Meeting the Mayans
It wasn’t until my 3rd visit to Lake Atitlan, Guatemala that I began tying together the threads of cultural connection that this plant medicine I’d fallen in love with had with the town I’d fallen in love with. See San Marcos la Laguna is a Mayan village. And I could write an entire separate blog about that place and my deep affection for it - others have if you want to go for a google.
This village stole my heart and is the place I first began working with cacao on Keith’s quaint porch, the place I started to re-discover myself, my heart and my hopes for my life! I know that sounds a tad melodramatic but I promise its true, and a story for another time.
At the end of 2016 it dawned on me that I had an opportunity to learn more about this plant, this culture and this place. So I asked the universe to help me and in January 2017 the universe answered. I was attending a Cacao Convergence (yes literally that’s what it was called) at the Dalileo Cacao Farm owned by Lorenzo (a Canadian long term San Marcos ex pat) as were Tata Izaias (Keith’s right hand man and a Mayan daykeeper himself) and Nana Marina Cruz a Tzutujil woman and Ajq’ij who lives in San Pedro (the town across the lake from San Marcos where I’d been residing for months)
I’m lucky enough to be fluent in Spanish after studying a Diploma as part of my Undergraduate degree in International Relations and so have always been blessed by the connections I get to make thanks to my language skills. This one however was a little more divinely orchestrated (of course). After a big walk around the farm and a nap I awoke with a very strong pain in my neck. It hurt to just hold my head in its usual place. Friends began to massage and try to help before Marina approached asking what the matter was and taking charge with her strong knowing hands, beginning to massage me. She and Izaias had been preparing the altar for the sacred fire & cacao ceremony they were to lead. So I was instructed to follow her, sit with her, and in a whirl of cacao, smoke, pain and tobacco Marina proceeded to run the ceremony with Izaias whilst simultaneously massaging me and energetically working on my ailment. This was my introduction to the sacred fire of the Maya.
A week or so later I ran into Marina with my friend Orlando who was staying with Marina and her family in San Pedro and am invited for a temascal (Mayan version of a sweat lodge or sauna) that evening. After a beautiful temascal together we sat by the fire sharing & talking. I expressed my desire to learn more about the Mayan culture and calendar, and Marina expressed a desire for someone to translate her ceremonies. As an English speaker with advanced Spanish it is decided I will give it a try.
The thing about translating ceremony is you need to understand the context of the cosmovision and culture and so began my journey to do so, alongside a beautiful friendship. I would liaise with the tourist/foreigner community and arrange times for ceremonies and other healing sessions such as the temascal or puro (tobacco) readings. Each ceremony ‘counts’ or shares about each of the 20 energies in the calendar. The daykeeper / Ajq’ij is leading these prayers and reflections and so each ceremony I would hear (and translate) the information - which alters each time to reflect what the daykeeper is feeling and focusing on.
It was an honour and privilege to work in this way with Marina and her family. I learnt so much, experienced so much and my desire to be the bridge grew. I’d always been frustrated by what I perceived as the lack of connection or even access to Mayan culture (the spiritual part of the culture in particular) for the ex-pat community who have taken up residence in a Mayan town and so here I was able to offer a way for non-Spanish speakers to receive and learn. And for the Mayan families to be heard, acknowledged and seen for the incredible culture and wisdom that abounds.
Maltyox Nan. Maltyox Tat. Thank you gran ajaw.