Sep 2007

My first trip to Mexico, before my stay in the capital, was in Chiapas in the south, in August 2007. It is Mayan territory.

The area includes the Mayan ruins of Palenque (first and second photo) and Chichen itza (third photo)

This is a picture of the hands of Trudi Blom, a jungle explorer from Switzerland who lived with and studied the Lacandon people, the only Mayans never conquered by the Spanish. There's more about her and her wonderful house at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Blom

Here's a picture of some beans.

I helped out on an organic coffee farm for a week. Grinding the beans is actually a lot more difficult than it looks.

I loved the charm of Antigua, near Guatemala city, and have more photos of cobbled side streets and ancient battered doors than is probably healthy.

The volcano in the background above is still active, although we weren't in that much danger during our climb.

I took a Gautemalan cookery class while I was in Antigua. The large leaves here are banana plant leaves that encase the stew which slowly steams in the pot.

This was the flower stall of the market in a place called Chichicastenango.