GUATEMALA

These photographs were taken one morning at the open market in Chichicastenengo.  As markets go (and I’ve seen many around the world) this one is one of the most vibrant.

Ours was a long winding climb from Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  All food was grown on steep, terraced plots that ran up the mountainsides.  For the last ten miles, we passed Mayans on foot, loaded down with foodstuff and textiles and homemade items they hoped to sell. (Women carried the heaviest burdens.)

Throughout, the colors were absolutely vibrant, papers to serapes.  Sales and spirited haggling were carried out in their native K’iche, although some spoke Spanish. The array of vegetables, pigs and chickens, flowers, incense, machetes, clothing, grains was stunning as it was abundant.  And the smells of grilling anticuchos (beef hearts).

I particularly like the photo of a Mayan girl trying to make a sale to a very American traveler.