still, Maximon resided in a house down the street to the left of the Church (as one exits the building). Xecul is about 30 minutes by bus from Quetzaltenango. |
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Academy students try their hand at COPAVIC, a very successful glass-blowing cooperative in Cantel, Quetzaltenango. Cantel, home to several of the Academy's directors, is an anomaly in Guatemala - a long-industrialized yet very indigenous town. The primary industry, established in 1895, is relatively modern weaving. Powered by the rushing Samala River that slices through the gorge below Cantel. The old, water-driven looms are old now, but the factory still produces high quality thread, towels, and bedclothes. Two other more modern textile factories now operate in the town, making tee shirts, towels, and other items.. |
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Fifteen minutes outside of Xela, then half an hour up to a volcanic mountain top one finds the hot baths of Georginas. As if from another world, plants and flies abound, and the trees are thick with mosses, bromeliads, and orchids. A natural swimming pool usually has variable temperatures, with the water temperature nearest a steep rock wall usually ranging between very warm and a little too hot for comfort. Opposite the rock wall a bar/restaurant offers snacks and drinks. At this cool altitude, the hot water swirls with steamy vapor, giving the place a rather ethereal and mystical ambience, while the wind sifting through the trees and the sound of warm water springs running through rock channels and creekbeds make Georgjnas a memorable destination.o year,, the atmosphere and experience of the baths is always a pleasant experience. |
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The market at San Francisco el Alto, a 30 or 40 minute bus ride from Xela, is still one of the largest regional markets in Guatemala. Until the last decade or so, only the terminal market surpassed it in terms of size and volume of money that changed hands each week. In recent years, however, a free trade agreement with Mexico has resulted in the dramatic expansion of the large market at San Marcos and San Andres, near Guatemala's western border. Still, San Francisco's market is vast, and remains the largest market for locally produced and locally consumed market items. Anthropologist Carol Smith, who has written extensively about the market, relates that as short a time as 20 years ago many Guatemalans claimed that more money changed hand in San Francisco's one-a-week Friday market than changed hands in the much larger city of Xela in an entire week. Certainly that no longer remains true, with the growth of the financial and education sectors in the city of Quetzaltenango. |
For More Information, Contact: info at the MayaCollaborative.org |
