 |
||
SantiagoAround the Lake Atitlán Today History Weaving Art Mayan Religion Feria Social Projects Local Business Tienda Santiago Links Photo Archive 2005 Disaster Music Festival Virtual Maximon
|
Town has been changing at increasing speed since the end of the War. Atitecos have always been very industrious. During the war everyone hid whatever they had for fear of losing it. As soon as the hostilities stopped there was a great big housing and growth boom that has continued until this day. Everyone is building new houses or adding on to their old one. The handycraft industry got a boost from the peace process, and town was slowly progressing until Hurricane Stan, in 2005, when the whole infrastructure just fell apart (see the 2005 Disaster). The town has elected a new mayor, and the National elections are over as well. The winner of the mayors race was Manuel Reanda Pablo from the UNE party. He will start work in January, and we have lots of hope because he is a very progressive person. We will see. Here is how Santiago Atitlan voted: | |
|
||
Mayors Election by Percentage |
Mayors Election by number of votes |
|
Presidential Race |
Official Mayoral count |
|
The most important (and unfortunate) late news involves the depredations that have been occurring on Chuitinamit: The main pyramid has been raped: a huge hole has been dug down from the top down to the lower foundations by antiquity thiefs. Even more unfortunate (and stupid) is the fact On the positive side, the bodega out at the new Hospitalito is finished... just needs the final touches and it can be put to use. The next step is getting the hospital itself underway. A new group has emerged: the Friends of the Hospitalito, a totally grassroots movement whose purpose is to provide the local population with a way to personally help the efforts. They have currently started a local "donate a block" project that is working with the schools and other social organizations. |
||
that the most important of the rock carvings on Chuitinamit, the jaguar, was covered over with cement by the idiot who owns the land... he didn't want anybody trespassing on his land. This is a major crime against the national patrimony and will definitely be reported to the Ministry of Culture. Something needs to be done, or Chuitinamit will become just another field of rubble!