Chichicastenango's Spell - Chichicastenango, Guatemala

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Chichicastenango, Guatemala

At the travel shops of Antigua, Panajachel, and Quetzaltenango, I would be too nonchalantly preoccupied or simply blind not to notice the posters advertising shuttle rides to Chichicastenango's Market Day, which falls on Wednesdays. This is probably the mother of all Market Days since nothing of that sort of advertising campaign saturation has been done on any town other than this. No tourist can miss its announcement, and come Wednesday, I answered its call.

Bewitched, beguiled, and baffled is all I could describe myself on this trip even if I'm not into the occult and the supernatural, I felt like a solitary planet being sucked into a black hole of mysticism. In a way, I was cautiously curious.

Notwithstanding the entertaining Christmas festival of the "Dance of the Conquistadores", a parody of masked and costumed revelers meant to mock the Spanish colonizers, Chichicastenango is famous for its brand of Christian-Mayan worship, Confradia system or brotherhood of church members dedicated to a Christian saint's veneration, tradition, and rites. It's also famous for its Mayan spirit shrines, and on the extreme - the cult of Maximon, the pagan saint.

But Chichicastenango is popular for its Market Day that evolved into a commercial tourist travesty of a part of the daily life of Mayan culture. Arriving on this day, I didn't see the better piece of the action. Unfortunately, I arrived late noon because the bus I got on stayed too long filling-up the seats. It was however note worthy to have a first taste of the Chicken Bus ride with its notorious reputation of being noisy and reckless. The experience is another lifetime memorable "circus" entertainment event that gave a good insight into Guatemalan folk life.

The trip from Quetzaltenango took more than two hours, excluding the passenger filling time. Even more, the bus underwent a good carwash job before it finally sets off. The Pan-American Highway, even if well paved, is intestinal and narrow. At Los Encuentros Junction where it took off from the highway to a northern detour, the road turns poignantly provincial.

As soon as the bus made a full stop, I maneuvered my way down and in to a tightly packed street cooled-off by protective sheets of fabrics over the makeshift stalls, following the lead of phalanxes of slow moving tourists before me. On my left is the clayish pink town hall overwhelmed by piled-up and posted merchandise as far as the eye can comfortably see. And at once, there I behold the church spruced up for Holy Week celebration.

Chichicastenango's Church is a stucco-white boxy structure with classical features, but the overall tone does not strayed a bit from its other Guatemalan sisters. As usual, there are the low profile side belfries, integrated and not noticeable compared to the more stunning Mexican belfries, and the heavily molded espadaña, the pierced gable wall offering an alternative bell holder. The belfries are topped each, with a Buddhist stupa-like spire while the espadaña looks more like a pediment. Roughly-stacked semicircular rustic flight of steps on the façade offsets the classical columns. Notwithstanding, it's still a graceful interplay of forms and materials.

At the side of the church door, I saw the image of Maximon, the pagan saint, venerated by the locals and sanctioned by the Catholic hierarchy. If not, what is his privileged authority to solicit money within the premises?

The inside is breathtakingly - partly because of heavy incense or candle smoke - as any Guatemalan church could be, somberly stark and magnificently ornate. It's similar to that of La Merced in Guatemala City. No photo snapping is allowed.

Facing it, about 50 meters across is a smaller church, more like a vigil chapel. There might be a deeper meaning into this building paradigm for it apparently shares the same face-to-face axis alignment like that at San Andres Xecul. Incidentally, Mayan locals, especially their ancestors, are avowed practitioners of astrology.

This daughter chapel takes a cue from her mother church. Basically, a chip of the old block and almost the same shape minus the heavy molding and fluting in the Ionic pilasters but with the same miniature Buddhist stupa belfry spires. The access is through an almost identical roughly stacked stairway with asymmetrical welcome side posts at the top.

Inside is an image of a wrenching life-size Jesus wearing a silly, heavy make-up and glittering attire with a carnival sunburst headpiece, and carrying a cross decorated to look more like a Christmas candy cane. His unhappiness of being dressed up this way is obvious. On the floor are three sets of fruit offerings laid out in order and symmetry on top of a colored geometrically patterned sawdust carpet. Glowing blue and red candleholders border on the carpet.

The alley that connects the church and chapel is lined mostly by interesting wooden masks and images. Colorful masks hanging on horizontal sticks serve as interesting props to the all-white buildings presently decorated with intense violet buntings for the Semana Santa or Holy Week celebration. Rather the composition makes a postcard perfect scene.

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