OCR Text |
Show Chicliica s t en ango In the wild highlands of Guatemala bargaining is delicate art text and photo by Pat Neisser HAVE YOU EVER wanted to shop for merchandize in an atmosphere where the price of the object fluctuated, and the final price depended upon your, ability to outmaneuver the seller? In the U.S. everything is priced, and you either agree to pay, or you leave. No bantering back and forth, just a cut and dried process. In the wild and beautiful highlands of nearby Guatemala, lies a special village, Chichicastenango, where on Thursdays and Sundays, the whole town comes alive. Hundreds of brilliantly clothed Indians crowd the mountain roads for miles, loaded with merchandise to sell. The normally sleepy little town awakens to the sound of tun drums, and crude reed flutes called Chirmia. Visitors also swarm up the curving mountain roads in buses and cars, eager to begin the centuries oldritual of bargaining. THE ANCIENT CHURCH of Santo Tomas also plays a large part in this twice a week scenano. Fervent religious ceremonies are an important part of the day; billowing incense, burning candles, and the offering of rose petals, pine needles, and crops form a strange combination of pagan and Catholic rites. The religion of these Indians is a unique combination of traditional beliefs in the deities, and Catholicism as it was introduced by the Spanish conquerors. The smoke of incense hovers over the church steps, as the Chuchkajaues, or native prayer men, say prayers for the Mashenos, the people of Chichicastenango. A religious organization based on Confradias, groups of men devoted to a particular saint, takes care of the religious needs of the Indians. Although baptisms take place in the church and are all important in getting an Indian child started on the proper road of life, marriages and funerals are handled by the native prayer men. They are also known by outsiders as witch doctors. THE PRAYER MEN act as among the Indians. They intervene with the Saints and Idols Pat Neisser is a free-lanc- e Newport Beach, Calif. travel writer from YOULL FIND and ask for forgiveness, seek cures for illness, thank the idols and saints for good fortune. While sellers are hawking their wares, these ceremonies are continuing on the church steps and inside Santo Tomas. The visitor must not walk upon the sacred steps, but may use a side entrance to enter the church. If the visitor is fortunate, a fiesta may be under way, and grotesque as well as beautiful masks are worn by dancers, fireworks explode constantly, and the visitor is often caught up in the frenzied parades that weave their way between stalls and around the church. BELOW THE CHURCH steps, the teaming crowds surge through the many stalls, bargaining as if there were no tomorrow. Bargaining is a delicate art, requiring great stamina on the part of the potential buyer. Get a good nights sleep the night before at Antigua or stay at one of the hotels in Chichi. Wear comfortable clothes, tennis shoes, a hat, and carry only your camera and plenty of Quetzals (worth a dollar each) in small denominations. Tuck your money deep in a pocket of your jeans, and leave your arms free to fend off the throngs. If you dont have pleanty of small bills, your bargaining could come to naught. If youve bargained the item down to 3 Quetzals, and only have a 5, youll blow the deal. Always be able to negotiate from strength. bargains in huipiles, handwoven EXCELLENT Chichi, such as antique blouses in the different patterns marking tribes and their villages; handicrafts such as large baskets, paintings, pot holders, woven belts, leather goods, ski masks, and other woven materials. Bedspreads, table cloths, brass weights, and other items of clothing are brightly displayed in the hundreds of stalls surrounding the church. Dont let total exhaustion deter you from continuing the negotiations until you feel youve gotten your price. Walk away from the determined hawker casually, and look at other merchandise. The seller will usually follow you, bewailing his sad station in life, his many children, his sick pig, his ailing wife and all his other troubles. Rember he has been at this game of bargaining much longer than you have, and he knows his customers. Dont let the deeply expressed emotions of the seller sway you from your predetermined price, (50 percent of the original). When youve struck a deal, youll feel weak but exultant, and the hawker will be rubbing his hands with great glee. A satisfactory transaction has just been sealed. Gather your diminishing strength and strike out again. If you are after antique Huipiles, bargaining may be tougher. These lovely, slightly frayed blouses and ponchos are worth plenty and sell for $35 Quetsal and up, according to the pattern and age of the item. If you see one that you really want, bargain hard, look elsewhere, and then return and buy it. They may cost upwards of $200 in the states if you can find one. THEY CAN BE worn or framed as a work of art. If you have documentation that the huipil is over 100 years old, it may be brought into the U.S. duty free. Embroidered mens pants, wrap-aroun-d skirts, long dresses and draw string pants are yronderful buys if you bargain properly. Remember there is always another stall just around the comer and dont panic. We found new cotton pants for $3 Quetsal, skirts for $5 Quetsal, woven belts for $2 Quetsals, and original oil paintings of village life for very little. After a full day at colorful Chichi, head for the cool, peaceful serenity of Beautiful Lake Atitlan, bed down at the new Hotel Del Lago, and relax. You In the Guatemalan village of Chichicastenango visitors ape expected to bargain with the natives every Thursday and Sunday. People come from miles around to hawk their wares. |