Visit the Mayan villages surrounding Lake Atitlan and meet the weavers, needle-workers, potters, and bead artisans who create the exceptional products of the Guatemalan Highlands.

Guatemala!! The natural splendor of Lake Atitlan, considered one of the most scenic lakes in the world, combined with the majestic volcanoes of the highlands, will create memories for a lifetime. The beauty of the countryside is equaled by the rich culture and heritage of the Mayan people of these highlands who comprise over 50% of the population, and their influence is seen everywhere in the dress, religion, arts, markets, and music in the Guatemalan highlands. Guatemala has long been recognized as producing some of the most beautiful crafts in the world. This travel field seminar, organized and led by Penny Diamanti and Vivian Harvey, will focus on the artisans who produce the exquisitely complex and colorful textiles and beaded art seen in the many vibrant markets of the country and in some of the best museums in the United States. Our primary focus will be the many small Tz’utujil and Kaqchiquel-speaking villages around magnificent Lake Atitlan. Each is known for distinctive village-identity dress and weaving, and as we travel to each village, we’ll observe and discuss many aspects of Guatemalan history, culture, textiles, and art. A highlight of the trip will be a day at the most famous market of Latin America in Chichicastenango, where we’ll mingle with local Mayan families from all over the highlands who have come to sell their crafts and textiles.

This will be a memorable and activity-filled program, with a strong focus on the arts, culture, and social reality of the Mayan people of Guatemala. 

We will set the stage for our travels in Guatemala with one night in Guatemala City to visit two exceptional museums to learn about the rich array and history of the textiles in the villages we’ll visit and to gain an understanding of the rich Prehispanic culture of the Maya.

We’ll then spend two nights in the lovely colonial city of Antigua to acquaint ourselves with the fascinating and tumultuous history of the early days of Guatemala.

We’ll move to Panajachel, on the eastern shore of Lake Atitlan, where we’ll spend five nights and days visiting (mostly by private boat) many of the small colorful villages which dot the lake’s shore. We’ll learn more about contemporary Mayan culture and art as we visit and talk with painters, potters, textile artists, seed beaders, and other artists in the villages.

A final night in Guatemala City will enable us to be close to the airport for a Sunday morning departure for home.  

Itinerary (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner)

Day 1 | Friday, February 21 (D, time permitting)

• Arrival in Guatemala City, transfer to hotel by shuttle (10 minute trip) (Those arriving early in the day could visit the National Archeological Museum close to the hotel.)
  Group dinner for those arriving in Antigua by 7 pm
  Overnight in Guatemala City, Hotel Barcelo

Day 2 | Saturday, February 22 (B, L, D)

• Breakfast at the hotel
  Departure visits to the Ixchel Museum of Mayan Textiles and the Popul Vuh Museum, both on the grounds of the Francisco Marroquín University
  Picnic lunch on the museum terrace
  Visit to the topographical map, outlining the spectacular geography of Guatemala
  Drive to Antigua, colonial small city, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
  Group dinner with Sue Patterson, founder of WINGS, a program focusing on reproductive health for women and girls.
  Overnight in Antigua, Hermano Pedro Hotel

Day 3 | Sunday, February 23 (B, L)

• Breakfast at the hotel
  Visits to several important colonial sites in Antigua, first colonial capital of Guatemala, with Sergio Castillo
  Group lunch on the side of the mountains, overlooking Antigua and the volcanos on the other side of the city Visit to the Jade Factory in Antigua, discussion about the importance of jade in the history of the Maya
  Free time for visiting markets or shops in town or resting, late afternoon
  Dinner on your own (We’ll give recommendations)
  Overnight in Antigua, Hermano Pedro Hotel

Day 4 | Monday, February 24 (B, L, D)

• Breakfast at the hotel
  Departure for drive to the village of Comalapa to see the impressive mural outlining the history of the town, created by the artists of the village
  Lunch en route to Panajachel at the Chichoy Restaurant
  Visit to the weaving cooperative, Asociacíon Maya de Desarrollo of Sololá, to observe dying methods and use of backstrap looms to weave chenille and bamboo scarves
  Mid-afternoon arrival in Panajachel, on the shore of Lake Atitlan
  Group dinner at a lakeside restaurant, the Chaparral
  Overnight in Panajachel, Hotel Regis

Day 5 | Tuesday, February 25 (B, L, D)

• Breakfast at the hotel
  Walk through the public market of Panajachel
  Visit to the village of San Antonio, known for production of unique Lake Atitlan pottery
  Lunch in San Antonio
  Afternoon discussion about the types of beading found in Guatemala
  Cooking class with typical Guatemalan foods, Jabel Tinamit Spanish language school, and enjoying the Mayan dinner we have cooked
  Overnight in Panajachel, Hotel Regis

Day 6 | Wednesday, February 26 (B, L, D)

• Breakfast at the hotel
  Private boat to the largest village on the lake, Santiago Atitlan for a visit the home and studio of David Ixbalam, who works with over a hundred women who use his designs in their beading. Then we will visit the venerated figure of Maximon and go to the Church of St. James, where Father Stanley Rother was murdered during the Civil War.
  Return to Panajachel, optional visit to a museum which outlines the history of Lake Atitlan
  Group dinner in a local restaurant, explanation of contemporary Mayan society and culture, with a marimba concert (national music of Guatemala)
  Overnight in Panajachel, Hotel Regis

Day 7 | Thursday, February 27 (B, L)

• Breakfast at the hotel
  Full day visit to Chichicastenango (private van) for the world-famous market, visit to the Church of Santo Tomas (where the Popul Vuh, the Quiche book of creation was found), and observe the colorful cemetery, seldom visited by tourists and home to a variety of rituals on market days, including incense, alcohol, and the occasional chicken as offerings to Mayan gods for the deceased.
  Buffet lunch in the beautiful colonial Hotel Santo Tomas
  Free time in late afternoon
  Dinner on your own (We’ll give recommendations)
  Overnight in Panajachel, Hotel Regis

Day 8 | Friday, February 28 (B, L, D)

• Breakfast at the hotel
  Travel by boat to San Pedro la Laguna. We’ll start with a visit to the organic coffee processing plant, a one of a collective of cooperatives under the name of FEDEPMA. They also produce fertilizer and organic honey. We’ll visit the gallery of two of San Pedro’s most well-known artists, Mariano Gonzales and his wife, Vicenta. Mariano was among the Guatemalan artists invited to the United States for the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, and one of his paintings is in their permanent collection.
  Dinner at our hotel, sharing thoughts about the travel program and the people we’ve met.
  Overnight in Panajachel, Hotel Regis

Day 9 | Saturday, February 29 (B, L, D)

• Breakfast at the hotel
  Early departure by private launch to San Juan la Laguna, home to many women’s cooperatives. We’ll spend time with the creative woman of the weaving association, Quetzalli Artesania, who specialize in the intricate jaspe weaving, resulting in one-of-a-kind scarves, shawls, and other softly-colored textiles with unique designs. We’ll share lunch with them before returning to Panajachel to board our bus to Guatemala City.
  Drive to Guatemala City, late afternoon arrival at our hotel
  Buffet dinner at the hotel
  Overnight in Guatemala City, Hotel Barcelo

Day 10 | Sunday, March 1 (B, time permitting)

• Breakfast buffet at the hotel
  Departure for the airport, shuttle from hotel to airport

• Note: We will try to follow this schedule as closely as possible, but depending on new opportunities and with some consideration of weather, we may have to make last minute changes.

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Travel Seminar Leaders

Vivian Harvey
Vivian lived and worked in Mexico for almost 30 years and has traveled extensively throughout Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize, and Guatemala with university students and faculty members. She now spends winters in Panajachel, Guatemala. Prior to moving to Mexico, she was the Assistant Dean in the College of Human Ecology at The Ohio State University for ten years. She is the Educational Programs Coordinator at the Cemanahuac Educational Community, where she works with college faculty members across the United States and Canada to establish cooperative academic programs with Cemanahuac for graduate and undergraduate credit. Her educational background includes a degree in education from the University of Michigan, and two graduate degrees from The Ohio State University, one in early childhood education and the other in family studies. A highlight of her time in Guatemala was a two-week period in 1994 when she served as a “bodyguard” for Rigoberta Menchu, the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

Penny Diamanti
Penny grew up living in Europe and Africa where her father was posted as a diplomat. After earning her BA from UC Berkeley and MA in Journalism from University of Colorado, she continued to travel, collecting and researching beads in India, Thailand, Indonesia, Peru, Bolivia, and Guatemala. She worked as a researcher and writer at National Geographic Society before starting her own bead, jewelry, and importing handcrafts from Peru business. This eventually led to three Beadazzled stores in the Washington/Baltimore area. Semi-retired since 2012, she imports beadwork and textile arts from Guatemala, selling them to museum stores. This blends her love for travel to warm places and her desire to support the artistic and entrepreneurial spirit of Guatemalan women, while bringing the products of the vibrant Mayan culture to a wider audience. When in Takoma Park, she continues to teach her unique Color and Design classes for beaders and weavers and her Business Workshop series for creative entrepreneurs.

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Fees

TRAVEL FEE: $1995 (twin) U.S. funds only

• EARLY BIRD SPECIAL: Save $145!
Travel fee of $1850 if you register and make $500 deposit by October 1, 2019

Deadlines

• November 1, 2019:
Deadline for registration forms and $500 deposits
To hold the rooms we’ve reserved at the hotels and to allow our travelers to make firm airline reservations, we need a firm count of participants by November 1, 2019. If the trip is canceled due to low enrollment, the entire deposit will be refunded.

• December 1, 2019:
Balance of payments due
The remainder of the fee $1495.00 (or $1350 for early birds) plus single supplement of $240, if applicable, is due by December 1, 2019.

• Click for registration form

For more information, please email or phone (email is best):

• Vivian Harvey
  vivianharvey43221@gmail.com
  (614) 876-8768
  

Late additions: We may be able to accept reservations after December 1, 2019, on a space-available basis, but it may be more difficult and/or expensive to obtain flights and hotel rooms.

• Please reserve your space on this trip as early as possible, so all participants have as much opportunity as possible to confirm flights, and we have time to confirm rooms for our travelers

The travel fee for this adventure-filled 10-day (9-night) travel program is based on a minimum of ten travelers, and includes the following:
• Hotels, double occupancy, 9 nights (single supplements available for $240)
• Hotel shuttle transfer on arrival and departure days
• Transportation within Guatemala, including boats for Lake Atitlan excursions and vans/busses to markets and villages
• Entrance fees for museums
• Meals, with hot coffee or tea, as follows: all breakfasts and lunches (may not include breakfast on Sunday morning, March 1, if your flight is very early), 7 dinners
• All tips, including baggage in airports and hotels, maids’ tips, and tips for bus drivers No other tips for guides are expected.
• Speakers’ fees and/or donations (Several of these are 501C3 organizations)
• Information about Guatemala and the places to be visited, sent by email to participants prior to the trip
• Bibliography of suggested readings about Guatemala sent to participants before the trip
• Return to airport by hotel shuttle on departure day, March 1, 2020

This travel fee does NOT include:
• Your flights to Guatemala City: extra nights in hotels, drinks other than coffee or hot tea with meals, meals not specified in the itinerary, and personal expenses (laundry, etc.)

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Flight plans and arrangements

Participants should arrange to fly into Guatemala City on Friday, February 21, 2020, and out of Guatemala City on Sunday, March 1, 2020. The first planned event of the program will be dinner at the Barcelo Hotel on Friday night, February 21, 2020. The Hotel Barcelo has an airport shuttle, 10 minute trip.

Travel insurance is recommended but not required.

No special visas are required, but a valid passport is necessary. Please take the time to check to be sure your passport is not near the expiration date when you make your reservation.

Participants will make their own flight arrangements.
Please do not confirm and pay for flight arrangements before the trip is confirmed, which we will do as soon as we receive a minimum of 10 registrations, and by November 1, 2019, at the latest.

If you want to visit Tikal.
Some travelers may want to add several nights for a trip to the magnificent archeological site of Tikal, and information on this will be available for those requesting it. This can be arranged by a reputable Guatemalan travel agency and will include round-trip flights to Flores (Tikal airport). It will not be an escorted trip.

Would you like to come early? Stay longer? Learn more?
Guatemala is a wonderful country to visit in the winter months, with far more to see and learn than we can present in 9 days. If you would like to extend your stay by coming early and/or departing later than the tour dates, we will be happy to help arrange hotels reservations and other details, but winter is a busy time around Lake Atitlan and Antigua and the sooner reservations are made, the easier it will be.

Altitude and general information of level of difficulty
Most of our visit will be spent in towns over 5,200 feet in altitude, and some of our travels will take us to villages up to 7,000 feet. We have not had any problem at this altitude, but travelers should be aware of this.

This is not an overly strenuous program, but travelers need to be healthy and active enough to be able to climb in and out of boats on Lake Atitlan and be able to walk four to five blocks on cobblestone streets or up hills in villages.

Need more information?

• Contact Vivian for more information about fees, reservations, or transportation.

• Contact Penny for information about specific types of crafts.

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