Chickens and the Popul Vuh

domingo 5 de junio de 2011- Momostenango, Guatemala Day 8

Today we went to see Julian.  Julian has about an acre of land where he grows vegetables, fruits, and medicinal herbs.  It was market day today, so we had to walk a little ways out to meed the truck.  He had a flat tire before he arrived, so we had to wait over an hour.  I was used to this type of waiting, having been to Haiti where waiting was sometimes an overnight thing.  But some of the other people in our group were not, so they were agitated.  I just asked when we needed to be back and walked around. I went to get more minutes (I always wait until Tigo has 3 for 1 day), some snacks, and went to the internet cafe.  An hour later, I met everyone at one of the hotels and we waited on the curb.  Across the street were two women with about thirty chickens.  They were putting them in baskets covered in nets so they could carry them on their heads.  While they waited to be put into baskets, the chickens sat still.  I guess they realized there was no point in running since they were tied together by their feet.  One of the women then helped the other put the basket on her head and a man came over to carry one of the larger baskets.  When they ran out of baskets, they folded up some cardboard and put the chickens on there.

When Julian came, we loaded up on the back of the truck.  This made me think about all the times I rode on the back of Jackson's truck in Haiti, I hope that everything is going well with them in Ferrier.  The ride was a lot smoother than in Haiti, but it is so much colder here in Guatemala.  We arrived at Julian's family store went up to their house.  They live in Chopop Aba'j, and primarily grow crops for their family.    They showed us some of the herbs they are growing and discussed the medicinal function of each:

Salvia Santa- used in tea for cleaning blood and curing stomach aches (like asprin).  The leaves have fuzzy hairs on the top and have a strong minty smell

Chilca/ chojhop- put the leaves in the bath to help with rheumatism.  Can also be put in tea or in a cloth and wrapped around the head for headaches.  Has yellow flowers growing close to the ground.

Altamia tea- used for stomach aches, indigestion, and to clear out sinuses

Sauco/ tzloche- used like aspirin to reduce fever and pain

Lemop'- red bark used for dying blankets

Their family is very concerned with the conserving the environment and minimizing toxic effects.  Because deforestation is a major issue in Guatemala, they replant the indigenous trees around their house and waterfalls.  They also stay away from pesticides, relying primarily on  leaves and manure for fertilizer.

While we waited for lunch, Dr. Cook read us the story of the Popol Vuh and the Hero Twins.

The Popul Vuh is the creation story of the Maya.  There are two parts to the Popul Vuh and each part is made up of different stories.  The first part tells the story of the creator's different attempts to make people.  Each attempt failed until the creator used maize.  It also tells the story of the Hero Twins who, after many obstacle, transform into the sun and moon.

It was nice to see a house outside of the centro, they are entirely different than the ones there.  Traditionally, trees are grown all the way up to the house in order to utilize all of the land.  Houses usually have  a courtyard in the middle, with a pila, surrounded by the rooms.  A pila is a type of outside sink used for washing.  After washing up a the pila, we had lunch and taked more about the Popul Vuh.  Some of the group walked back to the truck after we ate, while others picked avocados.  After we left, we stopped by the hot springs.  There was a large pool towards the front where people were swimming and a little farther were some women washing clothes in a waterfall.  In the back was another two pools and waterfalls.  This hot spring was rather empty, I wonder what it is like when lots of people are there.