San Andres Xecul and its Pretty Yellow Church

San Andres Xecul was visited two weeks ago by Maynor Mijangos, author of the beautiful photos from GalasdeGuatemala.com that I have the privilege to share with you, my journey companions; which means that the images we are viewing today are hot off the dark room!

This town houses the famous "yellow church", whose facade depicts one of the most artistic expressions within the syncretism characteristic of the area. It really seems impossible to ask for more color and creativity. The church is just an explosion of color, angels and flowers. The statues are totally unconventional, while some seem to be thinking, others seem to be singing, and some others representing sacred scenarios, steal a smile or two at first sight, for instance, the statue of the Virgin Mary who looks pregnant.

The church's image has traveled around the world delighting art lovers throughout. The colors are not among the common or traditional ones, but rather and without a doubt offer  an explosion of happiness and joy to the spectators.

If you happen to be in the area around  the end of November, don't miss the festivity honoring the Saint Patron Saint Andrew Apostle, when you may enjoy some of the traditional dances and admire the stunning costumes. Let me tell you that the Monkeys' Dance is literally breathtaking.

As a tip, San Andres Xecul is close to Quetzaltenango and from there, a visit can be planned as a half-day tour. It will be a rewarding experience!

When I said at the beginning of this post that using Maynor's photographs is a privilege is not just because of the professionalism of his job, but mainly because of his passion and love for Guatemala, which yesterday was acknowledged by Inguat (the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism), which included a photo gallery in its official Website.

Momostenango and The Mother Earth

Today, we celebrate Earth Day! I know, it is too bad that most of us remember an important thing like taking good care of our mother earth only on specific dates. Personally, I am convinced that taking care of our environment is rewarding enough to make some changes in our daily habits, starting with simple things like avoiding waste of water and energy. Let's not take for granted the 3 Rs: reuse, reduce, and recycle.

According to the Popol Vuh, the ancient name Cho Tz'ak translates as "altars in front of the hills"; the current name Momostenango is a derivative of two Nahuatl voices, Momoztli (altars) and Tenango (fortified place).

The most important attraction in Momostenango are los riscos, which are millenarian rocky formations due to erosion.

Other attractions in the area are several hot springs surrounded by lush vegetation and threatened forests.

For the inhabitants of Momostenango, the respect to Mother Earth remains as one vital aspect in their culture as we can appreciate in the several altars located throughout the area where Mayan ceremonies are still in practice following the Maya Calendar; however and unfortunately, their natural resources have become threatened due to several issues, among others, the extraction of timber and firewood.

As I mentioned yesterday, an increase in tourism activities in the area may contribute to improve not just the life conditions for the people, but also, the preservation of the natural resources.

Last, but definitely not least, Momostenango is also the hometown to Humberto Ak'Abal, a noted Maya K'iche poet acknowledged in 2004 in Guatemala with the National Prize of Literature (which he declined for personal reasons) and recipient of the 2006 Guggenheim Fellowship.

His poems speak for the people still close to the earth, whose language allows us to enter a world that still recognizes the divine aliveness of nature. Ak'Abal says, "My poems have the moistness of rain... because they have been brought down from the mountain."

The Totonicapan Forests: a Birdwatchers Paradise

More than 720 bird species live in Guatemala. Of the bird species breeding in the highlands, about 10% are endemic to the North Central American Highland. The range of some species is even restricted to Guatemala and Chiapas, Mexico.

The municipality of San Miguel Totonicapan, at an elevation of 2500m in the western Guatemalan highlands has not yet been discovered by international tourists. Birding near Totonicapan and around the town is extraordinary.

The whole area offers an impressive array of landscapes, from corn fields, to quaint villages and conifer forests with different pine species (Pinus spp.), cypress (Cupressus lucitanicus) and Guatemalan fir (Abies guatemalensis). 

In humid valleys the forest is mixed with broad-leaf trees (oak, alder). The area is home to several bird species endemic to the northern Central American highlands.

Soon after entering the forest the distinct "ch-lip" call reveals the presence of Pink-headed Warbler, an endemic of the highlands of Guatemala.

Even without being familiar with the calls, birders can detect this beautiful warbler quite easily, because it moves not just in the canopy, but also in the forest understory. 

The bird is locally quite common in the Guatemalan highlands and there is no need to climb steep volcanoes to observe this species.

In each mixed foraging flock one to three individuals moved together with Townsend's, Hermit, Wilson's, Olive, Golden-browed, and Crescent-chested Warblers, Hutton's Vireo, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper, and Spot-crowned Woodcreeper.

In addition to Pink-headed Warblers, there are several other endemic birds of the northern Central American highlands that can be watched in the Totonicapan conifer forest: Rufous-browed Wren, Rufous-collared Robin, Black-capped Swallow, and Ocellated Quail.

In the forest understory several Chestnut-capped Brushfinches, Yellow-eyed (Guatemalan) Juncos, Spotted Towhees, Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrushes and Singing Quail can be detected. 

Most common hummers in the area are Amethyst-throated and White-eared Hummingbird.

The Totonicapan forest covers an area of more than 16,000ha and is one of the largest tracts of high-elevation conifer forest in Guatemala. The main part of the forest is communal, and some adjacent sections are privately owned. For Birders, the best part is that the forest can be birded year round.

For a real birdwatching exploration I would highly recommend to hire at least the services of a certified local guide, keeping in mind that since Totonicapan is not a touristic place yet, accommodations can be quite rustic.

By visiting the forest of Totonicapan we can help to its conservation by establishing a sustainable forest use, an alternative to the extraction of timber and firewood.

If you want to learn about birds of Guatemala, let me recommend  this book, which is the most authoritative, detailed, and updated checklist of the 725 bird species recorded in Guatemala. 

Also includes information about status, habitats and endemic species, along with detailed distribution maps, information on species to watch for and species of special concern: 

Lista Comentada De Las Aves De Guatemala / Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Guatemala (English and Spanish Edition) by Knut Eisermann and Claudia Avendano.

Totonicapan: Gateway to the Evergreen Forests

Its historical name Chui Mekenha translates as "above hot water" and this is due to the several hot springs in the area, which by the way, was densely populated at the time of the conquest. Official records indicate that this town provided the K'iche warrior Tecun Uman -declared National Hero, with 90,000 men for battle.

The defensive spirit of the K'iche descendants in Totonicapan prevailed for centuries and in 1820 Atanasio Tzul commanded a rebellion against the Spanish authorities; even though his movement didn't last, Atanasio Tzul is acknowledged as one the greatest Guatemalans.

History and heroes aside, this relatively small department is divided only into 8 Municipalities: Totonicapan -the main town, San Cristobal Totonicapan, San Francisco El Alto, San Andres Xecul, Momostenango, Santa María Chiquimula, Santa Lucia La Reforma y San Bartolo. 
Due to its geographical location, 2500m above the sea level, the weather in Totonicapan all year round registers maximum temperatures of 18ºC (64ºF) and minimum of 5ºC (41ºF). To be honest, what I remember is that the only time I went to Totonicapan, I was freezing up there.

The main language in Totonicapan is K'iche and there are records indicating that this place was an important settlement for the K'iches before they moved to Q'umarkaj (also known as Utatlan), located in the department of El Quiche.
Despite its extraordinary nature beauty and gracious architecture, generally Totonicapan is not included within the touristic attractions of the country, and let me tell you, a visit to this place and its surroundings is worthy, especially for those interested in hiking for nature explorations.

Totonicapan is surrounded by pine forests with the largest amount of conifers species in the world's tropical zone, including the endemic and threatened Guatemalan fir or pinabete (Abiens guatemalensis). These forests can be birded all year round, a paradise for birdwatchers and birdwatching is what we are going to do tomorrow.

Towards Totonicapan: Stop En-route in Cuatro Caminos

After our visit to Solola and the breath taking Lake Atitlan and its surroundings, we are again on our way back to the Pan American Highway via Los Encuentros, which is the intersection we pass a few days ago on our way from Chichicastenango to Solola.

Westward from Los Encuentros the Pan American Highway twists and turns ever higher into the mountains, bringing still more dramatic scenery and cooler temperatures. It reaches its highest point, 3670m, after Nahuala, one of the 22 Solola's municipalities, around 42km from Los Encuentros.

Approximately 17km further, we will arrive to Cuatro Caminos (Four Roads). We will identify the place by the many parked chicken buses.

Let me tell you, chicken buses are just part of what makes the Guatemalan countryside so picturesque.

The buses are generally old school buses, privately owned and decorated according to the owner / driver's taste, not to mention the name of his current girlfriend.

They run between towns, often crammed full of people, farm goods and yes, chickens! 

Cuatro Caminos per se, is not anything one can call a beautiful place but I think stretching the legs will be a good excuse to make a short stop, to take a look of what is going on, and if you are like me, always looking for some treat, you could be delighted with the most flavorful fruit-based pastes you have ever tried. My favorites: quince, peach, guava, and manzanilla (C. pubescens).

And now from Cuatro Caminos, there are only 12km between us and our next destination: Totonicapan.