La Feria

Three days ago I began traveling to a small Guatemalan Highland town calledMomostenango, about 1.5 hours outside of Xela, to help my friend Robin Blotnick film a documentary about both the traditional folkloric dances and the more modern Disfraz dances preformed in this town every year as part of their Feria, or annual fair.

Momos, as the town is called by Guatemalans, is in the mountains above Xela, along a beautiful road which passes first through a town called San Francisco El Alto and afterwards through a green, dry forest.  The layout resembles that of many Guatemalan villages, namely a collection of adobe and (more predominantly) cinder block homes and businesses, centering upon a church, plaza and central mercado.   The  people are probably 95% of indigenous Mayan descent, if not more.  Quiche seems to be spoken by everyone, with Spanish as a second language.  Momos is a traditional Mayan town in the sense that it adheres to the 260 day Mayan Calendar and has altars spread out throughout the town in which ceremonies can be performed, including in the central plaza.

The town is very much NOT touristy, with no real restaurants, only the Guatemalan comedor,  more or less akin to a U.S. diner, which serves typical Guatemalan food at cheap prices, more or less $2 for a complete meal.  Most of the hotels are pretty basic affars, though we have found the Hotel Otono, a nicer affair (we hope) where we will beliving for the next two weeks starting Saturday.

In spite of, (or maybe because of?), the fact that Momos is not a tourist town, the people are incredibly nice.  My role in the making of the film is serving as both a translator & interpreter for the film’s producer within the context of the film and as more of a guide & negotiator within the town, helping us to get permission from officials and from townspeople to film the town and its events.  Its been an amazing experience to be able to get to know a Guatemalan pueblo in this manner; not merely passing through, but actually getting a chance to talk to all sorts of people about their practice of their own traditions, as well as observing said traditions.  I’ve been working hard at helping folks feel comfortable with the fact that there is a film crew around, and by and large this has been possible.  I’m sort of in disbelief that I’ve been able to pick up enough Spanish and Guatemalan customs to make this possible, and am really enjoying being able to do it.

In the course of making the film we will be watching the process of putting together the dances, observing the dances themselves and speaking with dancers, musicians and the townspeople.  I’ll update more with pictures and more specific info about the dances as I learn more.