By Colin Mulherin
We started the day off with a long drive through the mountainous roads in Guatemala, we left Estabans house and after a few short hours we reached an ancient ruin site filled with Mayas weaving and cooking, we explored around the ruins which once stood as large temples to the Mayan gods. Suddenly we all met back up and went through a pathway in the forest, the pathway felt like it led to a whole other culture center where we saw Mayas giving offerings to an active temple, and keeping a bonfire constantly lit. Afterwords we drove a few more hours up and down the Guatemalan countryside to a house on Lake Atticlon.
The whole day really made me think about the diverse sets of cultures in Guatemala, we went from the urban life in Guatemala City, drove through the countryside and saw small towns, ancient traditions, and to top it off a town at the base of several volcanoes next to a lake. This day really made me consider the different lifestyles and cultures all packed into Guatemala, and how the quality of life between these places differed for better or for worse.
CCS GLOBAL EDUCATION 
When you were in Guatemala City, did you notice any advertisements or billboards that used Spanish actors as the people in the advertisements or see Mayan actors in the advertisements?
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When you said, “all of the cultures” packed into Guatemala….what kind of different cultures did you see?
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Did you see more Mayan people or more Spanish people?
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It is always good to here about what we are taking notes on in class. After reading this article I am able to better understand the unification of the Mayans
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Is there anything from Mayan’s lifestyle stood out to you? What is different (if any) between Mayan’s lifestyle and others’?
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I really like your post. I’m glad to hear that the mayan culture is still going even knowing its not public. I like the part about the ongoing bonfire near one of the offering temples, because rituals like that will keep the culture living and keep it from being hidden away completely.
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Through experiencing all of these cultures and lifestyles how did it make you view yourself?
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Because the statues and ruins that you visited were in fact, ruins, and not the entirety of the statues that the Mayans had built, did you still feel a strong connection towards the community? I read in your post that there was still a lot of Mayan influence in the area, were you able to see any influence from the urban world carry on into the Mayan community?
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