Just like in India when we did the
hygiene campaign and the community meeting about child labor we have now
started planning a community service project with the Young Dreamers here in
Guatemala. Actually, there are three projects. The first one, the biggest one,
is an environmental clean-up campaign. In that project we have several smaller
ones, we’re going to clean four of the pilas in Vuelta Grande and El Hato, do
another rally through the streets, put up posters and signs made out of wood
around the two towns to remind people to keep it clean, and we’re even going to
do skits in the schools again. That’s the one we’re working on right now since
it’ll take time. The second project is to fix and paint the playground in El
Hato since nobody’s done anything with it in a long time. That project is the
easiest and I believe that all of us working together we can finish it in one
day. Our third and final project is to find kids who aren’t going to school and
try to figure out why, and if we can get them in school. These three projects
are all very important in their own ways and I’m looking forward to seeing them
carried out. I’m especially excited for the rally and campaign. Hopefully it
will be as successful as what we did in India. I’m in the skits group again. We’re
doing one about the importance not littering, and keeping the streets clean.
I’m really excited to do projects with the Young Dreamers here in Guatemala. I
will keep you all posted on how it goes.
Over the weekend we went to see ancient Mayan ruins at a place called
Iximche. Iximche means tree of corn, Ixim, corn, and che, tree. Iximche was the
capital of the Kaqchikel Mayas in the post-classic era. Iximche was built in
1464 and was destroyed by the Spaniards in 1526. The Kaqchikeles had an
alliance with the Quiches where they lived in the same towns and had the same
capital even though the Quiches were kind of ruling over the Kaqchikeles.
Eventually the Quiches asked them to leave, and when I say asked they actually
asked since they had an alliance. The Kaqchikeles went searching for a new
home. They started constructing Iximche and a few years later they moved in
marching and celebrating all the way. Since during that time there was lots of
tension between the different Mayas, they built the city in a super strategic
position. It was all surrounded by super high cliffs except for the one
entrance. The entrance was blocked by a moat that had crocodiles and snakes.
Inside the moat in the capital part of the city only lived four royal families.
There were 5 plazas inside because the biggest family had two of the homes.
Basically all of the plazas had the exact same things. They all had the palace,
two temples, the moon temple and the sun temple, facing east and west. There
were altars for sacrificing animals and sometimes humans. And every plaza had a
small stadium for sports. The sport that they played, at least in Iximche,
consists of scoring the ball into hoops. They used their shoulders, elbows, hips
and thighs/knees to hit the ball into the hoops. There’s been no evidence to
show that they used their hands or their feet. Think about how hard it would
be! Sports were very serious to the Mayas and a lot of times they sacrificed
the players when they finished. Sometimes they sacrificed the losing team or
sometimes they sacrificed the best player from the winning team as a great
offering. One thing that I found very interesting about Iximche is that
Guatemala is named after it. You’re probably wondering how that is. Well, when
the Spaniards arrived to Iximche they were brought by the Aztecs who spoke Nahuatl.
The Spaniard leader asked where they were and the Aztecs told them in Nahuatl,
place of many trees and the Spaniards heard it as Guatemala. Actually, names of
a lot of places and things are in Nahuatl. I found that very interesting that
it wouldn’t be in a Mayan language. I really liked Iximche because lately I’ve
been really interested by the Mayan history and culture. I just finished reading a great book
called The Mayan Life.
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