August 19- Mayan Markets and Assorted Artisans

Again today, as we traveled, we made many short stops to get a feel for the people and the culture. First we stopped at the Solola market, near the cemetery we visited before. It was a huge market with many items for sale, from crafts and fabrics, to a wide variety of foods. We even stopped at a shaman shop. We learned that lime is added to boiling water to boil corn and soften the seeds better. In ancient times, the Maya drilled teeth and inlaid jade, gold, or silver, so intricately that dentists today can't replicate. Unfortunately, today, graves are robbed for these teeth.

As we left the market, we noticed the terraced fields, using the many springs in this area. All agriculture is done by hand, with no horses, and goods are carried on heads or backs, even up to 200 pounds.

We stopped to visit some artisans also. We stopped in Santa Apolonia to visit Dona Basilia, who makes ceramics by hand from the clay in the hills near her home. She grinds her own clay, and makes the bowls or pots on the ground by bending over and walking around the piece, forming the shape. It is then fired in a pit with pine needles and a clay slip to glaze. Next. we visited a family of professional brick makers, again, all done by hand using brick molds and a machete to smooth. They fire in a huge kiln building, and can make up to $300 a month-a great salary for them.

Finally, we wandered our way to La Antigua Guatemala, or Antigua for short. Again, there are many foreigners here, as there are many Spanish language schools in the area. The streets are all cobble stone, and the town in shadowed by 2 volcanoes-Agua, and Santa Teresa. This was the third colonial capital. All of the churches have a building ruin next to them, as they have had many earthquakes over the years, so they just rebuild next to the ruins. The houses are small, and there are strict building codes to keep the colonial flavor of the town. We stayed at Los Pasos Hotel, which originally was a very large home surrounding a beautiful courtyard. The rooms were very tiny, but historical, with no air conditioning. It was interesting wandering the neighborhood and visiting local bakeries.