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START FILMED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LIBRARY DEPT. OF PHOTOGRAPHIC REPRODUCTION MANUSCRIPT NO 17 MICROFILM NHOATIVH NO IGÍH. I 7 RECONNAISSANCE OF i ORTHURN OUATHMALA IH-M 13 Y A. OOUI3AUI) J I)E I) ROSALES AND SOL TAX RECONNAISSANCE OP NORTHERN GUATEMALA 1944 By Antonio Goubaud Carrera, Juan de Dios Rosales, and Sol Tax MICROFILM COLLECTION OP MANUSCRIPTS ON MIDDLE AMERICAN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY No. 17 UNIVER3ITÍ OF CHICAGO LIBRARY CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 1947 ii Preface This manuscript contains notes of a trip across northern Guatemala, undertaken from the end of March to the beginning of May, 1944, by Antonio Goubaud Carrera, Juan de Dios Rosales, and the writer. Por some time it had been part of the plan of the Carnegie Institution ethnological program to undertake work in northern Guatemala, which was ethnologic ally almost unknown. It was in connection with a special study of food habits in Guatemala that we finally seized the opportunity to learn more about this area. In 1943 Carnegie Institution instituted a survey of food consumption habits in Guatemala. To accomplish this, we chose sample communities for study. It was necessary to choose several communities In northern Guatemala and we were not well enough acquainted with the area to make an intelligent choice. Therefore, having learned something about the problems of studying food habits in communities already known to us, we decided to make a quiok survey of northern Guatemala,, primarily for the purpose of selecting communities for study, but also with our previous general interest in mind. Seflor Goubaud and Seflor Rosales had been doing the actual field studies under my direction. It was part of the purpose of the trip also to go over the material already collected to determine future procedures. I was in Chicago and they were working in Guatemala and we had long needed a general conference. Üi It happened that at this time three ethnologists were also working under my dlreetion in the region of San Cristóbal las Casas in Chiapas (Mexico), so I decided to confer with them in Chiapas and go from there to Guatemala* Goubaud and Rosales were to meet me near the Chiapas-Huehuetenango border, from where we would con- duct our survey together. The route that they took from Guatemala City to the finca Trinidad, which was to be our meeting place, was through San Juan Ixooy, Soloma, Santa Eulalia and San Mateo Ixtatán, while the route we were to take together from Trinidad was through Nentón, Jaoaltenango, San Martin and Todos Santos. Some of the notes included here, therefore, are those of Goubaud and Rosales alone, before they met me; others are the report of my own trip from las Casas to our meeting place. Map 1 outlines our route. The notes begin with the account of my journey through Chiapas (by automobile from las Casas beyond Comitán, and by horseback across the border and into Trinidad). They continue then with the Goubaud-Rosales notes of their trip (by horseback) from Huehue- tenango to Trinidad. All of the remainder of the notes were collected by the three of us on our journey from Trinidad to Huehuetenango (chiefly on horseback), and from there to Coban and eventually to Guatemala City (by oar). We stayed for several days in Coban, using it as headquarters for side excursions to other towns in Alta Vera; Pas, so that the notes on this region are not exaotly chronological. We met in Trinidad on April 10th and arrived in Guatemala City on May 2nd. iv Our notes are not voluminous because, of course, the>trip was fast. We wanted primarily a first hand picture of the area, and to choose a town to meet our specifications for the food study* This, of course, we succeeded in doing. It will be noted that the observations we made tended to be rather uniform. Knowing something of the regional differences in Guatemala, we were interested in seeing where the changes in elements of culture occurred, getting, thus, the boundary lines wherever possible of such items as the, raised grinding table, the important use of the cross, the use of the 260-day calendar, etc. Some of the distributions that appear to be most patterned are noted on Maps 2-9, which are appended to these notes* RECONNAISSANCE OF NORTHERN GUATEMALA 1944 INDEX Map I: Route Followed ....... 1 CHIAPAS: Teoplsoa Temazoal 2 Amatenango Temazoal 2 Pottery firing 2 Carrying loads of pots 2 Fino a Yerba Buena Tortillas . 2 Temazoal . 2 Finca Tulanoa Pilgrimage house: El Seftor del Trapiche (Esquipulas) • . 2 Large oross in front of house 2 Ceremonies at the pilgrimage house 3 Figure of Christ, on the cross 3 Chamulas 3 Indians from Pinola 3 Pinola costume 3 Comitan The market • 3 Town divided into barrios 3 Cemetery divided into two parts 3 Between Comitan and Saohana A colonial agararia • 3 Sta. Maria 3 Cardenas . 3 GUATEMALA: Huehuetenango Gracias a Dios (finca) Chan, a nearby settlement ...... 4 Permission necessary to cross border; passport necessary to go to Comitan 4 Vicente Guillen, the owner of the finca. ........ 4 The reoeptor fiscal 4 Language spoken by inhabitants of Gracias a Dios .... 4 Temazoal . ...... • .............. 4 Gradas a Dios a part of munioipio of Nentón ...... 4 •1 Huehuetenango. eontiriued San Juan Ixcoy Trip of Goubaud and Rosales north from Huehuetenango . • . 5 A woman dressed In mángala 5 Use of hoe in planting milpa 5 Road from Chemal to San Juan Ixcoy 5 Food crops .5 The town of San Juan 5 House types • . 7 . 5 Municipal buildings 5 The church .5 Large cross in front of church 5 Chuj vocabulary obtained from Ladino Comisario de Policía. 6 Population statistics on San Juan Ixcoy 6 Additional vocabulary obtained from Ixcoy carriers . ,;. • 6 The Indian sublevación of 1895 6 Number of Ladino families .... 6 Goubaud: Trip from Tuhqula to San Juan • ...... .7 Report on the town 7 People coming to be cured 7-8 ( The sublevación (Report in Spanish) 8 General knowledge of the calendar 8 Rosales: Trip to San Juan 9 Stone altars in patio of the church 10 Planting time and harvesting time of maize 10 Aldeas 10 Men's costume .10 Women's costume •. 10 San Pedro Soloma Statistics on San Pedro 11 Ladinos living in the town 11 Intendencia 11 House types 11 The church 11 An American priest 11 Mayores • . ... .... 11 Wheat grown . • . ... *>. ......... ... 11 General knowledge of oalendar ..... 11 Goubaud: Trip from San Juan Ixcoy to Soloma. • 11-12 The Intendente .................... 12 Rosales1 report on Soloma • . • '.'.'• • r. 12 Ladinos in the pueblo . 12 The Mayores called policías ." '• 12 Men's costume • ... • • ... 12 Women's costume 12 Santa Eulalia Statistics on Santa Eulalia ........ ..._,... 13 Archaeological sites 13 Intendenoia ....... ..13 Calvario^ . .... 13 The market 13 •11 Santa Eulalia, continued Goubaud: Trip from Soloma to Santa Eulalia ...... 13 The Intendente interino 14 The Jolom Oonop 14 Large cross in front of church ............ 14 Altars at foot of this cross 14 People praying outside and inside the church 14 Rosales: Report on Santa Eulalia . 15 House types 15 Menta costume 15 Women's costume 15 Orientation of the church . 15 General knowledge of the calendar ............ 15 San Mateo _Ixtatán Statistics on San Mateo .........*.. 16 House types «13 Men's costume ....... 16 Women's costume 16 Goubaud : Trip from Santa Eulalia to San Mateo 16-17 Rancho de Teja 17 The Intendente 17 Techos de Tejamanil 17 Visit to archaeological site 18 Women's costume 18 Good Friday oelebration 18 Ceremony in charge of Ladinos rather than Indians ... 18 The rite of "Los Judios" 18 "Looking for the Apostles" 18 The procession ...... 18 Administrative problems of the Intendente. 18 Revenue fromthe salt mines 19 Relations between Ladinos and Indians . 19 A case in which the Indians over-rode a decision of the Intendente 19 Attitude toward being photographed .... 19 Banderolas a part of the Good Friday ceremony*. ..... 19 Banderolas representing the cantones of the pueblo . 19 Impersonal relations of the Indians in the faoe of aggression • . ,_ 19-20 Interdiction of drinking aguardiente during the fiesta . 20 Emblems of authority placed on the altar . ... 20 Large cross In front of the church • . 20 v Calendar generally known • . 20 Rosales: Ceremonies in the church ...... • 21 A visit to nearby ruins: pyramids 21 "Los Judios" , "looking for Jesus" . 21 Crucifixion of "EL Sefior" by Ladinos, with Indians as witnesses ..... ... ... ........ .21 Cera negra ... • 21 The market . ... ... ... 21 Taking the Señor down from the cross . 21 Procession to the "sepulchre" .• 22 Musical instruments accompanying the procession .... ... 22 Two Virgins impersonated by Ladinas ... ... .."•. ..'..'..22'.' Till San Mateo Ixtatan, continued Rosales: Procession stopping at dácorated enramadas along the way . 22 Latin chants . ... .... 22 The "Centurions" .......... 22 The "Centurions ""coirunit suicide" . 22 Duration of the procession . .. .... 22 Use of rockets .... ... * • • • • • 22 Poles with baskets decorated with colored paper. ...... 22 Visits to crosses in outlyinj districts . ......... 22 People visiting the pyramids during the procession . • 22 Bird-hunting in September .............. • . 23 Marimba and dancing • . • . • . ... ... .23 Costumes of the marimba players .............. .23 Manner of playing the marimba 23 Night watoh for El Seftor Sepultado in the church . .... .23 Drinking of atol at midnight . .... ... .23 Water supply of the pueblo . 23 Type of candles used here, and in Soloma, Santa Eulalia and San Juan • • • • • • . • • • . • • • • . • ••• 23 Budget of San Mateo; salary of Intendente ......... 23 Furnishings for rural schools ......... 23 The rezadores indígenas put in jail in case of bad weather, remaining there until weather improves . • 24 Men's costume 24 Women's costume ...24 Comparison of San Mateo costume with that of San Juan, Soloma and Santa Eulalia • .24 House types on San Mateo 24 La Trinidad (finca) The name, La Trinidad, applied to several fincas 25 Owner of the finca, Marín de Eoheverres 25 Where Indians live on the fincas 25 Indians pay rent for the land they use 25 Genealogy of Diego Alonso .......