EPISCOPALIAN/ANGLICAN NOTABLE CITIZEN: Elizabeth Bell ¨Orden Diego de Porres¨ Award

Elizabeth Bell, Historian, Author, Brilliant Person, Friend!
Antigua Tours, HERE



 

THE SPIRITUAL/MAGICAL MAYA: Nearby Iximché ruins were quickly reestablished/cleansed as a sacred place after George W. Bush´s ¨tarnishing visit¨ in 2007

Modest Iximché inspires the enchanted, historic and sacred with all new depth of meaning

During Christmas and up until yesterday, Juan Carlos and I had the pleasure of  hosting guests who visited us from San Juan, Puerto Rico and San Francisco, California.



Popol Vuh with Catholic ¨elements¨ too

One of our most favorite local places to revisit, explore and admire is the Maya Ruins of Iximché which are not too far from our home in the rural Guatemalan countryside.  Everytime I visit Iximché I notice that as we enter these sacred Maya grounds a secure feeling of tranquility and peace sweeps over me--a feeling of well-being and holiness that is unique to this place as I´ve never noticed those same feelings anywhere in the World including great Churches, Temples and other Holy places.

The day before yesterday, Juan Carlos, my friends and I were privileged to enjoy Iximché and experience the great sense of ongoing human and divine spirit presence, both ancient and contemporary, as the site reveals itself to most all who enter. 

Iximché embraces our visitors.

Iximché is ¨soothing¨ to the Spirit

¨Iximche (or Iximché using Spanish orthography) is a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican archaeological site in the western highlands of Guatemala. Iximche was the capital of the Late Postclassic Kaqchikel Maya kingdom from 1470 until its abandonment in 1524. The architecture of the site included a number of pyramid-temples, palaces and two Mesoamerican ballcourts. Excavators uncovered the poorly preserved remains of painted murals on some of the buildings and ample evidence of human sacrifice...

For many years the Kaqchikel served as loyal allies of the K'iche' Maya. The growing power of the Kaqchikel within the alliance eventually caused such friction that the Kaqchikel were forced to flee the K'iche' capital and found the city of Iximche. The Kaqchikel established their new capital upon an easily defensible ridge almost surrounded by deep ravines. Iximche developed quickly as a city and within 50 years of its foundation it had reached its maximum extent. The rulers of Iximche were four principal lords drawn from the four main clans of the Kaqchikel, although it was the lords of the Sotz'il and Xahil clans who held the real power.

The Ritual Fires of Divine Tribute and Cleansing smoulder on as volcanos smoke on the horizon

After the initial establishment of Iximche, the K'iche' left the Kaqchikel in peace for a number of years. The peace did not last and the Kaqchikel soundly defeated their former overlords around 1491. This was followed by infighting among the Kaqchikel clans with the rebel clans finally being overcome in 1493. Wars against the K'iche' continued throughout the early 15th century. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico, the Aztec emperor sent messengers to warn the Kaqchikel. After the surrender of the Aztecs to Hernán Cortés, Iximche sent its own messengers to offer a Kaqchikel alliance with the Spanish. Smallpox decimated the population of Iximche before the physical arrival of the Europeans.

Pedro de Alvarado arrived at Iximché  in 1524

At the time of the Spanish Conquest Iximche was the second most important city in the Guatemalan Highlands, after the K'iche' capital at Q'umarkaj. Conquistador Pedro de Alvarado was initially well received in the city in 1524 and the Kaqchikel kings provided the Spanish with native allies to assist in the conquest of the other highland Maya kingdoms. Iximche was declared the first capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala in the same year. Due to excessive Spanish demands for tribute the Kaqchikel soon broke the alliance and deserted their capital, which was burned 2 years later by Spanish deserters. The Europeans founded a new town nearby but abandoned it in 1527 due to the continued hostility of the Kaqchikel, who finally surrendered in 1530.

During the Guatemalan Civil War in the 1980´s a meeting took place at the ruins between guerillas and Maya leaders that resulted in the guerillas stating that they would defend indigenous rights

The ruins of Iximche were first described by a Guatemalan historian in the late 17th century. They were visited various times by scholars during the 19th century, who published plans and descriptions. Serious investigations of the site started in the 1940s and continued sporadically until the early 1970s. In 1980, during the Guatemalan Civil War, a meeting took place at the ruins between guerillas and Maya leaders that resulted in the guerillas stating that they would defend indigenous rights. A ritual was carried out at the site in 1989 in order to reestablish the ruins as a sacred place for Maya ceremonies. United States President George W. Bush visited the site in 2007, and in the same year Iximche was the venue for the III Continental Summit of Indigenous Peoples and Nationalities of Abya Yala.

Iximche was called ¨Guatemala¨ by the Spanish, from the Nahuatl Quauhtemallan meaning "forested land"

EtymologyThe site's name dervives from the Mayan name of the breadnut tree (Brosimum alicastrum), from the words ixim and che, meaning literally "maize tree". Iximche was called Guatemala by the Spanish, from the Nahuatl Quauhtemallan meaning "forested land". Since the Spanish conquistadors founded their first capital at Iximche, they took the name of the city used by their Nahuatl-speaking Mexican allies and applied it to the new Spanish city and, by extension, to the kingdom. From this comes the modern name of the country. The site has also been referred to as Patinamit by 19th century investigators, a Kaqchikel word meaning "the city". read it all, HERE

The Textures of Living upon once Living Textures everywhere (both seen and unseen/now and before now)

· Thanks to Wikipedia
· Thanks to Juan Carlos, Photos

PLEASE MEET: Juan Carlos Castillo, his family, his friends and enthusiastic supporters for ¨Mr. La Union English School¨ Antigua, Guatemala

As many of you know, Juan Carlos Castillo Fuentes is a great friend to many of us, a industrious coworker for some, a generous and warm hearted person, an enthusiastic ENGLISH STUDENT and a lover of animals (dogs, gatos, birds, fish, turtles and conejos). Juan Carlos is also ¨big brother¨ to a delightful youngster, Gerardo, at the Safe Passages/Camino Seguro Learning Center as well as being a great addition to all of our everyday lives.

Please get to know Juan Carlos Castillo Fuentes by scrolling/reading down and meeting many of his friends and family and later, at the bottom of the page, VOTE, free of charge, for Juan Carlos for ¨Mr. La Union English School¨ candidate.

Doña Josephina Fuentes de Castillo with her Son (one of five children) and lovely Grandaughter (one of thirteen grandkids)

Juan Carlos´ Mother, Doña Josephina and two of his thirteen nephews and neices

Juan Carlos on the move at Finca Isobel

los señores Shillington and Castillo enjoy a party in San Miguel Dueñas, Sacatapequez

Juan Carlos´ friend Judy of Ft. Lauderdale and Antigua (who is founder of Antigua Network) HERE

Kites ¨Flying High¨ on All Souls Day

Juan Carlos ¨Sky High¨

Juan Carlos and Beverly of Hawaii and Antigua (Beverly is everyones favorite ¨Mom¨ from Hawaii)

Juan Carlos amongst the ruins of San Francisco el Grande, Antigua, Guatemala

Lisa and Friends enjoying a special ¨play day¨ afternoon in Guatemala City, Photo by Juan Carlos (who also enjoyed the fun)

More good friends, Suzanne and Elizabeth, at dinner party in Sacatapequez. Photo by Juan Carlos Castillo

Juan Carlos, Jennifer and John, A Fiesta/Fundraising event honoring Open Windows Foundation HERE

Irene, Tom, Ellen, Len and Paul, Photo of ¨Good Friends¨ by Juan Carlos, Christmas 2009, at the home of Lisa in Antigua, Guatemala

Juan Carlos Castillo Fuentes, Christmas 2009, shown with one of Lisa´s ¨best friends¨



Por Favor, click on La Union English School Facebook Homepage link (below) and vote: As you can see, Juan Carlos Castillo Fuentes is a great friend to many of us, a good ENGLISH STUDENT, a hardworking coworker, a generous hearted person, a ¨good son,¨ a lover of animals whom we admire and hope you will VOTE for...Juan Carlos is also ¨big brother¨ to a delightful youngster, Gerardo, at the, check it out, Safe Passages/Camino Seguro learning center in Guatemala City HERE...pass the joy, fun, good-will and inspiration along.

PLEASE LOGIN TO YOUR FACEBOOK ACCOUNT THEN CLICK HERE and it will take you to the VOTING PAGE for La Union English School. At the top of the page a box, under WALL, ought appear requesting ¨Write Something¨...please join us in writing in the name Juan Carlos Castillo Fuentes for La Union English School contest that suggests you ¨Vote for your favorite candidate NOW!!! Start today, and only write comments in English. Vote for your favorite candidate and elect the coolest and most fun guy and girl at La Union English School.¨

Thanks to YOU from the Friends and Family of Juan Carlos Castillo Fuentes