Sunday May 12, 2024

A Day Spent at the Markets

This morning we woke up a little later than normal as the activities that were planned were nearby our hotel, which is the Pavarotti School in San Lucas Toliman. After a very yummy breakfast of eggs, beans, plantains and melon juice we were given a task. How far would 10 quetzales get you, when feeding a family?

We divided ourselves in groups of three and set off on our way to the market. The market was something I have never seen before, crabs, fish, full chickens, fruits & veggies and so much more.. yet no refrigerators! Hundreds of people gathered around to pick up some goods. My group of three quickly realized that 10 quetzales wasn’t going to get us too far with 1lb of beans being 8 quetzales. So we ended up getting some rice, a small can of beans and 2 tomatoes with the 10 quetzales.

The San Lucas Market

We all came back to the school and chatted about our experience. I realized how difficult it must be for the locals who work daily, often laborious jobs with a budget of ~2800 quetzales per person per month.

Once we finished our discussion we set off to Santiago Atitlán. There we learnt how the town resisted the military and still continue to do so to this day, ever since the civil conflict, and how people turned to the church as a place of safety, where the people affected could rest during that period. We had one of my favourite dishes for lunch in Santiago. We then headed to the market in Santiago, where I purchased some beautiful works of art. As I sit here I can’t help but to think how privileged I am to be here! I love it here.