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Sandra teaches Tyson to spin cotton at Utz Batz - IMG 2328
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Arrival in Panajachel in the post-rainstorm late afternoon sun - IMG 2337
Arnarstapi - IMG 2339
Arrival in Panajachel in the post-rainstorm late afternoon sun - IMG 2341
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Craig, Tyson, Humberto, Paulina, Paola, Cristian, Aracely, Eddy, Ian Ivan, and I returned to the Mayan priest (Ajq'ij) whom we had visited for a ceremony last year. We had such a great experience last year with a protection ceremony that we had decided to return for a ceremony for my grandmother. While Tyson, Humberto, and I had been on our lake tour, Eddy had an accident at home. He had been using the hammock as a swing and then faceplanted onto the cement. Vanesa and Craig were home and helped to clean the wounds and put ice on it. When Paulina got home from the market, she took him to the doctor and he needed to get 5 stitches in his lip. But he was a brave boy! We went to San Jorge la Laguna to meet with the Ajq'ij Marcelo Alonso Felipe (who happens to be the father of Luis who works in Humberto's office) at his home. This is the view from his roof deck - IMG 2343
We went into Ajq'ij Marcelo Alonso Felipe's altar room which had a combination of Mayan and Catholic motifs, such as life-sized statues of Saint Simon (the Catholic equivalent of folk saint Maximon), posters of the sacred heart of Jesus, candles, etc. He asked me to write down my grandmother's name so that he could pray for her. Mayans believe that prayers don't "count" unless you say them aloud. He handed me three bundles of copal incense inside of corn husks and a prayer candle with a picture of St. Simon. He took them from me and waved them over my head while he chanted for my "pobrecita abuelita" (poor grandmother). He prayed in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and then had me kiss the copal bundles and candles eight times. He then took them from me, lit the candle, and put the copal bundles aside. He did the same to everyone else, praying for their protection and good health. We all kneeled down on the floor and he continued to chant. - IMG 2343