A Vanishing Culture?

Last week, as we were riding the van to school, we were discussing the Mother’s Day celebration at the school. Family is very important to the Mayans so this day is very special. GVI mentioned wanting to bring in basket weavers to show the kids this art form that is slowly beginning to fade from the culture. The only holdup was where to find the money in the budget as the price of food has gone up and more of the budget is going to the food. When I asked how much it would cost to bring in a basket weaver, the reply was 400 Quetzals which is about $52. I offered to pay the cost and then all the other volunteers also wanted to pitch in so that we could make sure that the kids get educated on this vanishing art. It seems like such a small price to pay to save an art from becoming lost.

We are hoping they will also bring in wooden mask makers and marimba players as well. Marimba is an instrument very similar to a xylophone with the keys arranged as those of a piano. Those are the 3 biggest art forms of the Guatemalan peoples.

Some of you have asked how to donate. When I come back to Colorado I will be doing presentations about this trip and you will have the opportunity to donate to Whole Planet foundation. If you are interested in this project in particular, I can try to see how to set up an account with the project manager to get funds directly to the school project. I hope that all of you are learning a lot. I certainly am!