lamaga
Fascinating and magical
St. Thomas Church is unique. In her, life, the market and flowers are combined with mystery and religious syncretism. Just east of the central square of Chichicastenango, it was built around 1540. Although intended as a Catholic place of worship, it's difficult to find any resemblance to western Catholicism. Strange and distinctly beautiful Mayan ceremonies are held in this building. It's worth admiring for some time, smelling the incense, and listening to prayers. After your eyes adjust to the darkness, you see candles on the floor with people kneeling around them chanting prayers in old, dark tongues.
The floor is covered with pine branches and corn. Bottles of liquor and coke are offered to the saints and the dead Mayans, buried under the floor. No wonder it gives you a chill. When it's time to go outside, watch your step. The surroundings are full of vendors, flowers, animals, and ash. Today, it has a similar function as the stairs that once led to the cusp of the Mayan pyramids. You have to sit on the steps, listen to the "chichkajaues" balancing incense burners, smile at the "milonga" healers. It's a fascinating and magical place. It's hard not to conjure up memories without emotion.
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