I just absolutely love mercados de Mayas. Today, the students and our teachers went to San Francisco de Alto, a textile market town about 15km from Xela. Carlos didn’t feel well this a.m., but he still came. What a trooper. I haven’t been on a camioneta, which us gringos generally call “chicken buses”, since I got here. I rode enough of them three years ago, although I forgot how surreal the experience can be. The bus was crammed with marketgoers and we were honestly the only tourists on the bus. A Mayan woman in full traje with a basket on her head sat on my lap because there was literally no room to stand, yet still people still managed to shove on anyway. NYC subways have NOTHING on camionetas. To add another level of bizarre to the experience, el piloto was blaring pretty racy rap music in English, with lyrics that ranged from smacking asses to things a nice Mayan woman with a basket on her head would blush if she could understand one word.
When we arrived, we instantly started navigating through the narrow streets overflowing with colorfully weaved huipiles and cortes. Such stunning, vibrant colors and it really felt like business was being conducted. Three years ago I visited Chichicastenango, a famous market town in Guatemala, which although vibrant and interesting, does tend to cater to tourists more.
I have tons of pictures of course, but this computer is giving me agita—was able to upload a few, but I think I´m going to try and put together a separate slideshow on Picasa of the market.
Anyway, the market has separate specialty areas and I couldn’t wait to go to the live animal market. My first experience with animal trade was in Riobamba in Ecuador, where women in traditional dress would go through bags of guinea pigs, (cuy, a delicacy in Ecuador and Peru) pinching and inspecting them before throwing them in baskets they would balance on their heads. It was getting more and more crowded by the minute as we climbed up to a flat roof where people from neighboring pueblos brought their animals for sale. It was like being in the middle of some sort of post-apocalyptic reality. This dusty plain of Mayans sitting with their livestock. It was like Mad Max with piglets. And chickens. And ducks. And rams. Incréible y fascinante.
I kinda wish I was alone, all the teachers were worried about me because I kept wandering off, but they kept rushing and we really weren’t interacting with any of the vendedors, which is why I thought we brought our teachers. At this point, Carlos must have done a runner, because we couldn’t find him anywhere. He had the right idea, wish I did too, because after the animal market, we went through my other favorite part…the FOOD. But we just sped through it, which is really a shame because there were so many amazing vegetables, dried chilies, weird herbs, fried chicken and chicharrones. I like saying chicharrones. I’m just going to have to go to another market on my own.
Apparently we were in a rush to get back and all hopped on the back of a crammed camioneta. The entire morning was amazing, but the absolute best part of the trip was on the back of that crowded camioneta, where I had the delightful experience of showing Juana and her brother, two stunning Mayan children around 6 and 8 years old, all my pictures of the market and asking them to teach me how to say what everything was in Spanish. I would purposely mispronounce things just to get delighted giggles and corrections. Priceless.
Incredible. Do they have to take their animals back and forth every day if they don’t sell them?
Looks like their getting ready for Noah’s ark.
LOVE YA
Wow, I didn´t think of Noah´s Ark, but it definitely looks like that! In this particular town, there´s only a market like this once a week, so yes, every week they cart their animals to the roof of that building and whatever they don´t trade or sell I would imagine they either eat or bring back the following week. Some towns have multiple weekly markets. It´s really amazing.
xoxo
GOOD FOR YOU, I LOVE READING YOUR BLOGS EVERYDAY, TOO BAD I DON’T UNDERSTAND THE ONES WRITTEN IN SPANISH. SOUNDS LIKE U NEED TO GO BACK TO THAT MARKET BY YOURSELF, BUT BE CAREFUL, MAYBE U CAN TAKE GORDO WITH YOU. WITH UR SPANISH SKILLS, IT LOOKS LIKE U MAY BE ABLE TO GET A JOB AT A&R WHEN IT OPENS UP. BE CAREFUL AND KEEP HAVING FUN. P.S. GOING TO THE BEACH TODAY
I love that you read my blogs! And if I can´t get a job at A&R, I can at least do the English AND Spanish websites…any news? Glad you have good beach weather and are able to take advantage of it. Any chance it may continue through the end of October?
Wow! “Chicken bus” might be replacing “precious boy” as my new desktop photo. The latter replaced “children in uniform,” which replaced “texting basket lady.” So many choices! And the entertaining conversation on the bus with the little kids . . . very cinematic!
That´s so funny, I was thinking how cinematic my ride out to San Francisco Alto was…a man loudly praying to Jesus while trying to sell greeting cards while competing with the noise of the bus radio blaring absolutely filthy rap music lyrics while Mayan mountain mamas were shoving one by oneon the bus in their colorful huipiles, cortes and baskets. There was one point that I wished I could retract my camera from under the woman who was sitting on my lap and take a quick little video. Oh well. So glad you like the pics!
you know that chiken looked dilisuse you get one
No, I didn´t get a live one…wouldn´t know what to do with all those feathers! And if I ever had to kill anything, I would be a vegetarian…how are you honey? Tell me about school xoxo