NEWS AND EVENTS

AN INVITATION TO TAKE PART IN OUR NEW VENTURE:

GUATEMAYA ART AND CULTURE TOUR

LAKE ATITLAN, GUATEMALA.

We are excited to announce the launching of the GuateMaya Art and Culture tours around Lake Atitlan. Guatemala, for March, April and May of 2020. This is a new venture that we are offering to travelers who are looking for an authentic, rich, and engaging cultural and artistic experience. You will meet the artists, artisans and stewards of the culture, learn about their art and craft and the history, culture and way of life of the Mayan people of Guatemala, and engage in dialogue around the questions of how can indigenous cultures continue to thrive in the modern world and how can we mutually support and learn from each other. (see sample itinerary and estimated costs - below)

We will facilitate your journey by offering recommendations for lodging in Antigua and transportation to the lake and by arranging for lodging while staying in San Pedro. We will also be your hosts while in San Pedro and accompany you on the tours along with local guides that we are partnering with.

We have been working with the artists, artisans, a local tour outfit and stewards of the culture over the last two years to develop this new initiative based on the principles of community based tourism so that their culture will be authentically represented and that there will be fair benefits to the artists and the community. Participants will also learn how they can join as partners in this project to help achieve our goals of supporting the artists and artisans, promoting international appreciation and cooperation, and helping the communities we work with to thrive.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in taking part in please contact us for more information and an application form.

Yours in Peace and Gratitude

Imre and Lorna Kepes

ikepes@aol.com mobile: 413-687-8612

PS – please feel free to pass on to anyone you think would be interested. 

 

GUATEMAYA ART AND CULTURE TOURS -

SAMPLE ITINERARY and COSTS – 8 day excursion

(dates: March 7-14; March 21-28; April 18-25; May 9-16)

NOTE: Because this is a pilot project and we are still ironing out some of the details, there could be some changes to the itinerary.

Day 1 –

Arrival Guatemala City – The airport in Guatemala city has been recently renovated and is very efficient. We will provide recommendations for hotels and you will arrange with your hotel for a private shuttle to meet you at the exit to the airport and transport you directly to the hotel.

Day 2 –

AM: explore Antigua on your own. Antigua is one of the most charming small colonial cities in Central America. The cobble stone streets are lined with colorful adobe dwellings and bougainvilleas draping down from the walls. There are numerous galleries, wonderful stores of Mayan crafts and textiles, a bustling market, magnificent churches, a lively central park and high quality restaurants and cafes.

PM: collective shuttle to San Pedro. You will arrange with your hotel for a collective shuttle to San Pedro la Laguna to pick you up at your hotel. The trip is approximately three hours and will drop you off in San Pedro La Laguna where we will meet you and accompany you to your hotel.

Settling into your hotel in San Pedro. We will arrange for your lodging in the hotel. Your hotel will have clean, comfortable rooms and views of Lake Atitlan, a world heritage site.

Dinner and welcome/orientation. We will provide a dinner at one of the local restaurants. There will be a welcome and orientation to the tours. You will meet members of our team and we will go over the agenda for the next several days, and present our vision and objectives of the art and culture community-based tourism project and offer to join us as partners in the project.

Day 3

AM- Breakfast and review of activities for the day. We will provide a breakfast and go over the activities for the day.

Mayan Fire Ceremony – you will take part in an authentic Mayan Fire Ceremony led by a local “sacerdote” (priest or shaman). In the Mayan culture, great importance is placed on the “energies” and living with gratitude and prayer. The Fire Ceremony is used in this way and you will have the opportunity to offer your prayers and consider what are your intentions for your time in San Pedro. We start our tours with this ceremony in order to honor and act in the spirit of the local culture.

Lunch – We will provide lunch and you will have the chance to share and reflect on your experience of the Fire Ceremony.

PM – San Pedro Museum and tour of the ancianos/as (elders). The local museum offers a slide show of San Pedro before the modern world came in and has displays of the traditional way of life and geological history. Local guides will take you to visit some of the village elders who hold ancestral knowledge as healers and midwifes. In the Mayan culture, the elders are revered as those that pass on the ancestral knowledge.

Mayan Dinner – You will be hosted at the Mayab Spanish school for a traditional Mayan dinner. The Director of the school, Don Francisco Puac, will make a presentation on the Mayan history and “cosmovision” (world view). Don Francisco is one of the preeminent historians, scholars and linguists in Guatemala.

Day 4

AM –tour of San Juan artists and crafts people and murals. We will take a private van to the next village, San Juan, to visit some of the artists we work with there. Juan Edwin Mendoza Perez has a gallery where he exhibits numerous styles of Mayan art and is also an accomplished artist himself. Much of his work relates to the Mayan Cosmovision and “energies” (often referred to as gods and goddesses). Noe Edel Yojcum is an artist with his own original style. His work is bright and often fanciful. Antonio Coche Mendoza and his wife Angelina Quic Ixtamer have one of the most popular galleries in San Juan. Angelina is one of the few woman artists and has gained both national and international attention. While touring the town, we will observe the local murals that represent the Mayan culture and way of life.

Lunch break:

PM – tour of San Pedro artists and crafts people. We will return to San Pedro to visit with some of the artists there. Mario Gonzalez Chavajay is the grandson of the originator of the “art naif” style that was developed in San Pedro about 60 years ago. The works of Mario and his siblings are exhibited in the Museum of the American Indian in Washington. Lorenzo Cruz has developed a method of painting with deep texture and has also exhibited internationally. Pedro Gonzalez works out of his home in very humble circumstances and helps to support his family with his art. Berta is the director of a weaving cooperative in San Pedro. She was instrumental in organizing weaving coops in San Pedro and San Juan and consults internationally around developing collectives and empowering women.

Presentation of emerging, experimental and contemporary artists: Marlon Puac will present some of the younger, experimental artists of the artist collective, Colectivo Tz-Unun Ya, and will talk about their art and how they are exploring how to present their culture and history in a contemporary way.

Dinner, night off or optional movie: You will be on your own to dine at a restaurant of your chosing and relax for the evening or view the movie, When the Mountains Tremble, featuring Rigoberta Menchu, that documents the “civil war”.

Day 5

AM- Options: You will be able to chose from several options: a presentation on the Mayan Calendar and Nahuales; a workshop to try your hand at painting in the “art naif”, “vista de pajaro” (birds eye view) and other styles; a trip across the lake to Santiago Atitlan, the largest village on the lake and explain the history of the town and the story of Maximon, one of the revered “saints”.

Lunch break

PM- Options: You will again be able to chose from several options: a tour of the public murals of San Pedro and the political and social messages they convey; Juan Carlos Chavajay, one of the painters, will present examples of his art that depict Mayan pictographs and glyphs and will discuss their symbolism and meaning; visit the gallery of local photographer, Josue Navichoc. His works include powerful portraits of the people around the lake.

Exhibit and dinner discussion: We will provide dinner and there will be an exhibit of various styles and themes of art and craft along with a discussion on how art and crafts informs us about the history and culture of indigenous people and can help to connect people across borders and cultures and how you and community-based tourism can help to preserve the local culture, support the local economy and social programs and promote international exchange and cooperation.

Day 6

AM – Art and craft shopping opportunity San Pedro and San Juan. If you are interested in purchasing some art or crafts or just would like to sight see, our guides will take you to visit the artists and craftspeople of San Pedro, San Juan and Santiago Atitlan.

Lunch. You will chose where you wish to have lunch.

PM – continue sightseeing or shopping, or just enjoy some down time.

Farewell Dinner and reflection: We will provide a dinner and talk about our vision and goals for the project and ways you could become a partner in the project and you will have the opportunity to ask questions, share what you learned, provide us with feedback on the tours and offer suggestions to improve the project.

Day 7

AM -.Depart San Pedro, shuttle to Antigua, free afternoon in Antigua. We will arrange for a shuttle for you to take you back to your hotel in Antigua. You will have a free afternoon in Antigua and we will provide recommendations for some of the wonderful restaurants there.

Day 8

Private shuttle to Guatemala city airport, return to US. You will arrange with your hotel for a private shuttle to take you to the airport. They will be able to provide you with recommendations regarding how much in advance you should take the shuttle to arrive in time. (the trip generally is around 1 hour, but can vary depending on traffic and other conditions)

COSTS:

Tour fee: The tour fee includes one breakfast, one lunch, four dinners, guides, translators, compensation to the artists and stewards of the culture, support for the Mayab Spanish school, coordination and administrative costs and donation to a community fund for local projects and programs that benefit San Pedro and surrounding communities. (does not include travel to Gautemala, lodging, and travel to and from airport and the lake – see below).

(for 6 person group)………………….……...……………………………………...…...……..$650

(for 4 person group)………………….……...……………………………………...…...……..$800

Estimated costs for lodging and dining and transportation to and from the airport and the lake. …...……………………...………………………………..……$550-$700

Estimated cost for travel to Guatemala (round trip)…..……...…...$650-$850