CHAPINADAS

Around 1000 turists a month visit the Natural Reserve Monterrico in Taxisco to observe and appreciate the extense variety of flora and fauna of the area.  Besides the different varieties of fish to be observed, it is also possible to observe several variaties of birds.  The biggest attractive of this natural reserve is the liberation of turtles every saturday in the afternoon.  The liberation of turtles consists of getting the new born turtles and place them in the sandy beach so that they can reach the sea.  The main season for the liberation of turtles is from september to january.  There are about four different especies of marine turtle visiting the beaches of the reserve.  This is a very important part of the aquatic habitats of the region because it facilites the migration of several species specially for birds and marine animals from north to south.  In the reserve, there is a center for visitors where there is a museum.  There are also hotels, restaurants, a medical clinic, pharmacy and also stores.  The Monterrico reserve was created by presidential decree on december of 1977.

In El Estor it is possible to find remainders of the conquest like anchors, vases and wheelbarrels.  El Estor was one of the first spanish cities built in Guatemala and was established in the village of Izabal, El Estor.  Due to its geographical position, El Estor was an strategic place to avoid the visits of the pirates to the collection centers of merchandise going to or coming from Spain.  The village of Izabal in El Estor was also a center for collecting merchandise going to Spain but the biggest warehouses were located in El Estor.  El Estor got its name from the translation of the english word Store wich means almacen.

The village of Izabal was founded before the construction of the Fort of San Felipe de Lara but it was not enough to stop the attacks of pirates.  That is why the Fort of San Felipe de Lara was built.  When you reach El Estor, the first things you can see are constructions of conquest times. Besides the pirate attacks, the village was destroid after a hurricane pass through the Atlantic coast.

The map in relief is a monument that has just reached its 101 birthdate.  Unfortunately, it needs maintenance specially the paint showing the lakes and mountains and also small cracks.  Manuel Estrado Cabrere founded this monument on october 29th, 1905.  Up to this time, the real author of this marvel of creativity is not certain.  It is attributed to Francisco Vela but other sources reveal that it was Claudio Urrutia who did it.  Throughout the years the maintenance of the place has decreased and now that it has reached its 101 birthdate it shows more.  This kind of monument was unique world wide until not long ago.  This monument nees a coat of paint to cover the territories and oceans.

The administration of this monument is in charge of the Technological foundation, an organization which does not receive any money from anywhere.  This monument keeps itself afloat only with the money charged to tourists, visitors and scholars.  This monument is visited by around 3000 people a month.  It is said that engineers working with NASA were astonished when they saw this monument due to its incredible precision.

Fresh air and a natural environment are some of the aspects that make The Biological Corridor of El Estor Izabal special.  This place joins the Sierra de las Minas, the reserves of the Polochic river and Lake Izabal.  This place is the perfect natural reserve for people that love nature specially because it is a gateway to reach the waters of Lake Izabal.  It is also a gateway for the colonial Fort of San Felipe and the Caribbean.

El Estor is also the perfect place to take walks to appreciate the flora and fauna of the area.  It is a place filled with trees and pathways perfect for relaxation and meditation.  During this walks, it is possible to observe monkeys, birds, butterflies and snakes like the yellow beard and also plants with curative power.

A natural jewel located 16 kilometers from the Island of Flores, Petencito is a zoo that maintains a natural wealth that awes national and international turists.  The complete name of this place is The Centre for Environmental Education and Wild Life.  It is surrounded by the lagoons of La Monifata and Equexejil and also by the waters of Lake Peten Itza.  It is a zoo made even richer because of its natural reserve.  During the school year, this place is visited by students to learn about the flora and fauna.  Petencito counts with exhibitions of pelts, bones, animals, mayan artifacts that attract researchers and scholars of nature, history and archeology.  One of the objectives of Petencito is to teach its visitors about the importance of protecting the animals and plants in their natural environment.  Petencito is located in the Tayasal Peninsula.  It has a territorial extension of 284 hectareas and it is 284 meter above sea level.  It also has an archeologicla area that has not been studied or explored.

The administration of this place was transfered the the University of San Carlos of Guatemala in 1992.  This natural reserve is visited by 70,000 turists every year.  Turists visiting this place can observe 16 species of animals like crocodiles, white-tail deer, spider monkeys, wild pigs and phaisans.  There are also racoons, jaguars, grey foxes, parrots and pumas.  Another attractive of this place are the giant tobogans that end in the Guitarra lagoon and the other in Lake Peten Itza.

Panajachel, Tikal and Antigua Guatemala continue to be the prefered destinations for turists in Guatemala.  Of all the international turists visiting Guatemala during the year, 45 percent visit Panajachel, 60 percent Antigua Guatemala and 30 percent Tikal.  During the holidays of november, december and the first days of january, turism operators, hotels, vendors, local autorities and artisans of these three places try to influence turists to visit their places by offering discounts, travel packages and traditional/cultural activities.

Holy week together with the month of august and the end of the year are the high seasons for turism in Guatemala.  In november and december of 2004, there were 95,245 turists in november and 96,761 turists in december.  In 2005, there was an increase of turists in november and december to 102,269 and 113,473.

The door to Lake Atitlan is the town of San Francisco Panajachel, Solola.  San Francisco wants to recover the turism lost last year because of Stan.  The strategy they are using is giving discounts and travel packages to turists that include trip across Lake Atitlan to get more turists.  Panajachel has 145 hotels and other small rentals with prices ranging from Q30 to $125.  It has hotels classified as four stars.

One of the prefered places to visit by national and international turists is Antigua Guatemala, a city that receives hundreds of visits during this time.  Antigua Guatemala is also a favorite place for Guatemalans to celebrate weddings during the months of november and december.  In Antigua there are aproximately 155 hotels and small hotels.  The strategy Antigua Guatemala is following is the same as the one used years before.  This strategy is based in tours covering the colonial temples and museums and also climbing the Cerro de la Cruz to observe the colonial city of Antigua Guatemala.  The prices for this tours vary from $15 to $20 a person.  Cultural activities are combined with the offer of clubs, crafts, restaurants, religious traditions and other festivities.  From Antigua it is possible to buy tours to visit other sites like Panajachel, Chichicastenangto and Tikal.

The the north, Tikal is the favorite place for turists that look forward to adventure and the lovers of archeology and nature.  According to statistics from the INGUAT, 10,800 turists visit Tikal in november and 11,500 turists in december of 2005.  The national turists were 3,750 in november and 9,100 in december.  The strategy being used by Peten is to try for the turist to stay longer in the department and that they visit other areas nearby Tikal like Yaxha, Flores and Topoxte.

A Mayan altar and other Mayan artifacts were found in the village of Cerritos Asuncion in Patzicia, Chimaltenango.  This altar was found in the backyard of a house when a well was being excavated.  The person doing the excavating  reached a point were the surface was really hard.  The excavator kept trying to dig because he thought it was a plain obstacle but it turned out to be impossible because of the size of the rock.  The excavator decided to make his dig bigger and surprisingly, he found that it was an Mayan altar.

Neighbours of Cerritos Asuncion started helping dig the big amount of earth and to their surprise discovered a giant Mayan Altar which could form part of a Mayan city.  Since then, the inhabitants have been finding utensils that they take to their houses to conserve or they take them to the altar that is used as a haven.  This Mayan Altar is being used for Mayan ceremonies. 

In plain view, the topography of the place shows great possibilites of the existence of a Mayan city underground.  In this area there are 12 hills of different sizes where the inhabitants plant their harvests.  Several archeologists from different countries have visited the site and have told the neighbours that there is probably a site in the place which was an extension of Iximche in Tecpan, Chimaltenango.  The Altar consists of a giant stone measuring 2 meters long by 1 1/2 meters tall.  On the one side, there are two carved serpent heads and on the other side there is a carved human body.

Guatemalan Singer and Songwriter Ricardo Arjona won the Grammy award for best male album in vocal pop with his new album "Adentro".  The award was presented in a ceremony in the city of New York.  Arjona was also nominated in three other categories.  The streets around Madison Gardens were paralized by thousands of fans hoping to see the music stars of the latin music.  This was the first time that the Latin Grammys took place in New York.  Congratulations Ricardo and keep up the good work. 

November 1st and 2nd which are "The Day of the Saints and of the Dead" are a mixture of faith and costums that attract thousands of faithful, curious and turists to Guatemala.  The different colors of the flowers, the magnificence of the kites, the fiambre and the serenades in front of the tombs are some of the caracteristics of these celebrations that attract many people to Guatemala.  One example is the procession of the Santa Calavera that is organized every year in San Jose, Peten.  This procession is in honor of El Senor de la Muerte or Mr. Death and it is a particular way of celebrating the Day of the Dead.  This year, this celebration can be seeen across the Atlantic Ocean because producers and cameramen of the BBC of London will be reaching Guatemala to film a documentary of this religious practice.  This documentary will be based on the Mayan rituals of yesterday and today and will include the natural and cultural riches of Yaxa, Peten.  This historic-religious ritual begins on november 1st, when the calavera or skull is taken from house to house after mass.  The houses are chosen by the people in charge of the party.  In every house chosen, an altar is made with a special place to put the skull and also special traditional foods are made.  This procession last until the early hours of november 2nd.  This skulls represent the sould of the departed that bless the houses of the people of the area.  This costum dates back to the Precolumbian Times and it shows the respect that people had for the dead.

In Todos Santos Cuchumatanes, Huehuetenango the tradition is "La Santa Carrera de las animas" or "The Sacred Race of the Souls".  For this activity, young people are selected to personify the souls.  The people selected, mount a white horse without a saddle and then compete with their neighbours in a race that starts in the cemetery.  The competitors that have been chosen before the celebration have to follow certain conditions to be prepared to compete and be proud representatives of their ancestors.  It is also common to have a marimba serenade, where the favorite melodies of the dead are played.

The tradition of getting together in front of the tombs of the departed is very common.  This is a costum that dates back to the romanticism.  It is common to bring flowers and in some towns people bring food and alcoholic beverages to the tombs.  Also in other parts of the country, people bring mariachis to serenade the loved ones that have died.  With regards to food, the traditional food for this celebration is the "Fiambre" which is a costum brought over from Spain.  The Fiambre is prepared with jam and cold meats.  The fiambre is specially eaten in the cemeteries with tamales and licour. 

The colorful giant kites from Santiango and Sumpango, Sacatepequez is one of the better known traditions for this celebrations.  According to statistics, there are around 500,000 people that visit these two towns to see the giant kites.  Through the giant kites, people look to communicate with their dead and send them messages.  According to organizers, this traditions is over a 100 years old and nowadays there are about 50 groups participating in this activity.  

Agricultures of several parts of Quetzaltenango are ready to distribute the vegetables needed across Guatemala for the celebration of the Day of the Dead on november 1st.  Almolonga, Quetzaltenango is the major distributor of vegetables across Guatemala for the making of the traditional dishes for this celebrations.  According to people from Almolonga, the demand for beet increased and they had to fill orders that started coming three months before.  The same thing has ocurred with onions, lettuce, cabbage, radish and carrots.