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Dec. 16: The journey begins with your flight to Guatemala City, where you'll be warmly greeted and transferred to the Barcelo GC Hotel in Guatemala City for an overnight. As participants will be arriving at various times we'll have a shuttle throughout the day that will provide transfers from the airport to the hotel. If you are arriving a few days earlier to join the Dec. 13-16 Tikal pre-tour extension you'll take the evening flight from Flores to Guatemala City.
Dec. 17: This morning we visit the major museums in Guatemala City with our guide Dolores Ratzan. Dolores is a native of Lake Atitlan who spent several years living in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she was recognized as a world renowned weaver of Maya ceremonial vestments. This tour will give a historical context to the sites we will be visiting on the journey. The National Museum of Archeology and Ethnology: The "Louvre" of Guatemala, a large collection of Pre-Hispanic artifacts and ritual objects from Maya sites throughout Guatemala. The Popol Vuh Museum: Extensive collection of pre-Hispanic art and folklore section with indigenous clothing and traditional masks. The Ixchel Textile Museum: A collection which displays the unique weaving patterns of ceremonial garments and textiles from over 100 Highland Maya communities.
Then we go to nearby Antigua, Latin America’s premier colonial city. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is a strikingly beautiful city rich in history with jaw dropping views of the three volcanoes that surround it. Visitors and locals alike casually congregate in the central plaza, sitting and strolling, watching the world go by. This is one of the most atmospheric plazas in all of Central America. We'll take an afternoon tour of Antigua with Manuel Barrios, an expert on the rich history of Antigua, walking along the cobblestone streets among monasteries, restored churches and haciendas and market for an informative inside look at the former capital of Guatemala. Formerly Santiago de Guatemala, Antigua was once the third most important Spanish city in the Americas. For 200 years it served as the political and economic center for all lands between Chiapas and Costa Rica. Notables buried beneath the ruins of the Cathedral, where Mayan shamans burn candles, include Pedro de Alvarado, Bernal Díaz del Castillo, and an Aztec princess. We'll also visit the Church of La Merced whose facade is graced with Our Lady of the Americas -- Our Lady of Guadalupe. In the nearby market one can find everything from brightly colored and intricately embroidered textiles to exquisitely carved jade from nearby mines. Then we'll have time to enjoy the city's wonderful cafes and restaurants touting cuisines from around the world. We'll overnight at the beautifully restored historic Palacio de Don Leonor Hotel in Antigua. Take a step back 500 years in time at this elegant boutique hotel with a very historic past.
Dec. 18: Today we travel to spectacular Lake Atitlán where we begin our immersion into the world of the modern Maya. Atitlán is a Nahuatl word meaning "place of water". At an altitude of 1562 meters (4,265 feet) the shores of the lake are home to a multitude of Maya communities. Formed by water built up in a volcanic crater, its deep, crystal blue waters are contrasted by a verdant ridge line punctuated by three spectacular volcanoes. Novelist Aldous Huxley called Lake Atitlán "the most beautiful lake in the world". In preparation for the upcoming shamanic teachings and ceremony Dolores Ratzan will facilitate a temescal (Maya sauna) to purify our minds, bodies and spirits.
In the afternoon Maya Elder, Shaman and Daykeeper Don Rigoberto Itzep and his wife, Dona Maria Itzep, a traditional Maya healer and herbalist will meet us and give the group a teaching on Maya Cosmology. After the teaching, Don Rigoberto will begin giving private astrological readings for each participant that explain the attributes of your birth date and corresponding Maya Glyph. In Highland Maya communities every person is born with gifts that are culturally nourished throughout their lives and much information is based on the date of birth. We'll enjoy a medicinal/botanical herb walk with Maya healer Dona Maria and those who wish to schedule optional bodywork and healing sessions with her may do so. We'll overnight at Hotel Atitlan, located on the lake in Panajachel. The hotel is consistently voted one of the top hotels in all of Central America. It is adjacent to Atitlan Nature preserve and also has its own private botanical garden. Relax in the very comfortable beds, enjoy the spacious rooms with first class amenities, take in expansive views of the San Pedro volcano and watch the Atitlán volcano peek out from behind its shorter neighbor, Tolimán, from your own private porch.
Dec. 19: This morning we travel across Lake Atitlan to a private location where we will participate in a fire ceremony with Don Rigoberto. Although they differ somewhat from region to region, fire ceremonies are an integral part of spiritual life in all parts of the Maya World. The Mayan fire ceremony is beautiful and powerful and is essential to understanding the Cosmovision of the Maya. While Don Rigobeto assembles the offerings for the ceremony and prepares the fire, his assistant will explain the meaning of various elements involved in the ceremony so that we can consciously participate in this highly transformational spiritual practice. It is a beautiful ceremony and each participant will have an packet filled with traditional offerings intended to bring balance, peace, health and prosperity. In the afternoon Don Rigoberto will give a teaching on the Maya Calendar. After the teaching we'll have more private astrological readings with Don Rigoberto and optional healing and bodywork sessions with Dona Maria. Overnight Hotel Atitlan in Panajachel.
Dec. 20: This morning we embark on a boat ride across the lake to Santiago de Atitlán for a guided tour with Dolores Ratzan. Dolores was born in Santiago Atitlan and her tour provides an inside look at his colorful and spiritually rich village. Santiago Atitlán is the capital of the Tzutujil Maya nation, who consider it to be the navel of the Universe. It has the largest population of indigenous people of any town in Central America. Renowned weavers, the women in Santiago wear traditional headdresses made from long lengths of cloth wound repeatedly around the head, after the manner of some of the figures in Classic Maya art. Winding through the narrow streets we'll visit the parish church founded over four centuries ago where there is a remarkable combination of traditional Maya and Catholic religious practices. We'll also visit the house of the local Mayan-Catholic deity, a figure called Maximón, who combines the attributes of St. Simon, Judas Iscariot, and the ancient Mayan god of merchants and learn about the unusual gifts and rituals offered by local people in hopes of bringing good luck. Overnight Hotel Atitlan in Panajachel.
Dec. 21: (Winter Solstice - Festival of Santo Tomas) Today we visit Chichicastenango ("Chichi"), an important ritual center for the contemporary Maya and the most colorful native market in all the Americas. Our timing will be perfect as the culmination of the Festival of Santo Tomas, which begins Dec. 16 and ends on Dec. 21 (Winter Solstice) will be in full swing! Voted one of the Top 10 Festivals in the world it is a truly unique experience. Very colorful dances, such as the Dance of the Conquest (which is a re-enactment of the Spanish subjugation of the Maya) and the Dance of the Snakes (based on a fertility ritual banned by the Catholic Church), are both entertaining and educational. Numerous processions and parades with elaborately decorated floats wind through the streets throughout the day. And, to add to the experience, voladores spin in spirals down colorfully decorated 100 foot high poles. Bring your camera! On our visit of "Chichi" we’ll also witness modern Maya shamans who continue the spiritual practices of their ancestors at shrines on the steps of the church of Santo Tomás. Although the rites are Mayan and not Catholic, the Catholic Church has allowed the Maya to practice religion in their own manner since the 17th century. In the afternoon we return to Antigua. We'll enjoy a group farewell dinner to bring closure to the journey. Overnight Palacio de Don Leonor Hotel in Antigua.
Dec. 22: All day private transfers to the Guatemala City airport for your departing flight.
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