Scavenger Hunt in San Juan

After a boisterous night in Santiago that consisted of a man vomiting in the hotel bathroom which we could hear through the linoleum walls and some drug dealing going on outside our window, we decided it was finally time to go to San Juan La Laguna. We got on another lancha which again is how you get around the towns of the lake (there are some roads but many are dangerous and boats are safer), and went to San Pedro La Laguna. I met the most wonderful woman on the lancha named Rosa and we immediately became amigas and she invited us to her daughter's birthday party the following day.

After saying our goodbyes to Rosa and getting directions to the birthday party we ventured into San Pedro. San Pedro is famous among tourists for being a place to party and get drugs. From what we have heard from the Mayan, the drug industry in San Pedro has harmed the local culture. We knew we didn’t want to stay there so we got on a tuk tuk to San Juan. Then the scavenger hunt began for James Loucky’s (or Jaime in Spanish) comadre, Feliza Yojcom and goddaughter, Maria Luisa. (James Loucky is my professor that studied Anthropology here about 30 plus years ago and frequently visits).

 

We wandered through the streets of San Juan that were already significantly cleaner than other towns around the lake. San Juan has made a conscious effort to have sustainable tourism and care for the environment, language and people. We asked every man over 50 years of age, “conoces Jaime o Feliza Yojcom?” This small community kept pointing us in the direction of Feliza’s house. We must have asked 30 people if they knew Feliza and where she lived. About four of these women stated she was either their tÍa (aunt) or primo (cousin). Finally we found the daughter of Feliza and god daughter of James, Maria Luisa.  I’ve been able to practice my Spanish a lot but people’s first language her is Tz’utujil, second is Spanish. Anyways, big day tomorrow as we have a lunch date with la familia de Feliza Yojcom and Maria Luisa and then the birthday party for Rosa’s daughter.

Two young girls wearing the traditional dress of San Juan.

The people of San Juan say this mountain is the sleeping Mayan.