PANCHIMALCO

Talented Art Students And me

Mural in progress

Artists working

    Panchimalco is a beautiful village still inhabited by many Pancho Indians who are descendants of the Pipil tribe who were strong in the hills around here, and they fought off the Spanish troops longer than most Indigenous people in El Salvador.  Today I had the opportunity to meet and discuss the possibility of working at the Cultural Center with young local artists on murals and art projects which show their rich and vibrant culture.  Some of the youth are working on a mural in progress now.  Their talent and creativity are amazing, and i thank them for sharing a day of art with me.

MURAL PAINTING

Daniel, painting mural at a school in Santo Domingo de Guzman

Cesar painting mural at school in Santo Domingo de Guzman

   This past Thursday, my fellow MKLM friend Erica invited me to her pueblo, Santo Domingo de Guzman to paint murals with 2 Salvadoran artists Daniel & Cesar at an Elementary School.  I admire these 2 brothers who brighten up the lives of kids with their murals.  They also have about 50 local kids who are helping them paint.  I hope to collaborate on more murals with these very talented artists who are dedicated to the "Artful Life" or La Vida de Arte!!!!!!!!

SURFS UP, El Zonte Beach, El Salvador

BEAUTY of El Sunzal, El Salvador

Nora, workshop with Debbie

El Zonte, coast, El Salvador

     The BEAUTY of the Pacific Ocean Beaches here in El Salvador is something that no words can describe.  Surfers from all over the world come here to ride the waves whenever the "Surf is up".

CHILTUPAN BEAUTY

Beautiful Vista from Chiltupan

Maryknoll Lay Missioner Director Debbie leading a Workshop

    Chiltupan is a beautiful village in the Hills above the great surfing beaches of El Zonte and Sunzal.  The name "Chiltupan is an Nahuat Indian name meaning "Chil" (red) and Tiupan (Temple).  Our Maryknoll Lay Missioner Director, Debbie was leading a workshop there, and I was invited along to see some of the great work that she does on social and health issues that affect the people here.

SANTO DOMINGO DE GUZMAN

Santo Domingo De Guzman

Pottery Ladies

Erica, Maryknoll Lay Missioner

     Indigenous (Native Indians) here in El Salvador are surviving in small numbers despite the past history of  government and military efforts to totally massacre them into extinction.  The Nahuat (Nawat) language is still spoken in El Salvador in Santo Domingo De Guzman.  Erica, a fellow Maryknoll Lay Missioner is volunteering to help the Indigenous people save and appreciate their culture which is rich in art, music, history, and spirituality.  I was happy to visit the pueblo, and watch the women make beautiful clay pottery, and hear a man play their music.  We also had a lesson in the Nahuat language which comes from the Uto-Aztecan family.  In El Salvador, their language was almost extinct in the 1980s where only about 200 spoke it.  There have been efforts made by the government and other volunteer groups to save their language, and over 3,000 people speak it now.

A LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

"A LIFE" is Beautiful Sophia

     I had the opportunity a couple weeks ago to visit an Orphanage with Nan.  Nan is a fellow Maryknoll Lay Missioner who arrived about a year & a half ago.  She volunteers with the Nuestra Sra. de Lourdes Parish here just outside San Salvador, and is very dedicated to youth work and the children at the St. Vincent de Paul Orphanage.  The children range from newborns to about 12 or 13 years old, and they come from many kinds of problem homes or tragic situations.  The Orphanage provides a safe and loving place for them.  Nan loves all the children very much, and you can feel that they love her too.

NAN, Maryknoll Lay Missioner

     I know that God is with all the children, and you can feel the LOVE of all the Sisters, staff, and volunteers who care for them each day, and hope for better futures.

FACES = LOVE

HOLA

     This past week I have been visiting some of my fellow Maryknoll Lay Missioner's volunteer sites along with our Pilgrimage Delegation from Minnesota.  I want to show you some photos of faces filled with love despite the difficult challenges for families here in El Salvador.  Later, in the next couple weeks there will be more photos highlighting the people  that we share our lives with and their stories.

LAGO COATEPEQUE

A soft Evening Light

Our "Caballero"(Gentleman} Boat Guide, Jaime

Crystal clear blue water

A Beautiful Sunset for you

     My best friends here in El Salvador are Juliet (The States) and Kristin (Norway).  We had another great adventure by local bus last weekend to one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen....".LAKE COATEPEQUE".  It is an enormous crater lake created by volcanic eruptions hundreds of years ago.  The lake is surrounded by lush green mountains, and has crystal blue clean waters.  We hired a boat guide to take us out on the lake to swim, and also to soak in the hot waters from an underground hot spring just below the lake surface. You can watch the soft mist float across the lake, and then see amazing sunsets behind the mountain vistas. My thanks to Juliet and Kristin for use of their photos on the blog. I really believe that all nature is"living" art. 

AMAZING BEAUTY - PARQUE IMPOSIBLE

WATERFALL  (photo by Neal)

(Back-left ) Me, Juliet, Guide, Margarita, Guide( Front-left) Neal, guide Manolo,boy

Gorge looking down

Friend Neal High Diving

     Parque Imposible is a National Park of incredible beauty about 2 hours west of the Capital, San Salvador.  I went with friends from my Spanish Language School for a long hard hike down wet slippery Jungle slopes to an awesome Cascada (waterfall).  The Park has over 8,000 acres of pristine and lush forests full of very challenging hikes.  It was named "Imposible" because it once had a terrifying gorge where people and animals fell to their death while crossing it to carry their coffee crops to market in the south.  We had 3 guides who took us on the challenging hike about 2 hours down to the waterfall and then 2 hours back up again. Friends Margarita and Neal went with our guide Manolo, and another guide on the most challenging hike, and descent to the lower waterfall where they high dived into the water.  They were awesome!

VIEW FROM TACUBA

     There are over 400 Tree Types, many kinds of Flora and Fauna, over 400 Bird species as well as Butterflies and many Mammals found no where else in El Salvador.  The waterfalls range from about 6 feet to 39 feet tall.  There are also 8 rivers in the Park.
     We based ourselves in the town of Tacuba which has beautiful vistas of the mountains and volcanoes.  I want to thank my friend Neal for the use of his awesome photos!

ATACO MURALS and BEAUTY

     Ataco is another special village along the "Ruta de las Flores" (  Flower route).  I loved the artistic flavor of this place which features the beautiful murals of an artist named "Axul". I enjoyed walking around the town and seeing the murals by Axul and other Salvadoran artists.  This whole coffee growing area has had a "Coffee Renaissance" with Salvadoran tourists looking for the perfect cup of coffee.  It is difficult to describe the beauty of this area without including a photo of some local school boys I talked to.

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.