I thought I should give a little explanation on my favorite Guatemala pictures. This summer I initially set out to study grandparent/grandchild relationships in a rural Guatemala. The paper that I ended up writing after I returned to the United States ended up discussing the relationship between growing globalization and a loss of respect for the elderly among the K'iche'.
The first picture is a picture of typical interaction between grandparents and grandchildren. In this picture a woman watches as her grandnieces wash their hair in the sink. Since this woman has no children of her own she lives with her sister and cares for her grandnieces and nephews as if they were her own.
The second picture represents a couple issues faced by the villagers of Santa Catarina Ixtahaucan. This boy is standing in front of an abandoned church with trees growing inside. Mudslides after Hurricane Mitch devasted the town five years ago, eventually leading to the split of the town. Most of the villagers decided to relocate to a site more accesable to the freeway and with more stable terrain. Some of the villagers decided to stay in the old village however, which is where I lived. This picture also shows the influence that the West has on the small village. This boy is fascinated by his uncle's walkman.
The third picture is of two of my informants. They lived together alone since most of thier children and grandchildren relocated with the rest of the town. They take care of themselves by weaving since their grandchildren are not present to take care of them live they traditionally would.
The fourth picture is of a man with his granddaughter, and the fifth is of two brothers on a road in Ixtahuacan.
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