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Quetzaltenango (Xela), Guatemala (From a caption...) The religious and spiritual landscape has been changing rapidly in the years since the bloody civil war ending in the early 90s. The Catholic Church, who did much to shelter and provide literal sanctuary to indigenous people being slaughtered, are now suffering heavy losses with the rise of secularism and sects of protestant/evangelical Christianity. The Evangelical movement here is largely domestic, ie. not (or no longer imported) but spread to Guatemalans by Guatemalans. One reason for the shift may be to stem the tide of alcoholism, which the Catholic Church doesn´t necessary agree with, but it doesn´t forbid consumption as do many more recent protestant lines. 10 photos |
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Prayers-Group 3 One of the best things about this project is its authentic look into the beliefs, the thinking, expressed through language, of so many different types of people. There is a marked difference between the prayers collected from Los Angeles and the California Coast, Arizona, etc. and the prayers collected in Mexico and now Guatemala. That said, the more I talk to people, the more prayers I read, I see that when it comes down to it, we all have the same basic needs, fears, doubts, hopes, and dreams. 165 photos |
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Oaxaca City After walking 83km (my longest day on record) I arrived in the city of Oaxaca at about 2 in the morning. Stretching my back on a concrete bus stop bench, I was approached by a stranger in the night. Clothes wet, cut and bruised, he had just been beaten and robbed by the police. Seeing me there, he wanted to practice his English and I told him about the project. He turned out to be an awesome person, and invited me to stay with him at his friend´s house for the night. On the way home, he told me about his love, his passion, playing guitar, while also showing me where he had lost 2 fingers on his left hand in an accident at work the week before. Undanted, he was detirmined to learn to play with is right hand like his heros McCartney and Hendrix. What I love about Mexico isn´t so much the architecture, as seen in many of these photos, but in the hearts of the people who make my walk through this country truly memorable. 11 photos |
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Coastal Chiapas Chiapas is amazing. My only regret is that I wasnt able to spend more time there. Really feeling the pinch of time as my visa was running out, i was running to the border with Guatemala as quickly as I could. Again, without batteries or money to replace them, I was only able to squeeze out a few shots of this beautiful countryside. 4 photos |
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Leaving Oaxaxa Still very mountainous, the road from Oaxaca City to the coast was downhill, with environs and terrain changing drastically every 10-20k. Many wild experiences here, from collecting crickets for food to staying with a former Pentacostal minister, now brothel owner who gave me food, tea, and shelter for the night in a van filled with condoms and ganja (sorry if you dont like it folks, this is the real deal). Stranded in the middle of nowhere, in the rain, the women helped me, treated me with kindness, as I listened to their stories and prayers. The mountains turn to a coastal plane further down the road. Frigid nights turn balmy with hotter days than I have ever experienced in my life. Walking from 12ish to 4ish, I would feel l I was going to pass out, so I often walked silent nights and empty highways in the company of the moon. 13 photos |
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Walking into Oaxaca Though pressed for time (I had 3 weeks to walk 700 miles), the people and terrain of Oaxaca stunned me, step by step, at rapid pace. This is the first album of three in Oaxaca...trying to upload on very slow connections...but wait for the next few albums! Mexico, from the heart of Guatemala! 25 photos |
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Mexico City to Puebla State 21 photos |
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Quiroga to Morelia Again, I am not sure the pictures do this town justice. One the one hand, the city center reminds you of many you might see in Europe, on the other hand, it is Mexico, and quite different! 24 photos |
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Popocatepetl I took these shots and others walking to the west of Popo...incredible, majestic, walking by its side for 3 days now! 5 photos |
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The Bosque Village The Bosque Village is permaculture retreat center high in the mountains of Michoacan. The people at the Bosque found out about the iamwalking.org project and invited me to stay with them for a few days. This is an incredible place, incredible people, up to trying something new in this world, thinking differently about the way we approach almost everything in life. www.bosquevillage.com 8 photos |
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