{"id":18202,"date":"2017-02-13T09:32:00","date_gmt":"2017-02-12T22:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures?p=18202&preview=true&preview_id=18202"},"modified":"2025-02-26T22:56:46","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T11:56:46","slug":"a-visit-to-the-smoking-god-of-guatemala","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/a-visit-to-the-smoking-god-of-guatemala\/","title":{"rendered":"Meeting Maxim\u00f3n, the smoking god of Guatemala"},"content":{"rendered":"

As intrepid travellers, we’re always looking for the best travel experience. We’re embarking on these epic journeys to do crazy and wonderful things, experience the unknown and leave our comfort zone far behind. <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I recently returned from one such trip: a Central America <\/a>adventure where I ate uncountable amounts of ceviche, guacamole and tacos, swam with dolphins, sharks and manatees, explored shadowy\u00a0cenotes,\u00a0<\/em>ancient ruins of Tikal, Tulum and ATM caves full of Mayan history. In short, there were a lot of \u00a0highlights. Picking a favourite was almost impossible. But\u00a0there was this one thing, that wasn\u2019t nearly as pretty, scary, daunting or delicious as the others, that I felt I had to share. Mostly because it was unbelievably strange and wonderful:\u00a0a visit to Maxim\u00f3n, the Smoking God.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our day trip on\u00a0Lake Atitlan<\/h2>\n

\"Guatemala-Lake-Atitlan-blue-pier---Intrepid\"<\/p>\n

Towards the end of my 17-day trip (Intrepid’s Mayan Encounter<\/a>), we arrived\u00a0at the breathtakingly beautiful Lake Atitl\u00e1n. We organised a guided tour to some of the villages along the lakeshore with Josh, an ex-Intrepid leader, who had settled down in the area with his girlfriend. Our boat started from the busy little town of Panajachel, and we visited the villages San Pedro La Laguna and Santiago.<\/span><\/p>\n

The weather was on our side and the lake was incredible\u00a0\u2013\u00a0views over moss-green volcanoes, snacks of bitter\u00a0coffee and sharp chocolate, visits to women\u2019s weaving collectives and art studios where we learnt about our Mayan birth symbols. Our boat landed\u00a0in the little harbour of Santiago, where we stopped for lunch. You know those people who say Mexico is the king of Central American food? Those people are nuts. The food in Santiago was ridiculous, and the special beef Lomito platter with plantains, beans and guacamole is a dish I’m never going to forget.<\/span><\/p>\n

Secrets of Santiago<\/h2>\n

\"Guatemala-Lake-Atitlan-street-kids---Intrepid\"<\/p>\n

For those of you who may not know, Santiago is not only home to an incredible restaurant, El Pescador, it also has a pretty interesting history. Visiting the local church is a must\u00a0– it showcases the peculiar Mayan interpretation of Christianity. Jesus and the saints decked out in the conical red hats and green robes of the Mayans. Guardian spirits of Catholicism and the Tzutuhil pantheon at the same time. The church is also burial site for the heart of Father Stanley Rothers \u2013 literally, just his heart. Stanley Rogers was an American missionary from Oklahoma who fell\u00a0in love with Santiago\u00a0and lived here\u00a0for 13 years. He learnt the local Tzutuhil language, translated scriptures, preached in the local language and taught the indigenous people to read and write. Obviously a popular man with the locals, he was sadly murdered by the Guatemalan army during the civil war in 1981. While\u00a0his body was transported back to America, his heart remained in Santiago, following his parishioners\u2019 request. He always said he lost his heart in Santiago, and in a good example of Central American literalism, they took him at his word.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Lake-Atitlan-Guatemala-guide\"<\/p>\n

But there is more to Santiago than meets the eye. Even if you’re a well-travelled adventurer with a passport full of stamps, I bet you’ve never done anything like pay homage to Maxim\u00f3n, the smoking God.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"guatemala-trip\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The legend of Maxim\u00f3n<\/h2>\n
\"Maximon-Guatemala-Santiago-4---Steven<\/a>

Image c\/o Steven dosRemedios, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n

Josh stopped a few locals and soon found a man who was happy to guide us through little backstreets to the home of Maxim\u00f3n, or at least the effigy of Maxim\u00f3n. He’s also known as\u00a0San Simon, a saint venerated in various forms by Mayan people of several towns in the highlands of western Guatemala<\/a>. As we walked to the place, Josh told us one of the many legends surrounding Maxim\u00f3n: one day, long ago, \u00a0while the village men were off working in the fields, Maxim\u00f3n slept with all (!!) of their wives. When the men\u00a0returned, they\u00a0were so enraged they cut off his arms and legs (most effigies of Maxim\u00f3n are short, often without arms). They also threw him in the lake for good measure. He somehow survived, or returned to life, which is why\u00a0he was then recognised to be a saint. There were also a few stories about\u00a0him running into conflict with Spanish Conquistadors \u2013 and nothing stirs Guatemalan piety like someone who stands up for the old ways against European aggression.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meeting\u00a0Maxim\u00f3n<\/h2>\n

The effigy of Maxim\u00f3n in Santiago\u00a0stays with one of five families, who are members of a religious brotherhood looking after the saint. He stays there for an entire year, and is moved during the procession of Holy Week. Maxim\u00f3n lives\u00a0in a room within the family home, and he is accompanied by two chosen family members at all times. Yep, you read that right: at all times…for a year. The chosen two won\u2019t work for a year;\u00a0guarding Maxim\u00f3n and spending time with him is their full-time job for 365 days.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Maximon-Guatemala-Santiago-3---Zhu\"

Image c\/o Zhu, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n

But that’s not all. These guys are also there to pass on offerings from visitors to the effigy, which are usually in the form of cigarettes, cigars, money or spirits (because that\u2019s what Maxim\u00f3n used to like \u2013 not a bad way to spend eternity). <\/span>Visitors can then ask for good health, good crops or marriage counsel. The two guardians usually\u00a0put on one of Maxim\u00f3n’s two cowboy hats and\u00a0speak to him in a local dialect.<\/span><\/p>\n

We entered Maxim\u00f3n’s room cautiously and had a look around. Both sides of the room were filled with\u00a0Jesus figures and little figurines of the\u00a0Three Wise Men or other Saints, standing, kneeling, or lying in glass sarcophagi, tucked into animal blankets and keeping Maxim\u00f3n company. There were\u00a0candles and incense burning everywhere. The ceiling was covered with bobbing balloons and fairy lights, and jolly but slightly tinny Guatemalan\u00a0folk music blared from a speaker somewhere. There was a palpable air of mystery.<\/p>\n

\"Maximon-Guatemala-Santiago-2--Bobulix\"<\/a>

Image c\/o Bobulix, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n

We bought Maxim\u00f3n a couple of cigarettes so he could smoke, and his guardians introduced us to him in Tzutuhil, explained which countries we were coming from and asked\u00a0for good health and luck and blessings for us. It looked like they were having a casual chat, the guardian resting his arm on Maxim\u00f3n\u2019s shoulder in a brotherly way, stopping his speech every once in a while, as if listening for\u00a0Maxim\u00f3n’s reply, or simply to tip the ash off his cigarette. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you want to share a drink with Maxim\u00f3n, you can do that too. He likes\u00a0the local \u2018Quetzalteco\u2019 and his guardians will pour it through Maxim\u00f3n\u2019s mouth. Because he’s\u00a0hollow, the liquid flows\u00a0through him and out between his leather boots. It’s then caught in a glass and drunk by the guardians or other family members\u00a0who happen to be passing through. Like some kind of spiritual keg you can tap. If you’re wondering ‘How often do they clean Maxim\u00f3n’, the answer is never. This means the guardians are always\u00a0drunk, or at least sleeping off a big drink. All the time. During our visit, the two guys on\u00a0drink-shift were tuckered out, resting their heads on the table behind Maxim\u00f3n, having a little nanna-nap, until they had to down the next shot. What a way to spend an entire year!<\/span><\/p>\n

A blessing<\/h2>\n

We were with Maxim\u00f3n for about 10 to 15 minutes, and I think the family was genuinely happy that we came to hang out. It was getting late, and soon Maxim\u00f3n had to sleep. He was places in a little alcove under a hole in the ceiling. It was a relaxed atmosphere, but when we left\u00a0the small and dark room and walked back to the boat through the back alleys of Santiago, I was asking myself, ‘Did that just happen?’. <\/span>It\u00a0was one of the most intimate moments I ever shared with a local community. A totally bizarre insight into a way of life I’d never heard of before. I couldn’t wipe the grin of surprise off my face the whole time we were there. It felt special to be welcomed into Maxim\u00f3n’s inner sanctuary.<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s one thing to learn about other cultures or religions, walk through foreign streets and stare up\u00a0at beautiful buildings, but to become a part of people living it, even if only for 15 minutes, is what travelling to these far away destinations is all about. Thanks Maxim\u00f3n, for giving us your blessing. I hope I will see you again. And when I do, the drinks are on me.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Want to explore Santiago? Check out our Guatemala\u00a0group adventures for all the info.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"feeling-inspired-2\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One thing stuck out on my recent trip. 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