A Couple Points...

We spent this last weekend in Copan, Honduras, but on the way we stopped for lunch in Esquipulas, Guatemala. I know how funny that sounds....`stopped for lunch in Guatemala on the way to Honduras.` Anyway, it was December 12th, which is the Virgin of Guadelupe Day, cause for much celebration across Central and South America. The church in Esquipulas is home to `the Black Christ`, a display of Christ on the cross with women at his feet. It is a dark color because the wood has aged into a dark color, and it is quite stunning. It is a pilgrimage site for many people. We were able to walk around and see it, and it was interesting to notice that we were actually behind the altar, looking out across a sea of church-goers. We had expected to battle crowds of people and long lines, but we didn´t. It could have been the weather; it was very cold and drizzly. However, Michelle asked a guard why there were so few people this year, and he said attendance was far lower this year because the economy is bad...meaning the US economy. Some people are having a hard time affording transportation, hotel rooms, and the costs of such festivals. So, the ripple of the economic situation in the United States has been far reaching.

Later, people did begin to show up with many small children adorned in authentic clothing, festive hats, and drawn-on mustaches. They were adorable! We also saw young people painted head to toe in black paint, preparing to participate in the procession.

On another note, in Copan, we met a group of traveling artisan-mechants who were very fun and interesting. We checked out their goods each time we passed, and we throughoughly enjoyed their music. They created energizing music with drums, vocals, and conche shells to which we danced for quite some time. Others entertained us with fire. During the day they sold jewelry and other handmade items. We came to find out that a number of them travel all over the area selling their wares and trading with other merchants like themselves. One man, Mauricelo, told us that he has friends who collect items from different regions in Africa, India, Central and South America then they all trade them. He said he was in charge of collecting things from around Central America. I bought a necklace from him which he told me was composed of pieces from India, Africa, and Mexico. Who knows really, but I wonder what their stories are, how they have come to develop a relationship with one another if they are always on the go, how they meet up each time, where they are from, and how their traveling-merchant economy works because it seems to be much more than an economy, but a tight-knit community, a social structure, and a political counter-culture.

Saludos.