Louise Wisechild Blog of Guatemala and Mexico

The Maya of Lake Atitlán

5/21/2013

Contrary to much popular use, the plural of Maya is Maya not Mayan.

There are 22 distinct groups of Maya in Guatemala, each with their own indigenous language. The Cakchiquel and Tz'utujil Maya have lived on the lands surrounding Lake Attitlan for 4, 000 years, where they settled after migrating from Chichen-Itza and Petén in the north. For 2,000 years they fought each other for possession of the lake. And then, like Solomon, they divided it down the middle, so that the Tz,utujil live in the south and the Cakchiquel in the north.

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Lake Atitlán Guatemala

5/20/2013

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Eighty-five thousand years ago, the spectacular twin los chocoyos volcanos erupted, a major seismic event which spread ash from Guatemala as far south as Panama and formed the volcanic crater that today holds Lago Atitlán. Renowned as one of the world’s most beautiful lakes, Lago Atitlán is twelve miles long and over a thousand feet deep, held by rising folds of trees, grasses and corn that end in a jagged volcanic rim. Rising above this already spectacular setting are the volcanos San Pedro, Santiago and Toliman. Beneath them are Tz’utzujil pueblos with concrete houses in yellow, pink and blue and stately windows framed with Guatemalan hardwood. These are interspersed with beehives of adobe and tin roofed homes, patches of corn, tumbling bougenvillae, and bananas pregnant with crowded hands of fruit.

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Amazing Sumpango Giant Kite Tour

5/13/2013

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I hope you will check out my interview with kitemaker Julio Asturias http://www.grupoquepasa.com/interview-with-barriletero-julio-roberto-asturias-chiquito/ in Que Pasa magazine. Julio is a wonderful friend and the guide for the Sumpango Day of the Dead Giant Kite Festival part of the Giant Kites and Ancient Temples 2013 cultural tour.

And read my article El Revue magazine about the history and making of the giant kites!
http://issuu.com/revue/docs/revue201210/87

And then take a look at this years Giant Kites & Ancient Temples Tour and come see for yourself these amazing works of sacred art made from tissue paper and glue.

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Louise "Luisa" Wisechild, PhD

I first visited Guatemala in 1995 as a member of the Vashon Island sister city delgation to Santiago de Atitlan, Guatemala.
I been living in Guatemala since 2011. I didn't intend to stay -- my idea was to develop tours in numerous countries. But I fell in love with Guatemala -- where every day I learn something new or see something I have not seen before. Guatemala is a land of diverse natural beauty. Living in a Kachikel Maya pueblo, which is also a gathering spot for international budget travelers, makes this a rare and fascinating residence. My curiosity and my heart are engaged here every day, in my relationships. . I enjoy speaking spanish with friends, and learning more about the Maya culture, giving tarot readings in Spanish and also singing my growing repertoire of Spanish songs.
I am a lifelong independent traveler and group leader. As a graduate student in interpersonal communication and the creative arts, I led tours to Oaxaca, Mexico for the Day of the Dead and co-facilitated a tour to the goddess sites of Mexico with Global Awareness through Experience. I have been fortunate to visit Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Bali, Thailand, Australia, Europe, Canada and the US. Bit by bit, I will go global again, but Latin America is so enchanting. . . .

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The Maya of Lake Atitlán

Lake Atitlán Guatemala

Amazing Sumpango Giant Kite Tour

Louise "Luisa" Wisechild, PhD

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