If you're ever in Chichi, stay at the Hotel Santo Tomas

Thursday was a chance to go to state of Quiche – or departments, as they are called in Guatemala. We saw another project in that city that CFCA was working on in the town of Quiche. Then we saw some Mayan ruins (you have to use your imagination) before getting a little rest stop in Chichicastatenango, which more or less means “home of the Chichicasta.” It's a small, sturdy tree with terrible thorns that will give you a rash if you come into contact with them.



Quiche seems to be better off than San Lucas Toliman, where the CFCA Guatemalan headquarters are. However, I didn’t expect to encounter Hotel Santo Tomas, a magnificently-appointed hotel in the middle of Chichi.


There was Catholic artwork throughout the building.
Crucifixes along a stairwell:

A painting of the crucifix of Christ in the hotel lobby:


One thing I’ve learned about this country is the Catholics are very serious about their faith and aren’t afraid to express it. It has made for some great conversations with other Catholics about our faith and where it is headed.

UPDATE: One thing I didn't mention when I posted this entry was an example of violence in the Quiche area. Wednesday night a man and his two sons were gunned down in the area. Apparently, he was staunchly against deforestation, and the thought is the logging company had him and his sons eliminated. Last year, a nun who was anti-deforestation was also killed. It brings to mind tales of railroad companies in Colorado who used violence to achieve their goals.