By Amélie Charbonneau
We started the day off with a beautiful breakfast of cut up watermelon and cantaloupe, banana pancakes (our favourite), and some Greek yogurt with fresh cut fruit. Afterward we headed to the Nahual circle for our daily lesson on the Maya calendar. Today’s day was 8 E which represents the day of the path, fostering well being. We were encouraged to reflect on the destinations the trip has taken us on so far and the experiences we’ve had along the way.
Afterwards we drove to Quixayá and toured their plots and community. We first learned how the community was formed from 5 original sharecropping families who, with the church, were able to buy the land and become a cooperative. Quixayá now contains 125 families. Andres then shared the current difficulty they face with having an avocado monoculture as a neighbour and the fear the community has that they’ll run out of water. As we continued the tour we learned about the devastating tropical storm Agatha that hit Quinxayá in 2010. It was powerful to learn about because instead of seeing it as purely negative, the community took it as a gift from nature and from that they were able to start farming tilapia and water crest.
After a delicious mango snack break, we moved onto the honey farm one of the community member runs. Jose, the farmer, spoke to us about the challenges he faces having the avocado monoculture as a neighbour and the impact it has on his Maya bees. He also shared that the honey is used as medicine to treat eye conditions and sore throats. After trying the honey, we made our way to the natural pool where we swam and enjoyed the sun. This was followed by a wonderful lunch of the farmed tilapia, malanga, rice, and a watercress salad.
On our way back to IMAP we stopped at a dairy bar called Parma for some ice cream which was amazing! Once we arrived at IMAP we were blessed to hear from a Guatemalan UC Davis PHD candidate named Ingrid Sub Cuc. During this discussion Ingrid shared her research with us on how communities in Sololá are accessing healthcare and the effect language has on this phenomenon. Her research centred on the idea that languages, particularly the availability of interpretation of said languages, could improve the experience of Maya individuals accessing Western models of healthcare. The foundation that laid her argument was interviews with Maya people, health statistics, and her experience living and accessing healthcare in the US. This experience was marked as the highlight of the day for most people during reflection time.
As the night came to an end, we had lasagna, salad, and garlic bread for dinner, followed by our nightly reflection and a fun run of playing cards!
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