Louise Wisechild Blog of Guatemala and Mexico

Winter solstice in Petén Guatemala 2011

12/27/2011

Winter solstice ritual at Tikal

Happy solstice and Feliz Navidad to you
from Flores, Guatamala! I’m writing from a lakeview apartment, where I watch the fishermen cross the water in their thin blue and pink boats.
I am close to some of Petén’s jungle, the most extensive remaining
tropical rainforest in Central America.

Three days ago I finished my second tour , Winter Solstice in Petén. I had
two adventuresome and seasoned travelers with me, which was a delight. It’s not that the tour was an “adventure tour” in the usual sense of hiking, splunking and mountain biking over rugged terrain. Still, the land of the Maya is always an adventure, full of synchronicity, fluidity and the unexpected. And then
there’s the simple adventure of climbing stairs to astonishing heights.

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Photos Lake Petén-Itza and Flores

12/6/2011

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The Women of Ramón

12/5/2011

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Member of Nutrinaturales cooperative, sorting ramón

While waiting for the minibus to Ixlu, I began talking with a man from another town around Lake Petén-Itza. When I asked him if he was familiar with ramón, the highly nutritious seed from the ramón tree, he told me that his grandparents had talked about ramón. They told him that there had been a bad drought in Guatemala which lasted nearly 20 years and that the corn had all
died. “So the people ate ramón,” he told me. "And because of the ramón, they did not die.”

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Uaxactún; Mayan name: Siaan K’aan or ‘Born in Heaven’

12/1/2011

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1. Arrival
George, the German biologist whose eco-lodge, ElPasado Del Cerro, was my first base in Petén, told me that large areas of the Petén rainforest were officially protected and managed by local indigenous communities. He thought I might
enjoy Uaxactún both because it was an early Mayan observatory and also because the community was working to develop sustainable enterprises as part of their protection of the surrounding jungle.

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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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Winter solstice in Petén Guatemala 2011

Photos Lake Petén-Itza and Flores

The Women of Ramón

Uaxactún; Mayan name: Siaan K’aan or ‘Born in Heaven’

Louise "Luisa" Wisechild, PhD

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