September 2015 

MIXCO VIEJO

Another fun day trip with the President and Hermana Cox. This time, we find ourselves traveling through San Juan Sacatepeque to Mixco Viejo. Mixco Viejo are the ruins of a postclassic Maya civilization, the Chajoma Kaqchikel kingdom. 

On the road again...

The fellow in the upper right hand corner must have the muscles of Rocky. He lifts heavy objects not only into the back of the bus, but also climbs up and puts them on top of the bus!

An unexpected...all right...wrong turn takes us to beautiful farm land, quaint little villages, and hand laid paver block roads. It was beautiful and peaceful. And, the road actually took us around a circle where we ended up where we began!

Then, on to the ruins at Mixco Viejo.

The city was settled to provide a safer capital for its people against the hostile Iximche kingdom. (See earlier post of our trip to Iximche.) 12 groups of structures exist today but once there were over 120 single structures. The city was in existence from 900 B.C. to 1524 B.C. when the Spanish invaded and destroyed the kingdom. It is estimated that between 1,450 to 1,600 people inhabited the area. 

The second picture is actually a relief map that shows the terrain and structures located on the top. It is quite a hilly with deep ravines and pathways that intertwine throughout the area. 

These structures were very different from most we have seen. They are very plain and lower to the ground. We did not see any carvings unlike all the other ruins we have visited. The rock layering is thin and very geometric somewhat like what you would see on rock fireplaces. The ball field is quite prominent and is thought that perhaps it was a major playing field in the region. Mixco Viejo was also a important city because of its defense organization and for being a major religious center of its time. When the Spanish invaded, it was quite difficult. After many tries, it was an native who showed them a secret passage to enter the city. 

On our way home...Guatemala rain storm style. Check out the road and our trip through the 'lake'. Just another afternoon rainstorm. The rainy season came late and boy have we had some gushers! 

Thank you Coxes for another great trip. We look forward to the next one!

RETURN TO CHIMALTENANGO

50 years ago Spence served in this town. It was a quiet little spot but has changed into a traffic jam. On the main road to Quetzaltenango you must travel through this congested portion of the highway. I always thought it was an ugly truck town. Along the side of the road are dozen of car/truck parts for sale and traffic crawls as the road goes from 4 lanes to 2 lanes.

On one of our Saturday explorations, Spence decided to take me to the 'real' Chimaltenango. And oh, was I surprised! Turning off to the right of the main highway takes you to congested...not with cars, trucks, and ugly exhaust, but to a bustling town of people and the real Chimaltenango. Every Guatemalan town has its town square and Catholic church plus a few vendors selling their wares and Chimaltenango is no exception.

 Every Guatemalan town has its market. These places fascinate and amaze me. The smells are less than welcoming, but the people are endearing. They shop daily for what they need and nothing goes to waste.

Spence was not sure he could find the house where he once lived as a young missionary, but he certainly was going to try. He did it! He found it! It is no longer a house but rather a restaurant. He remembered the inner open garden area and how they had to walk through it to get to their room. The restaurant was gracious and let us take pictures.

August 2015

MONTERRICO

What a wonderful time we had with our dear friends serving with us at the Missionary Training Center. President and Sister Cox, President and Sister Abularach, President and Sister Wood, and us...President and Sister Llloyd. The Abularaches took us to her sister's condo where we played on the beach, went to a turtle hatchery, and took an early morning tour of an Mangrove Swamp. (It was absolutely stunning at 5:30 in the morning.)

We headed off to the beach south of Guatemala City.

                    All work and no play makes us all boring...We weren't! We PLAYED!

Later that day we went to the turtle hatchery, a non-profit organization that helps preserve the turtle eggs, hatches them, and then releases the baby turtles into the ocean. Most eggs never make it to the water because of preditors...birds, animals, and people. Turtle eggs are quite well liked in Guatemala. A turtle will hatch as many as 80 + eggs. Men search for the eggs, dig them up, and then sell them. The hatchery buys as many as they can and then buries them in their hatchery.

August 2015

PATZICIA

Another one of our Saturday excursions was to the Indian town of Patzicia located about an hour to the northeast of Guatemala City. The town was founded in about the 12th century and is part of the Kakchikel Territory. Patzicia Township is known as one of the largest producers of vegetables and exports its produce throughout Central America. Every town has a central park with a cathedral and a marketplace. Here are Patzicia's.