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Today we went to the Chichicastenango market. When we were planning our trip I wasn't sure that we should do this. I didn't know if it was worth the time and money to come all the way out here. Let me say... YES it was! We left the hotel at 8 this morning and had about an hour drive. The further we went the more and more you saw of the "real" Guatemala. Everywhere along the road were traditionally dressed Mayans walking to the market or working in their fields. I was a little worried about getting to the market and finding our way around. When we got there we had hardly stepped off the van before Victor, a fifteen-year-old boy, came up and asked if he could be our guide. He spoke English pretty well and Caitlan had a great time practicing her Spanish on him.
Notice how short he is compared to Caitlan  He helped us find the things in the market that we were looking for and barter for a good price. He was a nice kid and we had a good time with him.
 The market is HUGE! It is a wall-to-wall sea of humanity. Most are Mayan and almost all are in traditional dress. They are there trading with each other for their food and supplies.
 There were live chickens and pigs, chicken feet, raw meat, lots of vegetables, pots, artwork, beadwork - you name it you can find it there.
 One thing we noticed about the Mayan people is that overall they are very neat and clean. Their houses are very poor but everything is very tidy. Unlike Mexico, where there is garbage and trash everywhere, you do not see that at all. They are very hard working. I mentioned yesterday their fields that are on steep hillsides. Everything is done by hand with a hoe. I can't imagine how long it must take them to do a field. Victor took us to a church that was built over 1,000 years ago. We were not allowed to take pictures inside. It was full of people praying, lighting candles and throwing flower petals. The front steps of the church were full of people selling candles and flowers.
selling flowers and candles for mass  There were 12 Shaman or priests in the church and they were going over the candles that people had lit in prayer and chanting over them and swirling incense over them. They were ornately dressed and important people to the Mayans. You were not allowed to walk up the front steps - you could only go up on your knees. You could walk through a side entrance and look around. It was very sad to see all those people putting their faith in tradition and having no clue about Christ. We are so happy that we went to this market. We saw a part of our girl's heritage that we would have never understood had we not seen it with our own eyes. It was a great experience. So far we have felt very safe and have been treated very well by the people here. We will leave here tomorrow and go back to Guatemala City. We will be getting Elyana tomorrow around 5:00 p.m. We saw so many babies at the market today that we are more anxious than ever to get her!
 I will try to post tomorrow night so you can see pictures of her. Love to all!
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