The Spanish knew him as San Simón, the ladinos named him Maximón and the Maya knew him as Ry Laj Man. It is a worshipped God figure, assumed to be a combination of Mayan Gods and the biblical Judas amongst other weird things. Guatemalans make offerings and ask for blessings in front of Maximón.
In Santiago, the villagers know Maximón as a wooden figure draped in coloured scarfs and smoking a fat cigar. He resides in the house of a town elder and each year Maximón is moved to a new house. During Easter week, he is even paraded on the streets. His favourite gifts are Payaso cigarettes and Venado Rum, but he often has to settle for cheaper brands. As I can´t imagine that a wooden figure can smoke a huge amount of cigarettes every year (and probably can´t absorb too much rum either) I am curious to what actually happens to the offerings but the story doesn’t cover this detail.
Local children take you to the house of Maximón for a small tip.
The village Santiago as you arrive with the boat
ALL women and girls in this village wear traditional clothes if they walk outside their house. The clothes are incredibly beautiful with many patterns and details. As Guatemalans are a bit funny with photographs, I decided it was best to not try to catch close-up pictures of the local Maya but I got this view from a tiny market.
Maximón has an even bigger tie collection than me, and he wears them all at the same time.
.JPG)
No comments:
Post a Comment