Location: Guatemala Length: 14 min
As keepers of what they believe is the very navel of the world, people in the highland Guatemalan town of Santiago Atitlán hold the cosmos itself in balance by performing rituals (see TAC video Balancing the Cosmos) echoing the ancient traditions of their prehispanic Mayan ancestors. Closed by civil war, the town's hospital, or Hospitalito, reopened after 15 years with great hopes in April 2005. On October 5, 2005, tropical storm Stan sent a six foot wall of mud that struck the Hospitalito and buried alive 1400 town residents.
A film by Andrew Weeks
Web links:
Balancing the Cosmos: Easter Week (Mesoweb)
History of Guatemala (Wikipedia)
Hospitalito Atitlán (official hospital Web site)
Maya Adventure (Science Museum of Minnesota)
Maya Cosmo-Vision (Yucatan Adventure)
Mystery of the Maya (Canadian Museum of Civilization)