JUAYUA," SEMANA SANTA" (Easter week)

ALFOMBRA (street painting)

PALM SUNDAY MORNING

CHILDREN PALM SUNDAY PROCESSION

ALFOMBRAS DOWN THE STREETS

CHRIST IN PROCESSION

    Juayua is a beautiful Colonial Village in the cooler mountains of Western El Salvador.  It used to be a major coffee producing area until prices decreased in the 1990s, and the creative people started a popular food & artisan festival on weekends.  A friend & I had a 10 day Easter break from Language School so we decided to travel by local buses through the "Ruta de Las Flores" (the flower route).  I will talk about other villages on the Flower Route in the next couple weeks.  On Palm Sunday morning,(the Sunday before Easter) the children line up on each side of the streets holding palm fronds. We saw fantastic street paintings called "Alfombras." which are made from all natural materials.  People stayed up all night Saturday to create them.  Then on Sunday evening there was a large Procession of men carrying a very heavy carved wood platform with Jesus and the cross from the main Cathedral walking all over the "Alfombras".  It is truly a fleeting and living art form.  I have never seen anything like this in all my travels.  The Procession included ladies carrying candles, a band, and most people in the village (including us..the only 2 Gringas(foreigners) in town) walking until late at night.

LOS CHORROS DE LA CALERA

TOP OF WATERFALL

     We also hiked with a guide to awesome waterfalls called "Los Chorros de la Calera".  It was a difficult hike with slippery rocks and steep ravines, and I was very happy to have our guide's young nephew and friend to help.  We dived in the water, and had fun swimming & playing with the kids.

     Wishing you all a Blessed and Peaceful SPRINGTIME!!!!  with a picture of Beauty here in Western El Salvador.
     

INDIGO ....a Natural Dye.....El Salvador

                                                                        INDIGO ARTIST

     Indigo is an herb plant that grows wild in Central America.  It was a main export crop in El Salvador between the 16th-19th centuries  until Coffee took over in 1872.  In the Colonial period only nobles could wear indigo dyed clothes daily, and others only during Festivals.  Today everyone can wear "denim" blue jeans that have indigo dyed cotton yarn.  Indigo natural dye has regained popularity even though artificial chemical dyes are widely used.  Indigo is environmentally friendly.

The Blue House

     I visited an Indigo artisan that lives in a pretty "Blue" house in a small village, Santiago Nonualco.  She uses cotton fabric because it takes the natural dye best.  Every Indigo artist has unique designs, and no two designs are the same.

     They must first gather the Indigo leaves and a few branches which are then piled up, and they macerate the leaves and branches in water for 12-14 hours until the water turns a green-blue color.  The next step is to agitate the water until it foams white and then let it rest until the next day.  The indigo dye forms a sediment at the bottom of the water that is gathered using sponges.  At this stage its a semi-liquid, and it can be filtered through a cloth until a dark blue paste is formed.  Then it is dried out into a powder in order to store the dye for later use, or it can be added to very hot water for dying the cotton fabric.

The Clay Artisans of ILOBASCO

Erik's wife paints

Tiny miniature clay figures for the "Sorpresas (surprises

Talented Lucia paints miniatures

Lucia & friend paint beautiful miniature clay figures

Ilobasco vista

   Yesterday, I had a wonderful adventure by local bus to the town of Ilobasco which is famous for clay artisans who still make traditional pots and tiny clay miniatures called "sorpresas" (surprises).  Ilobasco is a mountain village where the Lenca Indigenous people lived until the Pipil tribes moved in at the end of the 15th c. , and absorbed their culture.  The Pipils called the town "Hilotaxca"(means place of elote(soft corn) tortillas.  Ilobasco remained mostly indigenous until well into the 18th c.
     Today, Ilobasco clay artisans have held on to their distinct Salvadoran style of beautiful colorful painted pots, vases, plates, and miniature surprises(for example, women selling flowers, or any scene of daily life here) inside a painted clay egg or tiny fruit.  I visited several artisan studios, and also a larger art cooperative called "Moje" which helps teens at risk especially those who have tried to stay out of gang activities.

                                                         Pedro making clay plates to paint

                              Erik

l would especially like to thank Erik and his family for inviting me into their casa (home) and clay studio.  He and his family work very hard each day, and still have time to share their time and hospitality with me.  Their life together is truly "art" and beauty combined.  I had fun with their son who is in the photo of the simple pottery kiln(oven) where they fire the clay pieces.  All their fine clay comes from the surrounding hills.  I saw so many beautiful people, and scenes to paint, and this is just the beginning of my journey.