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Mailing List ~ Newsletter>
The Ixil Triangle (Nebaj, Chajul, Cotzal)
June 1, 2004
We (Dan and Rudi Taylor - Happy Mango Imports) recently returned from Guatemala where we traveled to
the remote “Ixil Triangle” area. We have included a brief
description of our journey below, hope you enjoy it.
In the next few weeks we will be adding many new textiles
from the Ixil area to our website, as well as many new
paintings from Mariano Rodriguez and carved wood Santos.
THE IXIL TRIANGLE
When the Ixil Triangle is mentioned a number of images come
to mind. Mostly those of genocidal violence and remote
Indian villages, but also some of the most beautiful
scenery in Guatemala. All of these are very accurate. We
write this story as we fly home from an 8 day adventure in
this isolated region.
This region remains isolated not only because of the bad
road conditions and distance from (what most people might
consider) civilization, but also a fear created by all of
the atrocities that occurred there. The civil war, which
raged in the Ixil Triangle, began in the 80’s and continued
until 1996. This war destroyed dozens of villages and
killed thousands of people, including women and children,
all of whom were Mayan Indians. One can only imagine the
impact this action had on the local inhabitants and their
culture. As has been the case throughout history, the
Mayan Indians survived and their culture is rebounding with
amazing resilience.
The Ixil Triangle, located in the Cuchumatan Mountain
range,
is made up a triad of villages; Santa Maria Nebaj, San
Gaspar Chajul and San Juan Cotzal. The dirt roads leading
to and connecting these villages are traversed by bus, but
are 4-wheel drive roads and often not passable during the
rainy season.
Upon entering the town of Nebaj we were surprised at how
large it actually was. As with most Guatemalan highland
villages, the town plaza with church is the hub of
activity. Religious ceremonies, market activities and
social events all are centered in this area. The notable
exception in the case of Nebaj is that covering the plaza
in front of the church are rows upon rows of permanent,
crude wooden structures housing at least 100 video games.
These arcades were filled with youngsters, mostly boys,
spending their centavos, totally immersed; they were
oblivious to everything going on around them.
Completely prepared for meager (and possibly dirty)
accommodations, we were surprised by a brand new hotel,
which rose 3 stories above the street with a huge sign
which proclaimed it to be “Your Best Choice in Nebaj”. The
rooms were small, but very quaint with hot water, secure
parking and even an indoor waterfall. Everything was
painted with a variety of bright colors, it was actually
comical, and we referred to our hotel as Disneyland.
As we walked the streets in search of photo opportunities,
we ran across Marta Lucia, a woman of 45 years, but looked
to be 20 years older. She spoke limited Spanish, but
enough to convey the story of her life in Nebaj. Tears
streamed from her eyes as she told us she has no idea where
her 3 daughters disappeared to 9 years ago.
We rose early and drove through the mountain mist heading
for Chajul. Though it doesn’t appear far on the map,
distance in Guatemala is not measured in kilometers, but by
how long it takes you to get there. The drive to Chajul
was a perfect example of this. As the sun burned off the
fog we drove higher and higher into the mountains. The
beauty of the countryside was impressive. Entering Chajul
was like stepping back in time. Even though our 2003 4x4
was covered with inches of dust from two days of dirt road
driving, we stood out like sore thumbs and drew the
attention of everyone within sight. Using this
opportunity, we pulled out the 50lb box of donated shoes
which we brought with us from home. It is no exaggeration
to say that every person who received a pair of shoes from
us had the expression of someone who had just won the
lottery. It was a heartwarming experience.
As we left Chajul we found the small dirt road (which we
were told would be inaccessible) that led to Cotzal. Upon
attempting this road, we found it to be perhaps one of the
best dirt roads we had been on in days! Cotzal was a
wonderful little village and we were fortunate to arrive on
market day. Very few of the women wear the traditional
huipiles. Communication was difficult as Spanish is not as
widely spoken here, instead the Mayan language, “Ixil” was
the primary language. We found it interesting that a form
of hand sign language was also a common means of
communication.
Pedro, Juan and Marcos, all brothers ages 12, 15 & 16, were
delighted to climb into the back of our vehicle. They were
on their way to Nebaj to help their aunt for a few days
with some chores. “What chores?” we asked. They told us
that their uncle was sick and bricks were needed to finish
a 6x6 addition to the house. We saw the house, it couldn’t
have been larger than 12x12 and consisted of only one room.
The walls were brick, made of mud and straw. We enjoyed
their company as we completed the last leg of the Ixil
Triangle.
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