Farsighted Fly Girl

In the highlands of the Lake Atitlan region of Guatemala, there are communities of  Mayan women who carve out a living from traditional ways of life. Many of these villages are filled with mostly women because Guatemala's Civil War claimed the lives of so many men. I didn't sense much sadness however, only a gentle determination to provide for their families. The cooperatives of women weavers are quite famous but there are also women who showcase and earn money from other Mayan traditions, including food, art and music. I met this woman in the back of a village, where her shop displaying medicinal herbs and herbal beauty products overlooks a river. I was impressed with her herbal knowledge and the innovation she used to display her potions and plants in recycled water bottles. But looking at this photo, snapped on the fly as I was leaving, I'm more taken with the strength and beauty reflected in her face.

Guatemala is famous for the colorful carpets or alfombras , that cover the cobblestone streets of most towns during Semana Santa  or Easter Week. But I was thrilled to arrive in Guatemala City a week after the Easter festivities to find that there were still some carpets left. Some churches were still hosting processions and the carpets are an important feature. The one above is for Saint Francisco. Although the Easter week procession rituals date back to 14th century Spain, the carpets are actually a Mayan tradition. They were created from local materials for kings to walk upon. Today, colored sawdust is typically used to create the more elaborate carpets but flowers, grass, berries, leaves and fruit are also featured. I was excited to see these school girls finishing up a carpet and standing by to join the procession. They were clearly proud of their work and it was wonderful to actually witness the process of creating the carpets. These boys were squirting water on ...

The year of 2012 brought lots of  unexpected situations and dramatic events but as I learned from traditional Mayan teachings in Chichen Itza, that cycle has ended and a new cycle of more peaceful energy is arriving. I look back on my 2012 travel adventures with gratitude and anticipation for even more excitement and new explorations in 2013 and I wish the same for all of you.

The energy was electric around the ancient site of Chichen Itza. To mark the sacred ceremony,I was covered in white clothing like many of the almost 30,000 visitors who journeyed to Mexico to witness the first leg of the 2012  Mayan equinox. I had glimpsed photos and seen videos but I still didn't quite know what to expect. Would the Mayan magic shift the ground? Would the sky darken? I intended to find out. Since 2012 marks the beginning of a new cycle in the Mayan calendar, the anticipation at the spring equinox was especially intense. I learned about the complexity of the Mayan calendar system and contrary to pop culture claims, there has never been a prediction forecasting the end of the world in 2012. It's simply the end of the old aggressive, violent cycle and the beginning of a new, gentler one. This cycle is supposed to be filled with feminine energy, I saw priestesses leading chanting rituals at the site. December 21, 2012 is the official transition to ...

I am not a massage person. I get antsy laying still for the process and frankly, strangers touching me is not my favorite thing. But the chance to experience traditional Mayan massage in Mexico changed my mind.  The natural rituals of the Maya are fascinating to me so I jumped at the chance to view this culture from another perspective. The hallmarks of the traditional massage, called Hunab Ku , are the ocarina wind instrument, copal plant leaves, flowers and balche bark, pictured above. Barbara was the lovely masseuse who escorted me through  the ritual. The beginning of the treatment starts with the  Mayan chant, "Tene u susilem/Tene u ya cuma/Tene u dzimodo/Tene u kmac a holalem," which translates to "I am the light/ I am the peace/  I am the love/ I am the harmony."  Mayan massage is noted for its deep tissue technique, especially around the abdominal area. Barbara stretched my arms and massaged my shoulder blades t...

A highlight of visiting the Yucatan Peninsula is swimming in a cenote (se note tay).  These natural wonders are underwater sinkholes found in caverns and caves, which are the hallmark of the areas' geography. The peninsula is composed of  porous limestone with no visible rivers. The rivers are all underground, formed where fresh water collects. There are supposedly 6000 cenotes all over the Yucatan peninsula. The Maya considered them cleansing and sacred. They also believed that they symbolized the entrance to the underworld . As you can see from the photo above, climbing down into the dark cavern with caution signs decorating the opening ,does give the feeling of  entering the netherworld. This cenote is called X-keken and it boasts a natural sky light that floods sunbeams into the darkness. The effect is stunning, like a glistening underground pond. When we visited, the cenote was filled with locals dipping into the cool water. Outside, the temperature was abou...

The uproar about the Mayan prophesy of the end of the world in 2012 was hilarious to me.  Western culture always searches for absolutes when life rarely operates that way. According to the Mayan long calendar, the old tumultuous cycle ended in December 2011 and 2012 unfolds a new, gentler cycle.  I will journey to the Yucatan Peninsula next week to witness the Mayan Spring Equinox at Chichen Itza,  This sacred Mayan site boasts 1,000 years of Maya and Toltec history as well as cultural and spiritual significance. The Spring and Autumn equinox were sacred times of healing for the Maya, when day and night equaled exactly the same length and when the "Descent of The Feathered Serpent"  down the Pyramid of Kukulcan pictured above, marked the season of rebirth and renewal.  I will hopefully witness the perfect alignment of the sun with the Kukulcan Pyramid, creating a play of light and shadow that conjures up the illusion of a massive reptile representin...