Legends of Guatemala ~ EARTH ~
	“Sky-Earth.” Dawn at Misol-Há falls on the Ruta Maya not far from Palenque. Before the birth of man, the Maya sacred book of creation recounts: “Let the water recede and make a void. Let the earth appear and become solid. Let there be light, let there be dawn in the sky and on the earth!” Photographed with a Noblex 150 on Provia film.
	“Dawn of Man” A fisherman slides across Lago Atitlán at first light. The Maya believed the emergence of man occurred at the foot of a volcano next to a primordial sea. Photographed with a Pentax 67ii / 90mm on Velvia film.
	“Xibalba Passage.” Earth gods lurk in a cenote, which represented for the Maya the underworld realm of the dead, known as Xibalba. Photographed with a Pentax 67ii / 45mm on Velvia.
	“Tree of Life.” The roots and trunk of a tree deep in the Reserva de Biosphera Maya in the region of Peten. The early Mayan conceived the “tree of life” (usually a ceiba tree) as connecting three realms---the underworld, the human world, and the heavens. Photographed with a Hasselblad / 60mm on Velvia film.
	“Solitary Latitude.” The Laguna Luchuá in central Guatemala lies deep in the rain forest and is reached only by jungle path. Photographed with a Noblex 150 on Fuji 800 speed negative film.
	“In Cloud Forest.” A myriad leaves keeps the mid-morning sunlight at bay in the rain forest of the Northern Verapaz region. This environment is home to ocelots, lynx, tapir, howler monkeys, and jaguar. Photographed with a Noblex 150 on Fuji 800 speed negative film.
	“Chain of Fire.” The volcanoes Pacaya, Agua, Acatenango, and Fuego loom as lava flows toward the ever-threatened suburbs of Guatemala City. Photographed with a Noblex 150 on Provia film. Composite.
	“Sun and Maize.” On the steep flanks of Volcan Pacaya, a milpa produces harvests of corn, an essential crop since man’s emergence in the region. The Mayan creation legend – called The Popul Vuh – recounts how the gods created man from corn. Photographed with a Noblex 150 on Fuji 800 speed negative film.
	“Sacred Portal.” Sacred caves dot the landscape in Northern Guatemala, many used as ceremonial meeting places for present-day Maya. Photographed with a Pentax 67ii / 35mm on Agfa 160 speed negative film.
	“Corn Dance.” A reenactment of a Mayan dance that beseeches the gods to provide a rich harvest of maize. Photographed with a Nikon F5 / 80-400mm on Velvia film.
	“Ascension.” On the steps of the Templo del Gran Jaguar, a Mayan warrior watches over the Gran Plaza at Tikal. The pyramid was built to honor King Moon Double Comb in the early 700s. The comb at the apex may represent the 13 realms of heaven. Photographed with a Noblex 150 on Fuji 800 speed negative film.
	“Under the Volcano.” In Antigua at twilight, the Iglesia El Carmen stands on the right and Volcan Agua (3766 meters) looms in the background, a reminder of how the original site of the city was destroyed by a massive landslide in 1541. Photographed with Pentax 645 / 135mm 67 lens on Fuji 400 speed negative film.
	~ LIFE ~
	“Remembrance of Days Past” A woman selling staples in San Andrés Itzapa near Antigua. Photographed with a Pentax 645 / 55mm 67 lens on Fuji 800 speed negative film.
	“The Sellers” Three generations of Quiché Maya flower sellers prepare for Sunday market in Chichicastenango. Photographed with a Pentax 67ii / 55mm on Fuji 800 speed negative film.
	“Self Knowledge” A farmer in Santiago de Atitlán, in town to attend mass during Holy Week. Photographed with a Pentax 67ii / 90mm and a filtered strobe bounced into an umbrella on Agfa 160 speed negative film.
	“The Network” Women wearing huipiles in Almolonga preparing for market day. Photographed with a Pentax 67ii / 90mm on Fuji 400 speed negative film.
	“The Daydream” A textiles vendor in Chichicastenango. Photographed with a Noblex 150 on Fuji 800 speed film.
	“The Entrepreneur” Young shoe shiner in Antigua. Photographed with a Pentax 67ii / 75mm on Ilford 3200 speed film.
	“Chance Meeting” A woman in Tunil, a small town in the Highlands near Quetzaltenango. Photographed with a Pentax 67ii / 135mm on Fuji 400 speed negative film.
	“Holy Visitor” A pilgrim from Chiapas, Mexico in Antigua during Holy Week, finds shade and enjoys some incense. Photographed with Pentax 645 / 200mm 67 lens on Fuji 800 speed negative film.
	“Lost Generation” Mass grave in Acul, near Heuheutenango. The 36 year-long war between the Army and rebel groups, which killed an estimated 200,000 people and displaced a million more, ended with a treaty signed in 1996. Photographed with a Fuji 6x17 camera on Agfa 160 negative film.
	“Continuity” Quiché mother and child in Chichicastenango. Photographed with a Pentax 67ii / 75mm on Ilford 3200 speed film.
	“Traje” A young woman wears the traditional dress (traje) of her hometown of San Antonio Popoló, on Lago de Atitlán. Her tunic is called a huipile. The skirt is a corte or refago. A sash like those she holds is called a paz, or faja. Photographed with a Pentax 645 / 80mm Zeiss lens on Fuji 800 speed negative film.
	~ SPIRIT ~
	“Syncretic Ritual” Members of a cofradia exit the Santo Tomas Church in Chichicastenango after conducting a mass. A cofradia is a Mayan religious committee that organizes and finances the distinctive rituals of Mayan Catholicism, called costumbre. Photographed with a Pentax 645 / 55mm 67 on Fuji 800 speed film.
	“Devil Dance” A painted boy performs in the “Dance of the Little Devil” in San Andrés Xecul during which boys tackle any bystander who dares enter the zocalo. If caught the boys smear spectators with paint and tear off their shirts. Alas, the photographer was one such bystander. Photographed with a Nikon F5 / 55mm on Velvia film.
	“Burden of Brothers” Members of a Tz’uhijil Maya brotherhood (hermandad) charged with carrying a float during Holy Week in Santiago de Atilán. They inch through town all night long, trampling ornate religious murals painted with colored sawdust. Photographed with a Nikon F3 / 55mm on Velvia film.
	“The Shaman” In the Solomá area in the central mountains, a shaman recites the names of the local ancestors as a prelude to asking for their favor on behalf of a paying believer. Photographed with Pentax 67ii / 165mm on Fuji 800 speed negative film.
	“Elusive Cure” A family engages in a ritual aimed to cleanse an ill family member with purifying smoke at a temple of Maximón in San Andrés Itzapa. Photographed with Pentax 645 / 55mm 67 lens on Fuji 800 speed negative film.
	“You Will Soon Make a Lot of Money” A psychic’s table and her Tarot-like cartas. Photographed with a Contax G1 / 45mm and strobe on Velvia film.
	“Girl in Procession” A procession in Antigua on Good Friday leaves the Escuela de Cristo Church and features women and children dressed in black carrying shields, candles, and incensarios. Photographed with a Pentax 67ii / 75mm on Tri-X film pushed to 800.
	“Boy in Procession” A boy in a Holy Week procession in Antigua. (See previous caption.) Photographed with a Pentax 67ii / 75mm on Tri-X film pushed to 800.
	“Trinity” Stored statuary used on procession floats (called andas) during Holy Week in Antigua. Photographed with a Pentax 645 / 80mm Zeiss lens on Ilford Delta 400 film.
	“Unity” A group of men create Holy Week carpet (called an alfrombra) along a procession route in Santiago de Atitlán on the day before Easter. Photographed with a Nikon F3 / 55mm on Velvia film.
	“The Temple of Answered Prayers” A temple dedicated to Maximón includes plaques from donors who experienced miracles after visiting the popular village god. Maximón is represented as a wooden male figure dressed in jacket and numerous neckties. He is resident in only three towns in the country, to where people travel great distances to visit him. Photographed with a Contax G1 / 28mm on 3200 speed negative film.
	“Community Awareness” Angels and others in Ciudad Vieja near Antigua during an annual feria that features the Dance of the Devil and near-lethal fireworks. Photographed with a Nikon F5 / 55mm on Velvia film.
	~ MYTH ~
	“Original Leatherhead” An Olmec head in sourthern Mexico, from where Mesoamerican motifs in art and architecture originated. Photographed with a Hasselblad / 80mm on Ilford 400 speed negative film.
	“Memoría” A wall mural depicts a woman praying at an actual Mayan shrine (called Pascual Abaj, or Sacrifice Stone) situated atop a mountain overlooking the town of Chichicastenango…Army helicopters in the distance. Photographed with a Pentax 67ii / 55mm on Fuji 800 speed negative film.
	“Sky Traveler” A stone carving (stela) of King Pacal, who ruled Palenque for 68 years from 603AD to 684AD. He is rendered falling into the jaws of the earth monster who will escort him to Xibalba, the Mayan underworld and place of the dead. Photographed with a Hasselblad / 80mm on Velvia film pushed three stops. Partially unfocused image is due to tripod use being prohibited.
	“Tomas Morales Quex, #37” A cemetery in Sololá. Photographed with a Contax G2 / 45mm on Velvia film
	“Bullfight Retablo” Painted on tin or wood board, retablos are often humorous votive artworks commissioned by those who asked for -- and received -- favor from a saint, such as the Virgin de Guadalupe. Photographed with a Nikon F5 / 55mm and bounced strobe on Velvia film.
	“Red Christ” In the restored Casa Popenoe in Antigua, built in 1636 and restored 150 years later, one discovers thick red-painted walls and colonial statuary enflamed by afternoon light. Photographed with a Nikon F5 / 35mm on Velvia film.
	“Architecture of Security” Doors in Quetzaltenango hint of the German influence of architecture in the city. Photographed with a Nikon F5 / 35mm on Velvia film.
	“World Accordian to Maximón” Musicians provide the soundtrack at a ceremony for Maximón. Photographed with a Pentax 645 / 55mm 67 ends on Fuji 800 speed negative film.
	“Public Art” A non-objective piece of found art in Antigua. Photographed with a Contax G1 / 45mm on Velvia film.
	“Mayalypto” A Mayan war dance reenacted by actors in the Yucatán gives a sense of the violent relations that existed among noble families and their city-states, a reality that likely contributed to the ultimate decline of Mayan civilization. Photographed with a Hasselblad / 150-240mm on Ektachrome 200 film.
	“The Owl” A Mayan warrior plays the Owl God in a reenactment in the Yucatán. Photographed with a Pentax 645 / 80mm Zeiss lens on Fuji 400 speed negative film; color manipulated by computer.
	“Forest King” A stela of a Mayan king at Ruinas Copán in northern Honduras, which flourished from 400AD to 800AD. Photographed with a Hasselblad / 80mm Zeiss lens on Velvia; color manipulated by computer.
	“The Crossing” Lago de Atitlán and volcanos Pedro and Tomilan. Photographed with a Noblex 150 on Provia film.
	Copyright, Chris Engholm, 2008.