Mayan Connections

Alexandria, the hostess of the family that I’m staying with made wonderful white beans with carrots and ginger. It was a wonderful meal that reminded me of the meals of my childhood. There was a little cheese and two eggs on the side.

After dinner, we talked for a while. I asked her about her parents. She said that her mother only spoke the Mayan language and her father learned to speak Spanish. Alexandria herself speaks both Spanish and Mayan.

I told her about a man who is called Martin Prechtel. He wrote a book about his experiences with the Mayan peoples. He came to Lake Atitlan before the war and became a part of the local culture. When the war came, he was told that he should leave and preserve the knowledge of the Mayan people. She said that she had heard of him and had seen him speaking on Television in Mayan. She didn’t know that he was not born here.

She asked me about having children and I told her that my wife already had a child and that we wouldn’t be having any more. She then asked me if I wanted children. I said that I would like children, but that I’d put the energy that I would have put into children into helping others. Her husband helps people medicinally. I told her that like her husband I help people. Only I help people spiritually, not medically.

It was a touching conversation for both of us.