Monday, March 31, 2008

Good Friday and Maximon

Who is Maximon? (pronounced- ma-shi-MO) .

Syncretism at its best! Mayan culture, religion and tradition and the catholic tradition and faith not only mix and blend, but play, battle and... well... chase one another on Good Friday in Santiago each year. Maximón is believed to be a form of the pre-Colombian Maya god Mam, blended with influences from Catholicism. He is represented as an effigy in Sanantonio de Atitlan, among other towns throughout the western Guatemalan highlands, where my parents and I spent Good Friday. He is often called San Simon, and serves as a Judas figure every Holy week when he is brought out and chased around the town, until he returns to a new home or hiding place for the next year.
Here men had gathered outside his shrine as others offered the traditional gifts of alcohol, cigarettes, and his favorite... cigars! Each village throughout the region has their own traditional style, dress, and colors. In the large markets throughout Guatemala you see all of the fabrics brought together, huipils (traditional shirts of women) made into purses and blankets, but you can always tell where some thing was made by the color and patterns.

After this ceremony of worship took place around noon, the Jesus was taken down and put into an ornate and flower laden coffin. Children and adults stood around the outskirts with candles, some as tall as they were, and looked on as men began processing out of the sanctuary with the coffin on their shoulders. Many wait years for the privilege of carrying the coffin, and pay money to do so. It has roots in practices of penitence.
We discovered that there is a much greater emphasis on Good Friday here than on Easter Sunday. A emphasis grown out of both Catholic belief and roots, as well as a culture that identifies with the story of the passion and suffering of Christ over and above that of the resurrection.
This group patiently waits for the procession to exit the sanctuary.
One of the three most prominent volcanoes of the lake, towers above the main square. In the photo below you can see that they have drawn out in detail ahead of time, what each block and each portion of each block will look like down to the exact design and colors. The "Alfambras" are an all day production, and a really incredible art form.
It was incredible to watch the time, energy and creativity put in to this work... a very communal offering to the festivities and traditions of this place.

These alfambras are all made of colored sawdust, and pave the way for the procession that will walk over it in the next 24 hours. Some alfambras include offerings of fruit, vegetables, grains, and other goods, making them a bit more controversial in a country that suffers from high rates of malnutrition. Some are intricately realistic pieces of art- amazing!

2 comments:

Carmen Goetschius said...

Gorgeous photos my dear! Enjoy your last week and Mwende Bwino (as we say in Bemba) -- travel well-- Carmen

Carmen Goetschius said...

Okay, I am leaving another comment because I just re-read this posting (more carefully this time). Why don't we have wonderful, communal fabrics that denote where we are from?! I love this. The tribes here in Zambia are similar. Each tribe has its own way of weaving grass for baskets or hats, certain colors or weapons designate different tribes. Very cool. We North Americans are lame and like to be "same-ity same" based on what is "fashionable." Hmph. Miss you Ems. Happy Wedding Festivities! C