Easter Week in Guatemala

Easter is not one of my big holidays.  But two years ago I was in Guatemala on the Nancy Crow Textile Tour during Easter week.  The colors and pageantry were fabulous!  Every village we visited had processions and pageants celebrating Easter week.  Here are a few photos, not necessarily my best (the Mayan people are not particularly fond of having their pictures taken without their permission, so I've tried to limit most of the photos here to backs and indistinct faces).  This will give you just a hint of the richness of tradition in the Mayan highlands near Lake Atitlan.  Happy Easter!

Mayan woman and baby in tradional dress, San Andres Xecul

Women carrying a float in the Easter week pageant, San Andres Xecul

Mayan women in tradional dress, San Andres Xecul

Palm archway entrance to the church at San Andres Xecul

Onlookers kneeling in the street to pray, carrying palm fronds for the Easter week pageant, San Andres Xecul

Offering of fruit, flowers, and sawdust painting, Easter week pageant, Quetzaltenango

Hundreds of town residents turn out in purple robes to carry the floats during one of the Easter week pageants, Quetzaltenango

Men carry a float through the market during Easter week, Chichicastenango

Another view of the float, Chichicastenango market

Homes are decorated with plam fronds and purple banners, Easter week in Zunil

Zunil

Zunil

Villagers work on a sawdust painting in front of the church in Zunil