I love this image! There were two women tending the coop when we arrived, and they sprang into action when they saw a couple of tourists walk in. This woman explained about the spinning...she spins the cotton and wool without a wheel! She turned the spindle, you can barely see the spindle in her right hand, holding out the roving in the other hand. She had on a beautiful skirt and blouse, and sported a mouth full of gold-capped teeth. Then, she showed me some dye pots, and some of the materials they use for dying. They grow their own cotton, and buy the wool from local ranchers. They also weave with chenille, which probably comes from China, but I didn't ask. The work was all beautiful, expert workmanship. I wanted to buy one of everything, but resisted! We made one small purchase, for which Wilfredo stayed behind for a minute, when we left, to collect his commission.
He took us to the herbalist after the weaver's coop. A young Mayan woman gave me a tour of the winter garden, and I recognized lots of plants. She told me about the uses of the plants, what they were good for, and we laughed at the names in spanish and english. They keep a large garden in the spring, summer and fall, but now it's too dry.
Stuart and Karen in the herb garden. Stuart and Wilfredo stood in the shade while I wandered with my guide, Eneida.
Wilfredo, our tuk tuk driver and guide, and Stuart. We both liked this little village. If we were going to stay at the lake longer, we'd surely spend some time in the mountains around this part of the lake.After lunch, Wilfredo drove us along the lake shore road back to San Marcos, about three miles. The road was washed out in some places, after last August's heavy rains. He stopped when I asked, to allow me to take photos. We'd heard that walking this road was not safe, danger of banditos, but we saw enough foot traffic, even a couple of trucks hauling rocks and firewood, that we would make the walk without fear.
Pictures of the trip in the next post...
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