- Guatemala City
"Sacrificio"
Inside the entrance to the Palacio Gobierno (Government Palace) this is a duplication of an image found in a Mayan temple ruin, depicting a sacrifice to the Gods. Judging by the background, it could have been to the Sun God. The female is collecting the blood of a turkey. The head-dress of the man (named "Tecun Uman") and the white figure in the background is typical to the Mayan people, and is featured in nearly all stone carvings, clay figures, paintings etc. The feathers on the head-dress of the main figure are those from the tail of the Quetzal - a native bird of this area, still in existance today. Incidently, the Quetzal is the Guatemalan unit of currency, an indication of its importance to the people of this country.
This photo shows two of the three painted sections. It depicts the uniting of the native people with the Spaniards, as can be seen with the couple inside the hands. To the right, with the heavenly light shining through the church window in the background, a priest teaching "the word of God" to the indigenous, and in the center foreground, the introduction of machinery. What I see in each of these depictions, however, is moreso the loss of the indigenous culture, rather than the combination of the two - eg. I don't see the indigenous teaching the priest the laws and customs of their Gods and culture. In fact, if they didn't convert and believe, they were repressed and/or punished.
One of the Palace watch towers, taken from inside the courtyard.
An archway in the interior of the palace. Evelyn (left) and her sister showed me around Guatemala City for the day.
In front of the Palacio Gobierno, the "Parque Central". Here, as with any central park in CA, many people come to just sit, relax, maybe meet up with some friends and chat, or just watch the passers by. This place is also frequented by many pigeons whom reside at a church on the adjacent side of the park. This boy decided to 'take five' from shoe-shining to sit and watch some other childeren charging through the swarm of pigeons.
Every kid loves to see how many pigeons he can make fly at the same time.
Fountain in the 'Parke Central', with the Guatemalan flag and Palacio Central in the background.
My friend Christian displaying the Guatemalan flag. Christian is a transvestite whom I met in a restaurant while having breakfast. He was taking hormone pills to make his feminine side more prominant. I must say that although at the time a little on the small side, his breasts were coming along nicely. He walked around Guatemala City with me, showing me some interesting tourist sites - and the whistles he got from the men as we passed by. He certainly had one of the better looking bodies around... just had to make sure he shaved his face in the mornings.