The lounge is full of comfortable chairs and well worn books by Pearl S. Buck and Henry Miller. The card table sits beside the fireplace and the bar is well stocked with cognac.
One could well imagine being in the English countryside, or a French provincial inn, but just step outside the door of the Maya Inn any thoughts of Europe are banished by the sights, sounds and smells of the Guatemalan highlands and its vibrant Indian culture.
Just a 2 1/2-hour drive from Guatemala City, along a very good highway, lies an adventure that was all but impossible to experience not very long ago.
Less than five years ago leftist guerrilla activity here in Quiche Province and along the banks of the strikingly beautiful Lake Atitlan kept most tourists away from what is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful spots in Central America.
But today, after an often brutal crackdown by the Guatemalan army and the return of civilian government after more than 30 years of military-dominated rule, tourism is starting to flourish here again.
The only reminders that the casual visitor will have of the guerrilla activity, which still continues at a much reduced level of violence, are the occasional army patrols that move along the winding mountain road that leads here.
In a week, or as little as three days, it is easy to explore ”Chichi,”
as this city is known colloquially, and the volcano-bordered lake nearby.
Guatemala`s Maya-Quiche Indian culture is rich, indeed, and nowhere is it richer than here in Chichicastenango, a place where you feel improperly dressed if you are not wearing the colorful and intricately designed garb of the highland Indians.
Especially during market days (Thursdays and Sundays), the central square swarms with Indians from the town itself and from nearby villages. Dressed in vibrant patterns of blue, red and yellow, the sight of the Quiche women alone makes the trip worthwhile.
The markets abound with marvelous handicrafts, ceremonial masks and wooden sculptures. But it is the textiles, the hand-woven cottons and wools that are the greatest values.
Strolling through the market brings you quickly into the vastly different, and still distant, Maya-Quiche culture here, but there is much more in store.
Just a few yards from the door of the Maya Inn is the church of Santo Tomas, a building of little architectural interest, but a place where two worlds meet. Here, more than 450 years after the first Spanish priests introduced Christianity to the Mayans, the mysterious blend of Christian and pagan cultures plays itself out on the church steps.
All day long, every day of the week, men move slowly up the steps swinging tin-can censers that billow with incense smoke. As they make their way toward the church door, they chant rhythmically in Quiche, one of the 23 native languages spoken in Guatemala. There are 100 dialects.
The prayers are directed to dead relatives who, the Indians of Chichicastenango believe, provide a means of communication with the Christian divinities.
Once inside, often walking the church aisle on their knees, the Indians offer their Christian God very pagan gifts of seeds and ears of corn.
Just a 30-minute walk through a corn field from the altar of Santo Tomas is the stone image of Pascual Abaj, a Mayan deity, where the Indians of Quiche still make blood offerings to that pagan god. These days, chickens are decapitated instead of humans.
But there is much more to Chichicastenango than just mysterious chants and headless chickens.
A day here spent quietly observing the local population makes you realize how rare it is to see an Indian culture so superbly preserved. There is a delicate balance that these people maintain that keeps their ancient heritage alive.
That balance was seriously threatened during the army`s campaign against the guerrillas.
The highland Indians are among the poorest people in the world. The United Nations ranks them alongside the poorest in Haiti and Bangladesh. That poverty, coupled with years of domination by the decedents of the Spaniards who conquered Central America, left these people ripe for the message of leftist guerrillas who promised an end to the military regime and a better life for Guatemala`s indigenous peoples.
Thus, many of the Indians joined or aided the guerrillas. When the army came to Quiche to end the rebel influence, the Indians were caught up in the slaughter. Thousands are believed to have been killed and many, many more were forced into army-organized civilian patrols that were designed to provide
”self-defense” against the guerrillas. The army`s message to the original inhabitants of Central America was simple: ”You kill them or we kill you.”
The impact on the Indians, long used to such mistreatment, was powerful. The guerrillas were driven into the isolated north and the Indians, their lot little changed, returned to the ancient patterns of their lives.
At the height of the war earlier in this decade, then tourism director Alvaro Arzu said, ”Violence is no obstacle for the growth of tourism in Guatemala.”
He was wrong. Tourism declined dramatically and the nation`s economy suffered enormously.
The U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory during the most difficult period, warning U.S. citizens to stay away from Guatemala. That advisory has now been lifted and the State Department has judged
Chichicastenango and the village of Panajachel to be among those parts of Guatemala that are safe for tourists.
It still warns people away from the northern parts of Quiche and the area along the Guatemala-Mexico border.
So if you are considering a trip to Guatemala, don`t put it off for fear of wandering into a guerrilla band or an army ambush. Unless you go looking for trouble, you are unlikely to find it.
It would be a good idea to use ”Chichi” as a base if for no other reason than to stay at the Maya Inn.
However, be warned–a night or two at the Maya Inn requires a bit of cultural readjustment. After a day touring the lush green mountains and tiny Indian villages around Chichicastenango you step back into the comfort and culture of Europe. The cliche ”Old World charm” certainly fits.
Built on both sides of a narrow street that runs off the central square, the inn is a cool, dark place full of dark wooden beams and similarly stained furniture. The floors are tile and each room is decorated somewhat differently, all tastefully done with solid old beds, arm chairs and small desks well stocked with the inn`s own writing paper. All have private baths.
Most of the rooms have comfortable fireplaces that are most welcome during a night spent at 6,790 feet.
Reservations can be hard to come by, especially during Easter week which is the most important holiday period for all of Central America and indeed for most of Latin America. The Christmas season is also difficult, but it`s relatively easy to book from July through September.
A double room costs about $32 a night, calculating at an exchange rate of 2.5 Guatemalan quetzals to the dollar.
An easy drive–it should only take an hour or two–brings you to the shores of Lake Atitlan and this is a sight that should not be missed.
With three dormant volcanos on its shores and nothing but clear, deep blue water, the lake is a rare, undisturbed piece of beauty.
There are several villages along the shore, but the most convenient for the average traveler is Panajachel on the northeastern side of the lake.
There are a number of good hotels here ranging from modest, but comfortable lodges to the large and modern Hotel del Lago which offers a spectacular view of the lake and very corny music in the dining room. A double here costs about $35 a night.
Boating and fishing are available, but for those who come just to shop and sightsee, a trip should be made across the lake to the village of Santiago Atitlan.
For about $5, a place can be booked on one of the several ferries that cross the lake from Panajachel. The trip takes about 90 minutes and after a visit to Santiago, the boat brings you back in time for lunch.
The main attraction of Santiago is the sprawling market, run almost entirely by women, where textiles and handicrafts abound.
Stay off the lake in the afternoon, however, as strong wind storms, known locally as xocomil, frequently strike without warning.
One final note on Panajachel:
Depending on your age and political point of view, the center of Panajachel may provide a horrible shock, a pleasant reminder of a youth that has passed too quickly or a welcome hideaway.
Panajachel, you see, is largely populated by long haired, very casually dressed and terribly laid back young people, the kind of folk who were called hippies not so many years ago.
Mostly, they run small artisan shops–one notes proudly that it has branches only in New York City and Panajachel–and restaurants. Others just come here to be in a secluded place that is as far from the mainstream as you can get.
But laid back is definitely the rule. When asked for a menu, the man who ran a small restaurant in the heart of the village warned that it had not changed in 10 years (as a matter of fact, it looked as if he hadn`t, either)
and that he was not at all sure what he might be able to produce for dinner.
