Traditions of Guatemala
Wednesday, March 27 – Monday, April 8, 2019

Guatemala is rich in culture, blending its ancient Mayan roots with the influences of its Spanish conquerors. The result is a tapestry of tradition, rooted in place through generations of artisans, with skills passed from mother to daughter and father to son. The stunning mountainous terrain has meant that even nearby villages were hard to reach, so towns have evolved their own unique customs and patterns, exhibited in the vibrant clothing worn by the women.

Join us as we explore Guatemala’s fascinating Mayan roots, and visit a number of non-profits working with women and girls in Mayan communities. We’ll learn about their services, meet local recipients, and take part in some of their activities. We’ll also spend time in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Antigua, with its cobblestone streets and colonial charm. Here we’ll tap into the more-recent Christian outpouring of creativity and devotion that surrounds Semana Santa (Holy Week), in the season leading up to Easter. We’ll watch huge, colorful “carpets” of sawdust and flowers be assembled in the streets to pave the way for monumental processions of floats and life-size statues depicting the death and resurrection of Christ. Emotionally moving and visually stunning, this is a bucket-list experience.

Other trip highlights include:

  • Three days visiting Limitless Horizons Ixil, a remarkable nonprofit in the small town of Chajul, meeting their sponsored girl students and taking part in the life of a rural village

  • A day with the nonprofit Starfish, visiting their innovative school and having lunch with the inspiring girls who are students there

  • Four days on beautiful, volcano-ringed Lake Atitlan, visiting some of the small, quaint towns that dot its shores

  • Demonstrations by master weavers, and a chance to try weaving on a backstrap loom for yourself

  • A visit to Chichicastenango, which hosts the largest indigenous artisan market in the country

Optional post-trip available to the Mayan ruins of Tikal, April 8-10.
Contact Patricia for more information.

THIS TRIP IS FULL.

OAXACA, MEXICO: 
Celebrating Women's Culture and Day of the Dead
October 25 – November 2, 2019

Join us for a unique journey into a world of artisans, village chefs, and Mexico's biggest celebration, which, ironically, is a party for the dead! Our trip takes us from the 500-year-old colonial city of Oaxaca to 3,000-year-old Zapotec villages still immersed in traditional ways of life. Highlights will include: 

  • Meeting talented artisans who turn paper, clay and fabric into works of art for ritual and adornment

  • Learning traditional recipes from a Zapotec chef, and shopping for their ingredients at the local morning market

  • Spending a day visiting rural women empowered by microfinance opportunities to learn about their lives and businesses, and taking part in a natural dyeing workshop using locally-produced indigo

  • Making our own Day of the Dead masks, as well as Mexican chocolate — directly from cacao beans

  • Exploring the beautiful, ancient site of Monte Alban, whose great stone pyramids stand as silent reminders of its bustling metropolis 1500 years past

Our travels culminate around the Dia de los Muertos festivities, this grand tradition that honors the souls of the deceased who return each year to feast and celebrate. The graveyards fill with people, candles, flowers, brass bands and food while home altars – literal cornucopias of food and beauty – are built to welcome back the departed. We’ll be there too, building our own altar to remember and celebrate our loved ones, as well as visiting graveyards and partaking in delicious feasts. 

HERE'S WHAT PAST TRAVELERS HAVE TO SAY:

“It was so much more than I expected. The Dia de Los Muertos was one of the most moving experiences I have had and the chance to visit the people and see how they live their lives in such simplicity and grace was truly a gift. I couldn’t make one suggestion on how to improve this trip!”

“I have traveled much of the world and this trip has to rate near the top for the experiences with the people of Oaxaca.”

“This was one of the best tours I have ever experienced. We felt not only like guests, but like family to the people who opened their homes to us to share their art and skills, their food and their hospitality.”

 

This tour is limited to 13 women, minimum 8 participants. Cost $3295 plus airfare. FOR A DAILY ITINERARY, MORE INFORMATION, OR TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE ON THIS JOURNEY, contact patricia@heartfirejourneys.net or 541-908-0438. Itinerary subject to change. 

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New journey in the works!
MOROCCO, SPRING 2020

Join our email list on the Contact page to get trip details as soon as they’re ready, and to have the first chance to sign up for what will be a highly popular trip!