Cerro Quemado
climbing at last
Cerro Quemado is the most unique and strange place we have ever climbed, or have ever visited for that matter. Hundreds of fundamentalist evangelical pilgrims arrive each day from all over Guatemala and even from other countries in Central America to pray, to soak in the spiritual aura of the mountainous, rocky peak, and to speak directly to their god. Graham refers to their experience as "spiritual brainwashing." The vast majority of Central Americans consider themselves either Catholic, Evangelical, or one of the numerous indigenous American religions. However we have noticed the lack of definite borders between these religious denominations and have observed a vast spectrum of different religions resulting from the fusion of western Christianity, Mayan tradition and local beliefs.
While at Cerro Quemado, we observed Mayans in traditional dress carrying colorful bouquets of flowers and more modernly dressed mestizos lugging five foot tall speakers on their backs up the steep trail in order to blast various Christian songs while they sang and prayed. From before dawn until after dusk, the air was filled with the sounds of people chanting, moaning, wailing, and screaming in a disharmonious mix, combined with singing and upbeat, almost mariachi-sounding disco music. The voices and music came from around thirty or forty small outcroppings throughout the mountaintop, as different groups prayed in separate locations in either Spanish or one of the twenty different Mayan languages found in Guatemala. Moving from one area to another, one might hear five to ten of these different groups at any given moment. There was virtually no stop to these sounds, which resonated through the mountainside. It varied from day to day; although, typically it was only quiet from about 2am to 5am. One morning, however, we were awoken at 3am to the screaming voices of our neighbors, who were camping under a palapa (an open thatched or sometimes tin-roofed shade structure). One of our neighbors was performing an exorcism on his friend.
arriving at Cerro Quemado
mucha musica
chanting
jamming in prayer
All of those who we met and with whom we spoke were incredible friendly and kind. Their time praying and being in the beauty of this mystical landscape, with clouds rolling down its jagged peaks and spilling into the valley below, gave these people a sense of elation and happiness which was contagious amongst themselves and to us. Knowing the importance and sanctity of this place to these people, along with our witness of the enormous amount of trash thrown everywhere by these people, confirms that this culture lacks even the slightest environmental awareness. For example, they would leave beautiful flower arrangements, as an offering to their god, in cut-off non-biodegradable 2 liter Pepsi bottles. During the four days and three nights we stayed at Cerro Quemado, we were entertained by the behaviors and customs of these people and in turn we served as entertainment for them. It was not uncommon while we were climbing to turn around and see a small group of onlookers gathering at the base of our climb, watching us. Looking down at groups further away, we noted that we were often distracting them from their prayers. On one occassion, we asked a small group of Guatemalans if they would like to try climbing. Two of them accepted, a young highschool aged boy and an evangelical pastor in his early thirties, dressed in his Sunday best. The pastor was a natural, while the young teen appearing equally fit, struggled on the opening moves. With little interest beyond getting high on the cliff face, the teen climbed up the rope until his fear got the better of him. They were very appreciative of the opportunity, and as we go our separate ways, both us and them walk a little more culturally aware than before.
The summit marker that appeared during our stay. Was this intended for us? Or just for Americans in general?
March 2008
