Visiting Tecpan

Luis and I had the opportunity to go with his class to Tecpan today. Our friend, Tian, is from Tecpan and he has been inviting us to go for the past year. Luis had already been with Tian before we were married. We left early this morning and went straight to the ruins. The last time Luis visited, he had mentioned to me that he was kind of shocked to see people worshipping at the ruins. Well today we passed two different groups of people who were worshipping and I don’t think they were worshipping God. One group seemed to have a “guide” who was instructing them to walk around the fire and what-not as they “prayed”. In the other group there was an old lady kneeling down with a younger man walking around her and chanting over her. They were also facing a fire, but this fire was adorned with bread around it. There was also a cross, a beer bottle and a pop bottle. (see photo below) It was kind of eerie because the “guide” started taking pictures of us in a mean sort of way – like she was threatening to cast a spell on us with it or something. Claudia, a lady from our group, kept saying that she was just trying to intimidate us and not to worry since the blood of Jesus is over us. And Luis’ professor said that he thought it might just be to use for publication for her “services”. Anyways, after our time there we went to the downtown market. There are many, many beautiful indigenous people here that wear their typical “traje” (suit). The trajes are hand-made and I learned today that they are very expensive. Just the skirt can cost 900 quetzales. (over $100 – see photo below of us with Tian’s mom in her expensive trjae. There is also a photo of Claudia wearing a hand-made typical shawl which costs around 300 quetzales/$35) After visiting the market and buying a pound of fresh jalapeños for $0.50, we headed to Tian’s house. Tian’s dad is a pastor and he is also studying to be a pastor. His family speaks Kaxike as well as Spanish. We ate pepian, which is similar to the Mexican mole. We also had tamalitos, wrapped in some curious leaves that I had never seen before. Everything was very delicious and we were very full afterwards! Also, a fun day equals a nap on the way home....(except for Luis, who drove)

Altar with cross, beer and pop on top. The cubby holes are there to put different pictures of saints and burn candles.

My sweetheart and I

Luis' class of "Theology in Latin America" - professor is the one with the sunglasses

Corn tamalitos wrapped in leaves

Ruins

Tian's mom, wearing her expensive traje

Claudia, wearing a typical shawl

Snoozing