| August 2004 |
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| We took a 2 1/2 hour trip
through the mountains to Chichicastenango, the biggest Central Market
in Central America. Chichi has market days on Thursdays and
Sundays, and is known as the best place to buy Guatemalan
textiles and handicrafts. |
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The Chichi Market was
everything we had hoped; the textiles were plentiful and of very high
quality. It was crowded on the Sunday we went, and almost
impossible to take good photos because of the press of mostly
indigenous people. |
| Betsey: Here
is a photo of the stall where women buy the threads they use for
weaving. For those who crave the
colors of Guatemalan textiles, this market is like a drug. I can
feel the neurons behind my eyes popping and crackling with pleasure. I
have fantasies about learning to weave. |
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Here is a rare moment when
there are no people in this part of the market |
| Chickens in a basket.
Mostly, chickens were carried under the arm, or by the feet. These
chickens are carried on this woman's head. She has a roll of
cloth coiled on her head under the basket to make a place for the
basket to rest. She generally would not have to hold on to the basket
to balance it, but the market is crowded. |
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Betsey: Here, fill your eyes with
these colors. I can't get enough of them. I go back to the local
markets again and again, and fall in love with a new pattern or
fabric every day. I can barely walk past a textile shop without
stopping and looking, even if I was just there a few hours ago. |
| These are all hand carved,
hand painted wooden masks. They didn't appeal to us, as we wanted
mostly textiles, but they were beautiful. |
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We coveted this quilt, made
almost entirely of huipil squares. Huipils
(traditional blouses) are made of a particular kind of weaving, using
stylized patterns that are unique to each individual village. |
| We would go back to Chichi any day,
any time, if it weren't for the 2 1/2 hour trip, each way, through the
mountains. |
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