Mayan Woman with traditional clothing

Today we were walking down the streets of Mazatenango, which is a stark contrast to Antigua. The people around us were speaking something but it wasn’t Spanish. We later found out it was either K’iche’ or Tz’utujil, which are the two most common Mayan languages in the area. It was a different experience. I noticed that most of the people were walking in the same direction, so I told the group to follow.

After walking for about five minutes we came up on an open market. It wasn’t as massive as Chichicastenango, but it could be a smaller version of it. I looked around at everyone’s clothes and we definitely stuck out as the American tourists. Everyone’s clothes were bright and colorful. All the women were wearing skirts and the men had on older looking pants. I walked up to a woman selling clothes and asked her to pick out an outfit for me to wear around Mazatenango. And she smiled and started rummaging through her small stand.

Come to find out her name was Quatzij, which means truth in K’iche’. I also learned that Guatemalan clothing has a history behind them.  The different types of clothing represent the different cultures in the Guatemala.  There are two main types: westernized (or American) and Indian.  Westernized clothing is a symbol that the people want to be more modern, make more money, and become more educated.  Indian clothing is a symbol of respect for the heritage and tradition in the Guatemalan culture. In this town most of the people paid homage to their heritage and tradition. We were the only ones looking westernized.

Colorful blankets from Guatemala

I loved looking at the traditional or Indian clothing because of the intricate details.  The material looked heavier, and most often is made from wool or cotton.  It takes a lot to make the clothing because it is not only cut into its shape, but all of the detailing on the clothing is hand woven.  The Guatemalan people have a lot of patience because a lot of people in this culture choose to wear traditional clothing. I’d have to work day and night all summer for my new school clothes for the fall if I lived here.

The traditional blouse, or huipil, could take up to three months to make.  We are talking a shirt with buttons, sleeves, and a collar which might take our culture one hour to make at the most.  Quatzij was really sweet, ands she dressed me in the traditional clothing right there in the market. People laughed at me because I was obviously too tall for the clothing, it was made for a person about six inches shorter than me, but it was comfortable and beautiful. I paid for my new garments and said goodbye to Quatzij. It was an interesting day in Mazatenango, very interesting.

We arrived to Santa Avelina after a twelve hour bus drive through the mountains. It is such a beautiful little village with the most wonderful people. The people here are Ixil Mayan and many of the older people don’t speak any Spanish at all! I was not expecting that at all. All of the houses are very simple buildings of just concrete block walls with tin roofs. The whole village was built for indigenous refugees not long after the Civil War ended here in Guatemala. I wish so badly that we had an Ixil translator with us so I could hear stories from the oldest residents here. What’s most interesting is that only the women here wear the traditional clothes that I’ve seen in books and on TV. They wear very brightly colored huipiles and skirts.  How beautiful they all are!

Mayan women in Traditional outfits

While here we are going to help them learn how to sanitize their drinking water, help put concrete floors down in their homes and also build stoves for them. You see, many of them still use the small stone fire pit that they have used for hundreds and hundreds of years. These pits are in the center of their homes and many children can get hurt. Not only that, they also fill the homes with smoke and many people here have breathing problems. Everyone has been so kind and generous with all of us.  They offer us warm tortillas and tamales that they make fresh just for us. It’s so amazing to think that I am around people who still wear the same clothes and eat the same food as before the Spaniards even arrived here! I can already tell I am going to grow and learn so much while here!

Indigenous home in Guatemala