February 1, 2024 – Santa Catarina Palopo

Today we took a boat ride to a nearby village San Antonio Palopo.  The residents of this village are of Mayan descent and many still speak one of the Mayan dialects.  We had a l9cal guide who spoke spanish and the local dialect.  At times she would translate into Spanish and Walter would translate into English.
We did a lot of walking up and down the hills and through alleys.
AOur first stop was a textile shop.  We learned how they take the raw cotton to create the thread, how they dye the threads, and how they weave.  The dyes are made from plants and insects. Some plants produce different colors depending on during which phase of the moon the leaves are cut.
Next we went to the local market. We were each given approx $1.30 in local currency to buy something to bring to our next stop.  I bought squash and was able to get 3 for my money.
Our next visit was to the town midwife.  We learned about how she became a midwife. She, also, makes natural remedies from plants to sell.  This visit was in a hillside house built of concrete block walls and corrugated metal for a roof.
We then went down hill to our “home-hosted visit”.  We met Rachel, her mother, and her cousin. Rachel told us the families story.  Her mother had 2 daughters and 3 sons. Her father learned to make textiles and taught many in the village how to do it.  We were shown how they prepared our lunch and then we all sat down to enjoy the chicken, rice, and vegetables with the family. It was a very enjoyable time.
Our last stop was a ceramics shop where we learned how they create the clay, mold the pieces, and fire and paint the pieces.
We took the boat back to our hotel. Some of our group took the bus to another town for dinner but most of us just stayed at the hotel.
As I was getting ready for bed I heard explosions. Walter texted “fireworks “ to us.  I went 9ut side and saw 5 fireworks shot into the sky.
Tomorrow we move to Antigua after a ziplining.