Triangulo Ixil

I finally ventured up to one of the most alluring parts of Quiché, the region I live in, to Nebaj. Nebaj is one of three towns consituting the Ixil triangle, famous for its outstanding beauty and unique language, as Ixil is only spoken within this small area. A mere two hours chicken bussing from Chiché and I felt like I had landed in a new world. It is so special and interesting in Guatemala that so many different cultures continue to thrive within relatively close proximities. The most defining factor, of course, is language, but each culture is characterised by customs, traditions, physical appearance and ultimately, dress. Each of the three villages in the Ixil triangle boasts a very distinct costume (traje) and my are they beautiful! Sadly, as in most indigneous communities now, the custom of men wearing the traditional dress has almost completely disappeared, save for formal or religious ceremonies. The women`s traje in Nebaj is spectacular. Their huipiles (back-strap woven blouses) are heavily embroidered with very detailed, geometric patterns in vibrant primary colours, with traditional maroon cortes (loom-woven wrap-around skirt) held up with a faja (embroidered belt) and every head is crowned with a tassled headdress. FABULOUS.
Wandering through the market, an old woman asked me if I wanted to buy “tipico” and led me to her house, where she emptied bags of huipiles, serviettas (shawls similarly embroidered like the huipiles) and cintas (headdresses). I realised she was trying to sell me her own wardrobe, as all were well used and rather shabby, however I ended up with a huipile and cinta at bargain basement prices. Now I just need lessons in how to put on the headdress! She told me her husband was killed 25 years ago, just at the height of the terror during the civil war, which apparently started in Nebaj and left the surrounding area one of the hardest hit. In the Western highlands, indigenous people were persecuted and hundreds of communities were completely erased from the map. Rigoberto Menchu, current-day politician, Nobel peace prize winner and author of various books about this persecution, comes from this part of the country. Although it is always hard to learn about atrocities, I have found in learning about Guatemala and its people, it is so important to know their past, especially when it is so recent. The peace accords were signed in 1996, a mere decade ago.
My first night in Nebaj I was awoken before dawn by the increasingly familiar sounds of a marching band rehearsing. In the run-up to independence day, the whole country is resounding with the battering of drums, tinkling of bells and the blast of trumpets. Nebaj, among many places in Guatemala, resisted the hour change imposed by the government in May (to conserve energy supposedly), meaning that two times exist, and when making any plan one must always inquire whether it is at “la hora oficial” or “la hora de dios” (God`s time). For this reason I suppose, the band started practicing at a decidely ungodly hour, before the clock had even struck 5am, so I was up and gone before sunrise, to explore the Ixil triangle. First I went to San Juan Cotzal, a pretty adobe village arranged over hilly terrain in a gorgeous valley; rolling hills carpeted with vibrant green trees and corn felds providing breathtaking vistas at every glance. It was market day, so the village was bustling with life, the day when all the locals make a trip to town to buy, sell and socialise. I provided quite an attraction, discovering I was the only foreigner in the whole village, and I found myself most warmly welcomed by the very friendly populace. I sat in the market drinking atol de elote (a thick, hot, yellow, drink made with maize – delicious) and learnt about the local traje from the extremely amenable market women and their adorable children.

From there I went to Chajul, which, in comparison to the busy market activity in Costal, was “silencio”. Another sleepy village constructed entirely of rich brown adobe houses set in a spectacularly lush, green, landscape. Everywhere against the earth tones, women attired in the vivid colours of the local traje stood out like beacons. The costume of Chajul is astonishingly bright and beautiful. The huipiles are decorated with bold geometric designs of “animalitos” and they wear fabulous pom-pom headdresses. As I wandered through the village, again the sole tourist, at first I attracted looks of suspicion, which I realised was directed at my ominous black camera which I thenceforth restrained from showing. This suspicion soon converted to shy giggles once I reappeared freshly pom-pommed up with my new purchase wrapped around my head! By the end of my tour I had an army of children and youths in tow, accompanying la extranjera around their pueblo. Wonderfully touching and very special.