A quetzal bird. Image from Tumblr.
A bit of background information on the country of my birth and my family roots. Guatemala is divided into 22 "departamentos" (departments...think, "states"). My dad was born and raised in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. The name comes from two words. The Spanish word Quetzal (the name of the national bird and also the country's currency) and the Quiche word tenango "land of". So, "Quetzaltenango" means "land of the quetzal" (the bird).
The city of Quetzaltenango is often referred to as "Xelaju" or "Xela"--its indigenous name. This was our first destination while adventuring in Guatemala. Quezaltenango is the second largest city in Guatemala and the capital city of the department Quetzaltenango. It is located about 120 miles to the west of Guatemala City, in the heart of the highlands in the Sierra Madre mountains. Because of the 8000 feet above sea level altitude, Quetzaltenango has a rather temperate climate with yearly temperatures throughout the day usually in the 70's and 80's. At night it gets pretty chilly though!
As I may have mentioned in posts past when talking about the temperature and "seasons" found in our current location, "the surface of the Sun", we generally have four seasons: warm, hot, hotter, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME???. Compare that to the people of Quetzaltenango who typically get to enjoy two seasons: the dry season (from November to April) and the rainy season (from May to October). No wonder my Dad enjoyed the temperate weather in Southern California as much as he did! Now while I generally enjoy the rain, I am grateful we were able to visit Quetzaltenango during the "dry season."
After our tiresome travels the previous day and night, once we were finally in Quezaltenango, J-rod and I slept in until about noon of our first day there. Rested and refreshed, J-rod and I felt recovered enough to explore and sight-see part of my dad's hometown. My beautiful cousin Mishel acted as our tour guide. Mishel is the youngest daughter of my Dad's brother Maco. Mishel, her daughter, and my Aunt Iliana live in the home Mishel grew up in, the home J-rod and I stayed in while in Xela.
A view of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala (Xela)
El Gato Negro is la tienda (the store) my grandmother, the original Z, began oh-so-long ago. My grandmother Z, widowed at a very young age with six young children to support and raise on her own, became quite the entrepreneur who started up and successfully ran a few businesses throughout Xela throughout her life time. El Gato Negro store front, if one of the few remaining physical evidences of the great legacy my grandmother left. I was born long after my grandmother Z passed away so I never got to know her, just got to learn of her from what my dad and his siblings told me. My Aunt I and cousin M's house is behind the store front. This store front and house are on the same street that my Dad grew up on.
First we walked down the hill from my Aunt I's house toward the central plaza in the old city center (the heart of the original colonial town).
This hill down to the central plaza is pretty steep. Forget a stair climber or elliptical people! Each time we walked down and then back up this hill (and many others throughout Xela) I would think that if I had the opportunity to walk hills like this on a daily basis back home, I would likely look a lot differently than I do now. For now I'll just have to stick to using the elliptical. Anyway...the photo gives a great little glimpse of what awaits once you reach the bottom of the hill. See the gathering of trees in the middle of the photo? That is where El Parque Centroamerica (Central America Park) begins; it's also referred to as El Parque Central.
Once at the bottom of the hill, we took a right and walked over to El Banco Industrial to exchange our US dolares for quetzales. The exchange rate was almost 1 USD = 8 GTQ. The bank we went to is housed in a building that has been around since the late 1800's. Xela is well known for having the oldest colonial architecture in Guatemala. It is said that when the Spanish Conquistadores first came to Guatemala, they settled in Quetzaltenango; one of the marks they left can be seen in the beautiful buildings they left behind.
El Banco Industrial
After our visit to the bank, where the lobby was beautifully decorated for Christmas, we walked a little way down the street to the Municipal Palace (like a City Hall).
Zippy and Mishel in front of the
Quetzaltenango Municipal Palace.
Wrought iron arch above the entry gate
of the Municipal Palace.
Municipal Palace Courtyard and front gardens.
El Escudo de Quezaltenango (The Seal of Quetzaltenango)
An artistic rendition of the Seal of Quetzaltenango.
The Seal Symbols and what they represent--
The blue sky:
peace and harmony
The volcano/el Cerro Quemado,
a volcano to the west of Quetzaltenango:
the strength and power of the people
The tree:
the fecundity (fruitfulness/fertility)
of the woodlands or forests.
The Quetzal:
liberty
The quiver, bow, and arrow:
their origins--the K'iche people
(or the Quiche people, a Mayan subgroup)
The Laurel branch:
glory/triumph
The Olive branch:
immortality
The ribbon:
unity
The blue and white of the ribbon:
the National Flag of Guatemala
The band of blue, red, and white colors:
The Flag of Quetzaltenango
After visiting some of the beautiful buildings surrounding El Parque Central, walked down to do some practice our negotiating skills while souvenir shopping in El Mercado Municipal. This is where we found what have turned out to be some of my favorite souvenirs from the trip. Among them, a Nativity set where the figurines are dressed in the colorful woven native costumes the Mayan Indians wear and a thick quilt made of those same colorfully woven textiles.
My quilt
That night we ate dinner at the Parque Central location of Restaurante Albamar. This restaurant chain has locations all throughout Xela. They have a full service menu (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, etc.) that includes many delicious and traditional Guatemalan dishes. It's like comfort food, only done Guatemalan style! It was SO tasty! The restaurant is decorated with traditional Guatemalan decor and textiles and we could hear traditional music playing: marimba.
After dinner, before we headed back home we took a walk through El Parque Central where my cousin took a picture of J-rod and me standing in front of the large Christmas tree.
No comments:
Post a Comment