Wednesday excursion: Mayan village

Hola!

Today was an excursion day and we all went to a tradtional Mayan village Chichoy Alto in the city of Patzun. It was a two hour drive through winding roads to get to the village. When we arrived, we were greeted graciously by the entire village, which was very excited to show us their daily life. Also, we were able to see the work that Behrhorst Partners for Development(BDP) has done for this village in particular. This included the workshops for the women about nutrition, agriculture, and empowerment. We got to watch the women cook a nutritious meal with an ingredient called Ameranth. We even got to try some cookies that they made for us! We were then taken to one of the houses in the village to see the pump water system, latrines, gray water system, and stove that Behrhorst has provided for the families to improve the quality of life. Each family was also given a female goat to help provide for them. After seeing the house, we hiked down the incredibly steep slopes to see where the water was being taken from. This trek, which was very difficult, used to be made by women of the village who went to the stream to fetch over five gallons of water at least five times per day, carrying the water on their heads with babies on their backs. Now, the water is taken from the stream, filtered, and pumped to each house by the new water system. The villagers are extremely grateful for the asistance that they have received from the Behrhorst organization and were even more excited to show us how it has impacted their lives.

As the children waved goodbye, we headed to our next stop, which was a picnic-style lunch. After eating our wonderful lunch of pb&j sandwiches, we got news that we were getting the chance to try our luck at carrying our own water jugs on our heads! Although the jugs we carried were meant for children, and we only walked a few steps, the task was incredibly difficult, and gave great insight into the lives of the Mayan women. As children giggled behind us, we all tried to hold the jugs on our heads before we headed back towards Antigua.

We all met at the main market in Antigua for a bit of shopping. After an hour, we split up for short walking tours of Antigua, more shopping at the Artisian Market and/or a brief break before dinner. We ate at a beautiful and delicious restaurant. We enjoyed the company of our drivers, translators, and Steve for a wonderful evening with reflection of our day in the culture of the Mayan village.

Brittany (student), Alyssa (student), Babette (therapist), and Joan T. (faculty)