Traditional Easter Carpets

Easter is a big deal here. It’s not just Easter Sunday, it’s the entire week of Semana Santa (Holy Week). Beginning with Palm Sunday there are many processions and celebrations. In the processions you find different groups carrying statues of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, or other random Saints through the towns. In more touristy locations such as Antigua these are hugely popular with foreigners and quite the show, although there are celebrations throughout the entire country. Even though I had the majority of the week off of work, I decided to stay in Tejutla for Semana Santa. The biggest procession is on Viernes Santa (Holy Friday) and it involves the construction of Alfombras (carpets) along the route of the procession. These are not carpets in the traditional sense of the word, rather they are intricate designs on the street constructed of colored wood chips, straw, flowers, or other assorted , mostly organic, items. The host family I had stayed with invited me to help with the construction of theirs. I think the invitation was in part based on the assumption that I would make a large pot of Starbucks Coffee to start the day (which I did). The work started Thursday when the family used different dies to color the wood chips and also cut out various molds. Friday started around 6am with the infusion of coffee and then we were off to the races. Over the course of the next 3 ½ hours 5 of use were engaged in the laying out of the Alfombra (17.5 manhours if you are one of those guys). The molds were used to make the forms of the crosses, the diamond borders, and other fine details. There were about 40 other families doing the same thing throughout the town. The procession started at the cemetery and made its way to the Catholic Church. The priest, the alter servers, and the groups carrying the statues walked directly over the alformbras stopping periodically to read scripture, pray, and sing hymns. I’m sure the tradition started with the Spanish in some form or another and it’s beautifully carried on today. I went to Easter Vigil which of course was followed by another procession. This time we were not walking across alfombras, but a lot of firecrackers were set-off as we made our way through the town. It was an Easter to remember and great to be part of the celebration.

Volcan de Tajumulco - What a View!

At 13,486 feet above Sea Level, the Volcano Tajumulco is the highest peak in Central America. It’s also visible from the village of Tejutla, not unlike Mount Rainer hovering over the Puget Sound Area. There are of course many differences the most significant being the climatology. Mount Rainer has glaciers and is covered in snow and ice year-round while Tajumulco may get a dusting of snow in January or February. I think I can safely say that I “climbed” Tajumulco but a more accurate description may be to say that I “hiked” Tajumulco. My sitemate Matt and his friend Brenda headed in the afternoon for the trailhead. Matt had “climbed” Tajumulco once before in November. We ended up in the back of a pick-up and then on top of a load of bricks on our way to the trailhead which is less than an hour from Tajumulco. We made the ascent to the campsite and pitched our tents. There was a German couple with a Guatemalan guide who were already up there and gracious enough to share their fire. Early to bed as usual when you’re camping. The alarms were set for 4:30 am to finish up the ascent in time to see the sunrise. It’s is supposed to be a phenomenal view of the Pacific Ocean, Mexico and countless peaks throughout Guatemala. Unfortuantely for us we were in the middle of clouds with 0/0 visibility we had to settle for the good exercise that goes along with “climbing” mountains and the knowledge that the Volconoe isn’t going anywhere for the next 20-months and we’ll have the opportunity to summit again. Next time I think I’ll check the weather report.