Experiencing Mayan culture and customs is a priority when visiting a Central American country. The proud Guatemalan people prefer to be called “indigenous” and not “Indian.” When you truly start to delve into their customs, Mayan calendar symbols and cosmology, you will understand the essence of this area.

Mañanas y Tardes Mayas Aquas Calientes in San Antonio is a Mayan wedding customs presentation that included so many of the highlights I wanted to encounter in Guatemala. Tortilla making over a fire, seed to cup coffee grinding and tasting, costumes in an interactive wedding ritual and a cozy, intimate setting in a village nestled in the highlands was a perfect first excursion!

We each enacted a role and I volunteered to make the tortillas from scratch as I was most interested in that! We drank coffee straight from the batch we made and then purchased textiles and crafts made by the women. Learning the family members’ roles in the wedding ritual was fascinating. The groom’s mother wears clothes woven for her by the bride/ bride’s family. Incense is burnt, babies are swaddled in slings and pots are carried on heads. Deeper symbolisms are included and I’m only scratching the surface, here.

© Gina Michalopulos Kingsley

photos by Gina