Source: World Style Painting (ID: finkeeper)
Author: Miscellaneous Sister
Is bazaar a very unfamiliar word?
(Sister Yu: The first fifteen catches of the big set... ）
Exposed age, right?
(Don't you look it up online?) ）
Well, well, this kind of behavior is almost invariably present all over the world, with the content that buyers and sellers agree to trade on a unified day and place, and over time, the residents set up stalls or buy at fixed intervals. This is the oldest form of market that has lasted for tens of thousands of years. However, with the improvement of the Internet and logistics convenience, online shopping has achieved a market, so in many parts of the world, it is rare to have a "rush" grand scene. Fortunately, in the 2021 edition of the Guatemalan Tourist Guidebook, the Chichicastenango Bazaar, located 140 kilometers northwest of the capital Guatemala City, has become a local attraction, allowing people around the world who miss their childhood to find a place to "look up".
Chichicastenango Bazaar is located in the beautiful highland region of Guatemala and is home to 22 indigenous peoples of Guatemala, such as the Zizutuil, Izmir, Achaquil, Mamu and Kiche. Chichikastanango is the most interesting of all the Mayan groups: the home of the Kiche people. They are the main crowd you see in the market.
Like many Mayan groups, the K'iche retained their pre-Spanish colonial traditions and beliefs. The most obvious custom that distinguishes the Maya from the Ladinos, The Mestizo Europeans, and the Maya of Guatemala is clothing. The clothes of the Kiche people are particularly beautiful.
The girl of "K'iche" wears a colorful embroidered top called a dress worn from the head A black tight skirt called Corte with colored vertical stripes on it. You can even find vendors selling these clothing materials.
Another interesting phenomenon that you can observe around the churches and cemeteries near the market. The Kiche people believed in both their traditional deities and a catholic or evangelical Christianity. Some call it folk Catholicism or mixed Catholicism.
The Chichicastenango market is small, about 2.5 square kilometers. But in the torrent of the times when new retail formats are impacting the traditional lifestyles of people around the world, it has also become one of the few preserved markets in Central and South America. The market is open every Thursday and Sunday from 7:15 am to 4:30 pm.
Since the public health incident is not over, please wear a mask to prevent the transmission of lung disease to the locals, bearing in mind that more than 50 million to 70 million Native Americans have died from a lack of antibodies to "Old World" diseases in the past few centuries, and today, locals are still suffering from "Old World" diseases.
In the early hours of the morning, before the tourists arrive, the Mayans are already racing against the clock to trade — fruits and vegetables, chickens, ducks, fish and shrimp, all fresh. The girl in the red shawl and blue skirt, embroidered with a wavy pattern on the cuffs, spread out the flower cloth on her shoulders, and skillfully wrapped the fish and vegetables and fruits into it. This is short-lived, and as the sun gets higher and higher and there are more and more tourists, such a market area will become smaller and smaller, and it will slowly retreat to a corner.
The square in front of the church in the center of the town is occupied by dense tents, which are said to be as many as two or three thousand, and this is the center of the market. In this atmosphere of crowding without leaving a single gap, locals and tourists could not help but be caught up in the crowd of people rushing to the market. Those beautiful women, wrapped in clothing, embroidered with large flowers, of course, these patterns are also the code of their heritage - what is the identity, where is the hometown, have a unique pattern. Of course, the flooded market will still sneak into the "ghost" dealers, their hands and necks are hung with a variety of handicrafts, not interested can wave their hands, if you really want to bargain, don't be afraid of thick skin, this point buyers and sellers are aware of this, the language barrier, is by no means an obstacle.
The flower market in front of st. Thomas Cathedral, along the steps is full of barrels of flowers, roses, tuberoses, Christmas red have not yet bloomed thoroughly, but they are already purple and red, brilliant and dazzling, split fine oil wood, tied into small bundles of dried corn leaves, neatly arranged. There was no shouting, and the Mayan woman selling flowers sat quietly in the middle. Even the fallen petals were carefully collected and sprinkled on the ground in front of the church, lighting a circle of incense specially made by the Mayans.
In addition to the flower market, the local special pattern fabric also provides a rich treasure trove of materials for the fashion industry that has come from afar.
This is their Mayan descendants of huipli shirts (up) and skirts (bottom), isn't it very colorful? The price is not cheap, about 120 to 150 US dollars (about 761 to 950 yuan) per shirt or skirt, after all, you get what you pay for.
As for the local mobile payment and ATM machines are not developed, so before coming to the Chichicastenango market, finally look for some local currency at the airport exchange store - Guatemalan quetzal, 1 yuan is about 1.21 yuan quetzal. And eating locally isn't necessarily as cheap as many people think—
About 20 quetzals can eat a plate of rice with fried chicken and beans, and if you add 5 more quetzals, you get a black tortilla. The picture above is what 20 yuan can eat in Chichicastenango, and the amount with China may be smaller, but the quality is better, and it is not much different.
This is related to the recent occupation of tourists and punch cards, and it is also related to the acceleration of Guatemala's economic development after entering the 21st century, and by 2020, Guatemala's per capita GDP has risen to 4603 US dollars. Guatemala, which relies on external demand (external tourists, external investment), has developed faster and inflation has become higher.
But overall, Guatemalan services are not expensive. For example, asking a guide and translator to bargain with locals only costs about 160 yuan / person / day.
On market days, pana, a small town near Lake Atitlan, has such a day trip van tour group waiting for guests, about 100 yuan per person, and four people gather in a full shift to the Chichicastenango market.
Don't forget, there is also an interesting place in the bazaar, the Chichicastenango Museum, where you can learn about the local history and culture for only 5 yuan (about 4.1 yuan).
The room on the right is piled high with archaeological artifacts from this area. The other room looks like a conference room. Interestingly, all the photos of the leaders of the local Brotherhood are also on display.
And outside the museum, there are also colorful murals to admire.
Finally, if you want to buy a handicraft that you think you have been to the "net red bazaar" Chichicastenango evidence, Ben Mei recommends that you buy wooden animal masks, which are said to be full of spirituality and can bless the owner of the mask with peace and smoothness.
Resources:
1. Guatemalan Chicchicas De Nango, a flower and a woman with a story (Nandu Weekly)
2、THE BEST CHICHICASTENANGO MARKET TRAVEL GUIDE（BY JULIE）