Email: Ali Sutton

Dear Friends,

Every day as I walk down the streets of the quiet Guatemalan mountain town of Cobán, I have the chance to take in the vibrant colors, aromas, and joyful music that are distinctly Guatemala. From the beautiful, traditional dress of the women, called traje, to the extravagant celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday, called a quinceaños, Guatemala is bursting from its seams with culture. While every day is a new discovery of a different custom, act, or tradition, some of my experiences that seem the most saturated in Guatemalan culture are participating in a traditional ceremony, Day of the Dead, and picking coffee on a finca (farm).

Our YAV orientation focused mainly on strengthening our abilities with the Spanish language and teaching us about the Guatemalan people and the intricacies of their culture. We learned about the years of civil war that raged in the country, and we were also introduced to the indigenous lifestyle of the majority of Guatemala’s inhabitants. One afternoon, we participated in a traditional Mayan ceremony.  The ceremony was led by a Mayan priest called a sacerdote (i.e. Spanish for “priest”). It began with her building a fire and laying chocolates, hard candies, alcohol, incense, and candles on the fire as offerings. We lit candles as the sacerdote chanted in Quiche, the local Mayan language, and prayed for our health during our time in Guatemala. The candles each signified things such as family, friends, love, and money, and were on the fire at specific points during the ceremony. We also were made to throw good-smelling rocks into the fire and walk around it numerous times while the priest prayed for each of us individually. At the end of the ceremony the priest “cleansed” us by dousing a green liquid all over our clothes. Participating in the ceremony was a great hands-on way to learn more about the customs and beliefs of Guatemala’s indigenous population.

The Day of the Dead is a holiday observed on the first of November. The tradition is to eat a cold meat and vegetable salad called a fiambre and then head out to the cemetery to pay your respects to the dead. Families clean, paint, and decorate the tombs of their dearly departed with flowers, candles, and ribbons. Once night falls, the families bring food to the cemetery in hopes that the spirits of their loved ones will partake in the food that they leave. My host family was more than willing to share in this tradition with me. The fiambre was delicious, and the cemetery was a lot of fun. It seemed as though it was the venue of a huge party with mariachi bands playing, hot dog vendors, tons of flowers and candles everywhere, and people laughing and carrying on. It was really interesting to witness this tradition, which I’d read about in Spanish class for so many years.

Coffee is a major export crop in Guatemala.  On our first group retreat, we had the opportunity to tour a working coffee finca and learn about the different social issues that it faces. We spent a morning picking coffee with the plantation’s workers. We picked the small red berries for three hours, and by the end of that period we were exhausted by the monotonous work under the hot sun. I picked 20 pounds of berries and would have only made the equivalent of one dollar for all my hard work. The experience opened my eyes to the inequalities of the coffee industry and made me appreciate even more every cup of coffee that I drink.

Guatemala is an absolutely breathtakingly beautiful country, and I am having an amazing time being with the people and learning about and experiencing the effervescence of their culture. How awesome is the expanse of God’s great kingdom and the diversity of all those who share in the beauty of His green earth! In the coming weeks, I am excited about sharing in Christmas festivities a la Guatemala with my host family and look forward to all of the cultural discoveries I have yet to make.

Paz,

Ali

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