Several of the tours I went on included stops at a local gift shop that
were quite happy to help lighten your wallet. These shops were for the
local artists, and all revenue went back to the villages, not to some
corporation in another country. The murals on the building walls
reflected the Mayan history and were wonderful examples of the local
legends.
| Bundles of hammocks hung from the walls. The temptation was huge to bring one home, but then what? |
| Beautiful platters and plates decorated the walls for you to choose from. |
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The murals on the white washed abode walls told the ancient legends of the Maya people who once lived in these lands.
The majority of the buildings and homes in the area are thatched roofs,
with stone walls. This let the tradewinds blow through them and the
stone kept them cool. No a/c in these areas. All of the rest stops
along the way were absolutely spotless, with an attendant in the
restrooms, wiping and cleaning all the time. Of course there was a tip
jar, but with the floors spotless white stone, and the facilities clean
and well stocked, I'm not complaining.
Simple cotton dresses and shirts were everywhere, hand sewn and decorated with native designs and symbols. The only problem with bringing it home is that the first time it's washed it will shrink to nothing because it is cotton that hasn't been treated like the fabrics we're used to.
Jewelry made from silver, obsidian stone and local jade tempted even the most stubborn shopper. It was so hard to not bring home huge expensive pieces.
Obsidian stone gleams gold in the sun when the angle is right. One of the enduring legends of why the Spanish were looking for 'cities of gold' was the obsidian stone columns gleaned gold in the sun and visible from ships at sea gave the illusion of gold walls.
When the Spanish invaded and conquered the Mayan people they demanded 'where is the gold' not knowing that the black volcanic rock was what they mistaken for gold.
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| Hammocks ready to be bought and hung. |
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| Murals covered the walls to tell the Mayan legends |
Simple cotton dresses and shirts were everywhere, hand sewn and decorated with native designs and symbols. The only problem with bringing it home is that the first time it's washed it will shrink to nothing because it is cotton that hasn't been treated like the fabrics we're used to.
Jewelry made from silver, obsidian stone and local jade tempted even the most stubborn shopper. It was so hard to not bring home huge expensive pieces. 
1 comment:
Yo! I see that your spelling of obsidian is spot on with your pronoukiashun of it! Explains a lot :)
I joke, of course.
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