A small group of us went to the ruins of the Mayan city
of Iximche. After a bit of a bumpy ride in the van we disembarked and met our
awesome tour guide Melvin. He gave us a quick tour of the newly updated museum.
In the Mayan language Iximche translates to “corn tree” and we learned that
corn is a highly revered crop in the Mayan culture. During our tour of the
archeological site, Melvin regaled us with many interesting facts about the
history of the area, the people and of Guatamela generally.
Iximche was once a
very powerful Mayan kingdom ruled by four powerful families, controlling over
200,000 square kilometers of the surrounding countryside. There were several game
courts for the Mayan ball game called xe’ Ryan’ kolaj. We were told this was a thriving metropolis until
the Spanish arrived in around 1526. The city fell into disuse and was lost
until Swedish archeologists rediscovered the site in the 1950’s.
One of the biggest highlights of the tour was the Mayan
sacred ceremony. We were lucky enough to visit the site on the day of Q’anil 9
of the Mayan calendar. This is a day in which thanks is given for the corn
harvest, and offerings are made in hopes of the bountiful future harvest. The
scene was filled with beautiful colors and the air filled with fragrant
incense. It was a very special event and we felt quite privileged to be able to
observe. We returned to Antigua for an afternoon perusing markets, and getting to know each other better. It was a great start to our week in Guatamela.
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