Plaza Vieja
Café stop at Plaza Vieja, La Habana, Cuba, 2011.
Maximón’s Keeper
In a small town called San Juan La Laguna on the shores of Lago de Atitlán in Guatemala resides what can best be described as a folk saint – an effigy of San Simón, also known as Maximón. It’s not clear to me where or how exactly this character came to be. The story of origin is a curious blend of traditional Mayan religion with that of Christianity, a common theme in modern day Mayan faith.
You can read more about Maximón online, but the basic story I learned is this. His name comes from a blend of Simón and max, the Mayan word for tobacco (hence the ever present stub of cigar in his lips). He is venerated during Holy Week in a series of rituals where the effigy’s clothing is stripped & washed, redressed, taken to mass and, as Holy Week ends, carried about in procession to a resting place. Each year, another member of the community will take responsibility for Maximón – housing and keeping attendant of the effigy, allowing visitors to worship and leave gifts (usually tobacco, liquor or cash). Maximón is then at rest until the following Holy Week, or whenever a ceremony requires his presence.
Maximón is not exclusive to San Juan – in fact, this is one of his lesser known villages. Further along the lake, Santiago Atitlán has one of the more elaborate rituals centered around Maximón. I’ll share a few more scenes from his San Juan resting place in later posts, but above you can see the room with his attendant and Maximón under the cover of blankets, in the dark.
San Juan La Laguna, Sololá, Guatemala, 2011.
Step on Stone
My travels to Central/South America always include an itinerary that takes in as much Pre-Columbian history as possible. The Maya are a people I have studied and admired for years (I was once an archeology student at UofC) and I’m thankful I’ve had the chance to experience ten Mayan sites in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras over the last few years. Each site holds a special interest for me, but I think it would be tough to find a more artistic expression of Mayan life than I did in Copán, Honduras.
Truly, the Mayan people were at their creative peak during the height of Copán’s dynasties between 400-800AD, although the site has been used by the lowland Maya since 9th century BC – about 2000 years of occupation. Copán has the most detailed, expertly carved effigies, stelae, altars and glyphs I have seen (although the stelae at Quiriguá are monumental). It was an incredible place to visit and reflect on life in this valley over the last two millenia. Expect more photography from my recent trips to Copán, Quiriguá and Tikal in upcoming posts.
Ruined staircase leading up to Structure 11: Temple of the Inscriptions. Copán Ruinas, Honduras, 2011.
Macaw Matters
Honduras’ national bird, the Scarlet Macaw, is being reintroduced to the wild near Copán Ruinas, Honduras. The bird was almost rendered extinct locally, mostly due to the illegal pet trade & poaching. Conservation and rehabilitation efforts are underway in the Copán area of Honduras through the Macaw Mountain Bird Park and a small group of Macaws now live on the grounds of the extensive archeological site. It’s possible to get very close to these birds and photograph the intense colour detail in their feathers. It’s no wonder the Scarlet Macaw features prominently in Mayan mythology – seeing them navigate the jungle canopy in flight was truly magical!
Sombreros
Trinidad, Cuba, 2011.
Built for Two
Livingston, Guatemala, 2011.
Snow Drifts
Heading to Canmore, Alberta for a few nights to visit the family and play in the snow. Hopefully they get some on the toboggan hills! This shot is from last year at this time, up near Goat Creek, along the Smith-Dorrien/Spray Trail.
Spray Lakes, Alberta, 2011.
Schindelhauer
My job description at Momentum Magazine includes ‘gear tester’ so I’m fortunate to try out new bicycle product and report on my findings for our dear readers. It’s almost the best part of the job and allows extended ‘riding’ lunches when the sun is out ;)
I am test riding two bikes at the moment. Concurrently, but not simultaneously, of course. One is the Schindelhauer Ludwig XIV. I’ll reserve my testing notes for the actual review (in an upcoming issue) but wanted to share a few snapshots of this high-end urban machine. It’s spec’d out with a Rohloff 14-speed internal hub, Deore LX hydraulic disc brakes, Gates carbon belt drivetrain, aluminum frame, dynamo front hub, integrated seatpost LEDs, Brooks saddle and a lot more.
Here’s a 4-up selection of iPhone shots from the top of Little Mountain, Vancouver, 2012.
El Jinete
Julian guides on horseback in the bucolic valley of Viñales in western Cuba. A highlight of our trip, we rode for four hours (a lot for a second-timer!) into the tobacco fields and mogote-studded landscape of this beautiful place. The pace of life was relaxed, the air was fresh and the crops provide for the sweet life in the countryside.
Viñales, Cuba, 2011.
Going Bananas
Los Amates, Guatemala is a one-night only kinda town. My reason for stopping was to check out the significant, yet off-the-radar, Mayan site of Quiriguá a few clicks away. Home to some of the largest, most intricately carved stella found in the Mayan empire, Quiriguá is a small UNESCO World Heritage site smack dab in the middle of a massive banana plantation. Looking at the map it’s impossible to imagine just how many bananas are produced here…millions? billions? The sea of bananas stretches farther than the eye can see and the harvest is continual.
Los Amates, Izabel, Guatemala, 2011.
Meeting Fires Creative 