About Patzicía, Guatemala
Guatemala is a country where a large percentage of the people work the land, so it is a land of small farms. Patzicía is a pueblo of about 23,000 people, but seems much smaller, probably due to the fact that their dwellings are built so close together. It is surrounded by small fields owned by families who live on the vegetables they grow. They eat some of the products and sell the rest in the local markets. In the market one can hear Spanish spoken, but mostly they speak Kaqchikel, one of the 22 different languages spoken by the Maya.
Most of the women wear the beautiful bright traditional Corte and Güipil while men on the other hand wear traditional western wear. It is not unusual to see the older women walking barefoot carrying their burdens on their heads, while the men use a mecapal to carry their burdens on their backs.
In the early mornings and late evenings men can be seen walking to and from their homes with their animals or with their azadones, while the woman walk to the community pila to wash their clothes.
Patzicía is about 2 hours away from beautiful Panajachel and Lake Atitlan which is considered one of the five most beautiful lakes in the world. It is also about 1.5 hrs away from the beautiful town of Antigua and its ancient Spanish Colonial buildings. On the weekends and vacations most volunteers take advantage of these and other beautiful sites such as: Guatemala City, Tikal, Livingston, Semuc Champey, Monterico, Champerico, Rio Dulce, and even Belize, Caye Caulker, San Pedro, and Honduras. In short Patzicía is a great place to live.