24 | February | 2024 | Life of Wry

Bringing Home the Guatemala

February 24, 2024

Unpacked today.. and got to get a really good look at all that I had acquired. I did not plan to buy a lot. But when I saw how beautiful things were and how lovingly they were crafted, I changed my mind. It is very gratifying to watch an artist at work and then to take home something they’ve made. Or.. to see a country full of color and artistry and bring some of that home to enjoy.. or to give as gifts.. or consume! So… I did all of that.

I took a Nike duffle bag full of medical supplies down to Guatemala and returned with a Nike duffle bag full of treasures. Full to the brim. It was a perfect exchange, I think. Win win win.

Here’re my souvenirs & gifts (mostly so I can remember):

Tapestries and fabrics. There are table runners, placemats, dishtowels, coasters. Some of these were purchased from weavers whom we watched as they demonstrated their craft — either using a back loom or a standard loom. Some were purchased from sidewalk vendors, at least one from a woman who ~~chased~~ accompanied me down the street (I was ultimately glad to purchase from her). The 6″x8″ coasters were a gift from Lance.

A pouch (from a women’s weaving cooperative where we watched them dye cotten fabrics with natural products, like vegetables, seeds and bugs), and a handbag (handmade by — can’t quiet remember her name — the chef at our villa in Santa Catarina).

Juan’s wife Elena (whom I’ll talk more about later) embroidered huipils, among other things. Four of us went home with one of her masterpieces.

Then… consumables.. Guatemalan coffee and chocolates..

I took care of a lot of Christmas shopping for nieces and nephews (and Peter and Maya, and another unmentionable b/c he reads this)… dresses, shirts, beautiful homemade paper journals.. and a carved wooden coati I bought in Tikal b/c Sally was attacked by one.

Guatemala’s known for its traditional Worry Dolls …(according to legend, Guatemalan children tell their worries to the Worry Dolls, placing them under their pillow when they go to bed at night. By morning the dolls have gifted them with the wisdom and knowledge to eliminate their worries.)

But wait… there’s more… a pottery bowl (from a studio where we learned about the process of shaping and glazing these pieces), and a gorgeous jade necklace (the photo does not do it justice). Jadeite jade is sourced in Guatemala. “The first civilization to use jadeite jade were the Olmecs, Maya and Aztecs, and jade figured prominently in many myths and folktales.” More on that later. We learned all about jade/jadeite at the jade museum in Antigua. Most of us went home with at least some jade. Also in the photo on the right.. two beaded birds (I believe they’re supposed to be Quetzals) purchased from Magdelena (who I’ll talk about later), a mug that was given to each of us from one of the schools we visited, a goofy Guatemalan refrigerator magnet (don’t ask what possessed me) and some hotel soap (again.. ).