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Bird nests hang like meter-long socks high in a ceiba tree in the Petén on the road to Tikal. The birds that weave these intricate long sacks of moss and fibers are called Péndula de Oro, after the bright yellow bottoms of their tail (not visible in this photo) We think they are called "yellow-rumped caciques" in English (if anyone can confirm or negate this, please email us with whatever information you can share). They act rather like crows, being loud and social, and with bright yellow bills resemble short-beaked toucans. These birds and their true toucan relatives in large flocks, are among a fairly large variety of very colorful birds indigenous to the northern jungles of Guatemala. Along with at least two varieties of monkeys, large cats, and a large, delicious rodent Central Americans call tepesquintle (but English speakers most often call agouti), the wildlife of the Petén is a splendid added attraction to the marvelous Mayan ruins there.
Somebody who it seemed
to me should know told me that the word "Palopo" is derived from the old Kaqchikel word ________________________________________ Below: A couple of "bolos" (alcoholics) stoically endure a brutal storm of firecrackers during Chichicastenango's annual fiesta in December of 2002. Pulling up their jackets around their neck and faces to protect themselves from the shrapnel of gravel and cardboard, they did not budge through a barrage of three separate rounds of 50 feet strings of fireworks, nor for the several hundred mortar-like "bombas" that were fired from five inch pipes on nearby steps.
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 Lake Atitlan is spectacular by any standard, but perhaps most so during a glorious sunset. This shot across the almost 8 kilometer width of the lake, has the volcanoes Toliman in front and Atitlan behind, shrouded as they so often are with a cap of clouds. Unfortunately, Lake Atitlan is becoming the playground of the rich, as more and more mansion-like resort homes are built on its shores. Meanwhile, the surrounding populace of rural Maya remain terribly poor and must struggle constantly to survive. .
A boy from the K'iche' town of Nahuala, with a pensive expression and a rough wool skirt, photographed from afar with a telescopic lens. Despite being right next to the Pan American Highway not far from Quetzaltenango, Nahuala has remained one of the most "closed," "ttraditional," and xenophobic of Guatemalan towns. According to the local Justice of the Peace in Nahuala (a Ladino from Quetzaltenango), 70 percent of the town's population as a whole, and more than 90 percent of the women, do not speak Spanish. But while the social isolation remains quite strong, in recent years a growing number of Nahualalenses have found a niche in the regional economy by becoming master carpenters and wood carvers. Many of their beautifully carved pine beds, chairs, picture frames and boxes are too large for the air traveler to carry home. But if the opportunity to stop and look at the wares presents itself, we highly recommend stopping to check out the wares in the little woodworking shops along the highway between Los Encuentros and Vieja Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan.
A registered guide at Tikal stands between the roots of a giant Zapote tree. Those who go to Tikal and really want to learn a lot about both history and nature should hire a guide. Just make sure they are wearing an official badge, so that you can rest assured they have passed the rather stringent test over knowledge about the ruins themselves and the local flora and fauna. Some speak English quite well, and most speak a little. In our opinion, the cost is well worth it, and we have found that their presence for a half day tour is not terribly invasive. |
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