Tzibal Slideshow from Ben Sampson on Vimeo.
Showing posts with label Tzibal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tzibal. Show all posts
Monday, 26 November 2012
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Here & Back Again
So, it has been 7 months, over
40,000 miles and an additional 14 country stamps but I’m back. Can’t say this
was a part of the plan but it’s nice to be back in the land of black sand,
tortillas and traje, aka home. The infamous Allie Stote and I hit the ground
here in Guatemala one week ago. And in the days that followed we criss-crossed
this small funny shaped country by Tuc-tuc, Micro, Pullman, and Chicken bus. We
visited Antigua and Operation Groundswell’s amazing partner As Green as it Gets. This coffee
cooperative made up of Guatemalan campesinos and one very loveable, albeit
pessimistic, ex-pat, continues to forge sustainable livelihoods for its members
through creative agricultural practices and a variety of innovative development
programs. We then travelled north to Xela where Quetzaltrekkers keeps
on trucking ready and willing trekkers to the Guatemala’s highest volcanic and
non- volcanic points while supporting some of the country’s most
underprivileged children through the Escuela
de la Calle (EDELAC) and El Hogar. This year, Quetzaltrekkers will help our
crew get on tops of things and in return OGG will be establishing a scholarship
fund for QT’ kids. Before skippin’ town we had to stop in a say “hola” to the
equally amazing Escuela La Paz
where OGG 2012 will be studying Spanish alongside an incredible group of
indigenous women.
1½ hours north
of Xela near the small city of Colomba ex-guerilla fighters have traded their
tools of war for tools of trade, the coffee trade that is. After arranging some
sweet digs with the local coffee farmers and families of Santa Anita La Union,
Allie and I turned back south eventually reaching the warm shores of Lago
Atitlan and the open arms of San Juan la Laguna and Rupalaj Kistalin. This indigenous
Tzitsujil community is increasingly turning its small artisanal and eco-industries
into income generating tourist attractions while maintaining its rich cultural
and linguistic heritage. But despite the temptations of this laid-back lakeside
paradise we journeyed on. First south to Guate then east to Alta Verapaz and
the tiny town of Tzibal. There OGG past and present will collide in a crazy
construction project called La Cancha (The “Court”). This innovative community
centre and basketball/soccer court features a water catching roof, composting
toilettes, and organic garden (complete with 20lb radishes!). But after
meetings with the COCODE (Development council), on-site coordinator, community
teachers, and a night’s rest in a lawn chair we retraced our steps to Guate and
the cozy casita of friends Luchy & Fam. And here we waited for OGG 2012 to
begin…
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
The Land of Love & Tortillas
Tzibal is a small indigenous village located about two kilometers from Campur in what I affectionately call Guatemala’s “egg carton hills” but don’t try to find it on a map. There are about 380 Q'eqchi' residents who rely on the farming of coffee, cardamom, bananas, black pepper, and mandarins as their principle sources of income. The community has no electricity or running water, but has just acquired a cell-phone signal, albeit faint, and to we CLARO carrying Trip Leader’s frustration, only for those with TIGO. We also quickly learned that the community boasts abundances of love, generosity, and tortillas, so many tortillas.
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| The Egg Carton Hills |
From our bienvenidos at the escuela, to meals with our lovely families, soccer games in the street, haircut, healthcare, and Chicky (oh so delicious chocolate covered cookies) runs to Campur, jungle hikes, evening masses, and poolside parties, OGG spent an amazing week cultivating cross-cultural connections and constructing a “bottle school.”
Bottle School projects are being undertaken across Guatemala with the support and tutelage of OG partner, Hug-It-Forward. HIF is a San Diego-based non-profit that blends intangible change with tangible results. They utilize 100% of donations on the ground in the communities where bottle schools are built; meaning absolutely no money is taken for overhead or salaries. Their Bottle Schools are only initiated by community invitation and initiative. The participation of the collective ensures a sense of local ownership and pride while serving the educational needs of the community’s children. Hug-it-Forward then coordinates with the Guatemalan Ministry of Education, and other organizations (including PeaceCorps), to facilitate the construction and sustainability of the innovative structures and its services. There are already no less than 10 built in Guatemala with many more in the planning stages.
Bottle School projects are being undertaken across Guatemala with the support and tutelage of OG partner, Hug-It-Forward. HIF is a San Diego-based non-profit that blends intangible change with tangible results. They utilize 100% of donations on the ground in the communities where bottle schools are built; meaning absolutely no money is taken for overhead or salaries. Their Bottle Schools are only initiated by community invitation and initiative. The participation of the collective ensures a sense of local ownership and pride while serving the educational needs of the community’s children. Hug-it-Forward then coordinates with the Guatemalan Ministry of Education, and other organizations (including PeaceCorps), to facilitate the construction and sustainability of the innovative structures and its services. There are already no less than 10 built in Guatemala with many more in the planning stages.
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| How it works |
But I’ll let Ali, Allison, and our fantastic PeaceCorps host, Hannah, share there takes.
Hannah (quoted from her blog ¨Cartas de Lejos”):
“The 11 volunteers (Canadian and American University students/recent grads) stayed in the village with host families and worked at the school each day, classifying the 10,000 bottles (a horribly tedious task that I owe them big time for) hauling rocks, and playing with the village children. I owe these guys a huge thanks for their time, dedication, and amazing enthusiasm for the bottle project and the Tzibal community at large. The community could not have been prouder to host this lovely group of "kaxlan," and their stay will long be remembered by the families they stayed with and the children who will soon have a brand-new school.”
Allison adds:
“… Well, we tried to spend the week working, but we kept getting distracted by the kids wanting to play with us, the teachers taking pictures of us, women inviting us to their weekly woman’s group, families taking us on a hike through the jungle, and the whole town throwing us a fiesta that lasted for 6 hours. What a week. But we did manage to move some concrete and sort the thousands of bottles that will be used in the construction of the bottle school…”
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| Constructing Bottle School Additional photos courtesy of Laura Huddart |
“Tzibal stole our hearts to the fullest extent. From the first step we took into the classroom to the last steps we took out of the aldea [hamlet], we felt the strongest sense of hospitality imaginable. Upon our arrival, the teachers and students arranged us to walk in a single file line into the classroom so that they could give us each an individual round of applause.”
They then serenaded us with Q’eqchi’ and Spanish songs, challenged us to games of musical chairs and fed us fresh fruit and Caparina. When we finally admitted defeat, we were introduced to the families with whom we would be spending the week. The hospitality however, never ceased.
“Throughout the entire week they housed us, fed us, did our laundry, and genuinely cared for us as a family would. What really got me was that they provided us with everything we needed and more, which was particularly grounding considering they had next to nothing to give. Living with next to nothing, my family showed me what it was to be truly happy. This is a community with no running water, no electricity, and few, if any, living comforts at all, and yet they live like they have all they need. In carrying out their daily lives, they taught by example that simplicity makes for a richer life than complexity. This mindset rang through the entire community; never before have I interacted with happier children than those of Tzibal, and what do they have? A community soccer ball, basketball, and volleyball. The ability of those children to take what they have and make the very most of it was, to say the least, refreshing after growing up surrounded by the excesses of North America. The spirit of the entire community- men, women, and children- was in one word inspiring. I have never met a more resilient, hospitable, and purely happy group of people in my entire life.
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| The kids of Tzibal Additional photos courtesy of Allie Stote, Allison Isaak, and Laura Huddart |
Allison goes on to describe the unique connection that was made.
“From the moment we set foot in the community to the moment we left, we felt so welcomed … Sure we didn’t speak any Q’eqchi’ and yes, most of our host mom’s didn’t speak any Spanish either, but somehow we still communicated and connected and my host mom still wanted my cell number, not sure what she will do with it but the gesture was really touching. She also tried to teach me how to make tortillas at which I failed miserably but I made a solid effort. The whole community was so thankful for our presence and so gracious to us that we at times felt like we hadn’t done enough for them in return for all their gratitude, and so to my family and friends in Tzibal, I say, “bantiosh,” [Thank you in Q’eqchi] and hopefully we were able to have as positive an impact on Tzibal as Tzibal had on us.”
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| OGG & Tzibal Additional photos courtesy of Allison Isaak, Chelsea Poupore, and Laura Huddart |
“B'antiox” indeed. OGG was so touched by the hospitality, generosity, and so taken by the genuine connections they made with the community of Tzibal that participants decided that their work on the bottle school was just simply not enough. So after some, but not much, deliberation, and an über unanimous decision that OGG’s fundraising should stay with its heart, in Tzibal. For those unfamiliar with Operation Groundswell: One unique part of OG’s program is that each and every participant is required to fundraise $1000, 50% of which is used to facilitate contributions to local partners and projects, and, in part, to help offset the burden and costs associated with accommodating X number of gringos. 35% is secured in a central OG fund for larger scale and longer term projects while 10% is used to carbon offset all participant and TL flights.
So, OGG reflected on the week’s events and recalled their participation in a community meeting which all of the town’s women and many of the children attended. The gathering had been held in an old church space because none of the women’s houses were big enough to host the group. They remembered that the following night, we had attended an evangelical church service that was held in someone’s one-room homestead. Locals and OGers had been crammed onto the few benches with children, big and small, necessarily sitting on their parents’ laps. Nevertheless, many people had been forced to stand in the doorways and outside the house to participate in the service. Additionally, our work in and around the school and afternoon activities with the kids had made us all acutely aware that the only space for outdoor games and sport was on the town’s main road, a sloping patch of dirt and gravel, where in addition to the dangers of turning vehicles, serious falls, scrapes, and bruises were common. Needless to say the community’s need for a safer place to play and learn was obvious. And combining this need with the lack of space for women’s meetings and social gatherings, we came to the conclusion that fundraising could be used to contribute to the construction of a recreational and civic space. So a covered “Cancha“ was proposed. Not just a safe place for games, gym class, and after school sports, but a public space capable of accommodating the community’s social congregations.
The team voted and agreed that – pending the wishes of Tzibal’s 300 citizens – we would continue working with Tzibal to construct its first Centro de Comunidad.
Enthusiasm for the collaborative project hasn’t diminished. A potential design has been generously provided by Baird Sampson Neuert Architects and a new larger plot of land acquired courtesy of a local resident. However, even with the pledges of land and labour, material costs will still exceed community means and OGG’s budget. Participants have therefore channelled their enthusiasm into a renewed fundraising effort. The goal is $6,500, a daunting task but a modest sum for what will become a social hub and living testament to cross-cultural and communitarian initiative. For all those equally inspired to help, we invite, nay, we ask that you to make a pledge, small or large, Quetzal or Dollar.
So, OGG reflected on the week’s events and recalled their participation in a community meeting which all of the town’s women and many of the children attended. The gathering had been held in an old church space because none of the women’s houses were big enough to host the group. They remembered that the following night, we had attended an evangelical church service that was held in someone’s one-room homestead. Locals and OGers had been crammed onto the few benches with children, big and small, necessarily sitting on their parents’ laps. Nevertheless, many people had been forced to stand in the doorways and outside the house to participate in the service. Additionally, our work in and around the school and afternoon activities with the kids had made us all acutely aware that the only space for outdoor games and sport was on the town’s main road, a sloping patch of dirt and gravel, where in addition to the dangers of turning vehicles, serious falls, scrapes, and bruises were common. Needless to say the community’s need for a safer place to play and learn was obvious. And combining this need with the lack of space for women’s meetings and social gatherings, we came to the conclusion that fundraising could be used to contribute to the construction of a recreational and civic space. So a covered “Cancha“ was proposed. Not just a safe place for games, gym class, and after school sports, but a public space capable of accommodating the community’s social congregations.
The team voted and agreed that – pending the wishes of Tzibal’s 300 citizens – we would continue working with Tzibal to construct its first Centro de Comunidad.
Enthusiasm for the collaborative project hasn’t diminished. A potential design has been generously provided by Baird Sampson Neuert Architects and a new larger plot of land acquired courtesy of a local resident. However, even with the pledges of land and labour, material costs will still exceed community means and OGG’s budget. Participants have therefore channelled their enthusiasm into a renewed fundraising effort. The goal is $6,500, a daunting task but a modest sum for what will become a social hub and living testament to cross-cultural and communitarian initiative. For all those equally inspired to help, we invite, nay, we ask that you to make a pledge, small or large, Quetzal or Dollar.
On behalf of OGG 2011 and the community of Tzibal, Thank You, Gracias, and B'antiox!
Pledges and donations will be accepted on Operation Groundswell’s dojiggy fundraising site available below.
For more information: See an executive summary of the project proposal below or please feel free to contact me or any of the other team members. Directions are at the bottom.
Project Proposal: Executive Summary
Introduction
Tzibal is a small indigenous village located about two kilometers from Campur in what I affectionately call Guatemala’s “egg carton hills”. There are about 380 Q'eqchi' residents who rely on the farming of coffee, cardamom, bananas, black pepper, and mandarins as their principle sources of income. The community has no electricity or running water, but abundances of love, generosity, and tortillas, so many tortillas.
From OGG’s bienvenidos at the escuela, to meals with our lovely families, soccer games in the street, haircut, healthcare, and Chicky (oh so delicious chocolate covered cookies) runs to Campur, jungle hikes, evening masses, and poolside parties, OGG spent an amazing week cultivating cross-cultural connections and, when there was time, “building” a bottle school. But it didn't end there.
Tzibal is a small indigenous village located about two kilometers from Campur in what I affectionately call Guatemala’s “egg carton hills”. There are about 380 Q'eqchi' residents who rely on the farming of coffee, cardamom, bananas, black pepper, and mandarins as their principle sources of income. The community has no electricity or running water, but abundances of love, generosity, and tortillas, so many tortillas.
From OGG’s bienvenidos at the escuela, to meals with our lovely families, soccer games in the street, haircut, healthcare, and Chicky (oh so delicious chocolate covered cookies) runs to Campur, jungle hikes, evening masses, and poolside parties, OGG spent an amazing week cultivating cross-cultural connections and, when there was time, “building” a bottle school. But it didn't end there.
OGG was so touched by the
hospitality, generosity, and so taken by the genuine connections they made with
the community of Tzibal that its participants decided that their work on the
bottle school was just simply not enough. So, after some deliberation and a unanimous
vote it was decided that OGG’s fundraising should stay with its heart, in
Tzibal. For those unfamiliar with Operation Groundswell: One unique part of
OG’s program is that each and every participant is required to fundraise $1000,
approx. 50% of which is used to facilitate in-country contributions to local
partners and projects. Approx. 35% is secured in a central OG fund for larger
scale and longer termed projects while 10% is used to carbon offset all
participant and TL flights.
After
some reflection and community consultation, the need for a safer site to play
and facility capable of accommodating community congregations was made explicit.
Consequently, participants concluded that they should respond to the
community’s request and contribute to the construction of a civic and
recreational space, the result is “La Cancha” project, a covered outdoor Centro
de Comunidad.
Enthusiasm
for the collaborative project hasn’t diminished. A potential design has been
generously provided by Baird Sampson Neuert Architects and a new larger plot of
land acquired courtesy of a local resident. However, even with the pledges of
land and labour, material costs will still exceed community means and OGG’s
budget. Participants have therefore channelled their enthusiasm into a renewed
fundraising effort. The goal is $6,500, a daunting task but a modest sum for
what will become a social hub and living testament to cross-cultural and
communitarian initiative. For all those equally inspired to help, we invite,
nay, we ask that you to make a pledge, small or large, Quetzal or Dollar. Donations
can be made at www.operationgroundswell.causevox.com/Tzibal
On
behalf of OGG 2011 and the community of Tzibal, Thank You and B'antiox!
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| The current situation Additional photos courtesy of Allie Stote and Laura Huddart |
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| La Cancha - The Beginning |
The Goal (Why Give?)
The principal goal of the Cancha project is to construct a public and multi-purpose community centre and versatile recreational infrastructure. The site is situated in close proximity to the community school facilitating its use for school related games, sports, and activities. Outside of school hours the space will be available for soccer, volleyball, and basketball providing a safe space away from the effects of alcohol and domestic violence, which remain concerns in rural communities such as Tzibal. Additionally, the community centre will provide a forum for cultural and civic gatherings, including fiestas, ferias, performances, community consultations, and the women’s group meetings. Tzibal’s access to comparable facilities is limited by its isolation. Moreover, localizing such events will promote civic engagement and cultural enrichment, sustaining and further fostering the strong sense of community already present in Tzibal.
Based on community consultation, OGG consulted award winning Toronto firm, Baird Sampson Neuert Architects about plausible design options. Preliminary plans were subsequently drawn up and presented to Tzibal in September 2011. The design includes a paved court with nets and goal posts. Reminiscent of a Mayan ball court, 3 tier bleachers will frame the two lengths of the Cancha. Two steel support arms and one tensioned cable in an A-frame formation will stand in each of the four corners (two tall: approx. 7 metres and two low: approx. 3 metres). The roof utilises a web of steel cabling held in tension by the rigid steel substructure. Suspended above, aluminum panelling will span the 1000m2 tented surface providing shade, shelter, and natural drainage. Beneath the two low drainage points will be 20,000+ litre cast concrete cisterns. Positioned, adjacent to the catchment cisterns will be sanitation facilities (special sinks known as pilas as well as showers) with latrines positioned nearby. |
| The Innovation Courtesy of Baird Sampson Neuert Architects |
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| The Preliminary Design Courtesy of Baird Sampson Neuert Architects |
The benefits of the Cancha’s innovative design and the campus’ multifunctional holism are as follows:
1. The suspension roof and substructure minimize the use steel components reducing weight while maximizing strength and reducing overall cost by more than $10,000.
2. The paneled cable roof is devised to act as rainwater catchment system channelling rain water from its 1000m2 surface area to cisterns below providing a sustainable public source of potable water and service to sinks (pilas) and showers on site. Average precipitation in the area can reach 400mm/year and, therefore, catchment potential is over 320,000 litres/year.
The campus will also accommodate dry composting toilettes which will, in combination with the sinks and showers, service a sanitation and nutrition program developed by Youth Development Peace Corps worker, Hannah Gdalman. Pilas and showers will service improved community hygiene regiments, while the DAFF inspired dry composting latrines will improve waste management and provide fertilizer for a tiered fruit and vegetable garden that will in turn contribute needed nutrient rich foods to local diets.
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| The Second Draft Courtesy of Baird Sampson Neuert Architects |
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| The Floor Plan Courtesy of Baird Sampson Neuert Architects |
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| A-Frames, Cisterns, and ... Courtesy of Baird Sampson Neuert Architects |
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| ... Composting Latrines Courtesy of Baird Sampson Neuert Architects |
Project Revenue in CAD$
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Tzibal Community Donation
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$ 600 + all manual labour and transport
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OGG 2011 Donation
OGG Alum Fundraising |
$ 1,500
$ 6,500 |
Pending OG Project Fund Request
|
$ 6,500
|
Pending OGG 2012 Donations
Municipality Contribution Total Revenue |
$ 2,000
Basketball/Soccer Nets $ 17,100 |
Project Expenses in CAD$ | |
Land Property
|
$ 2,000
|
Gravel
|
$ 1,500
|
Steel Posts
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$ 1,500
|
Roof Cables
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$ 4,000
|
Aluminum Roofing
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$ 3,500
|
Cement
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$ 3,000
|
Goal posts/nets
|
no cost
|
“Pila” Sinks, Shower & Toilet
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$ 1,000
|
Transport of Materials
|
no cost
|
Manual Labour
|
no cost
|
Total Expenses | $ 16,500 |
The Plan
The initial project proposal and preliminary design, which was developed by the OGG 2011 participants, henceforth referred to as OGG Alum, Program Coordinators, Ben Sampson and Jay Wall, as well as Baird Sampson Neuert Architects, received overwhelming support from community leaders. However, the Cancha will require approximately $20,000 worth of land, labour, and material inputs. Although, this is dramatically cheaper than similarly sized structures and more easily implementable than more traditional court designs, it nevertheless, remains well beyond the means of any single stakeholder and thus can only be achieved through a sustained collaborative initiative. For their part, OGG Alum committed $1,500 to help secure the two cuerdas of land required for the facility’s footprint and to facilitate the commencement of necessary clearing and grading. This was delivered in person on October 3, 2011 by Ben Sampson. The OGG Alum additionally pledged to raise $6,500 privately in hopes that that number would be matched by OG’s central project fund. In this regard, on October 9, 2011, a project proposal was submitted to OGHQ which included a formal request for $6,500 in grant moneys as well as provided the framework for the establishment of the Tzibal Cancha Project Fund which launched on Oct. 15, 2011. The remaining inputs will come from the community, the municipality, and locally based NGO’s in the form of financial contributions and material donations. As of January 1, 2012, the Cancha Project Fund held contributions from five OGG Alum and their generous donors amounting to $4,000. A second transfer was subsequently made to Tzibal on March 3, 2012 so as to facilitate the requisition of materials and the commencement of construction. On March 5, 2012, OGHQ approved the grant request for $6,500 and began welcoming donations at www.operationgroundswell.causefox.com/Tzibal. May 1, 2012, is now the final deadline for the achievement of the all required revenues. Final blueprints and total funding will be subsequently transferred to on-site coordinator and community member, Eric Cuz Choc in person on May 15, 2012 with construction slated for June & July, completion set for early August, and the Cancha’s inauguration tentatively scheduled for August 2012.
But we need your help. So, please Give!
The Stakeholders
This is the wonderful and diverse group of people working together from Guatemala, Canada, and the United States to bring this project to fruition.
The Community of Tzibal
San Pedro Carchá, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
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| Hannah Gdalman
Youth Development Volunteer, Peace Corps
OG Financial Liaison
Aldea Campur, San Pedro Carchá, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
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Erick Rodolfo Cuz Choc
Director, Escuela Oficial Rural Mixta
OG Materials/Operations Coordinator
Aldea Tzibal, San Pedro Carcha, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
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| Ben Sampson
OG Guatemala Trip Leader
Project Coordinator
Toronto / Guatemala / Ghana / France
tel. 416-505-4262 (Canada) / 502 4679-0301 (Guatemala)
| Jay Wall
OG Guatemala Trip Leader
Project Associate
Toronto, ON
tel. 416-899-6633
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| Allie Stote
OG Guatemala Participant
Project Coordinator
Cambridge, MA
tel. 781-548-1063
| Allison Isaak
OG Guatemala Participant
Project Associate
Brandon, MB
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| Chelsea Poupore
OG Guatemala Participant
Project Associate
Oneonta, NY
| Laura Huddart
OG Guatemala Participant
Project Associate
Toronto, ON
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| Nichole Trudeau
OG Guatemala Participant
Project Associate
Ottawa, ON
| Eva Tong
OG Guatemala Participant
Project Associate
Vancouver, BC
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| Porschia Thomas
OG Guatemala Participant
Project Associate
Ajax, ON
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Friday, 5 August 2011
Back On the Road BUT Still Off the Grid (Written for the OGG Blog)
Its day two of
ITT and I have hit the proverbial wall. 4 weeks of early mornings and late
nights, nursing and counselling participants, 9hr milk runs, oh and of course regularly
scheduled OGG projects and activities have taken their toll. Sniffles have been
joined by pressure headaches, joint pain, and body aches. I’m currently kickin’
back in a hammock slung on the dock of my bungalow hostel nestled in the
mangroves of Rio Dulce, listening to the soothing sounds of nature but all I
can think of are, in no particular order, budget, itinerary, my ERB protocol, my survey
design, my course registration, and did I mention budget. But let’s not wallow
in self-indulgent despondency for too long. The past weeks have been
incredible. 9 recent strangers left the comfortable rituals of life back home
in Canada (and the US), choosing instead, as I did 4 short years ago, to
explore the small, funny shaped space below Mexico and allow it to leave its
indelible mark on their lives. And this past week will no doubt reflect heavily
on the shape that that mark will take. But first it’s worth recounting how we
came to arrive in the community Tzibal, OGG’s most memorable stop yet.
By Friday
afternoon the group sat weary but proud on the steps of Todos Santos’
Municipalidad after conquering the 6 day, 70km trek from Nebaj across the
Cuchumatanes, that had tried patience’s and tested resolves. But after a brief
charla, some spaghetti and only 12hrs of R&R, the group was on the move
again, this time by bus across Highway 7W, a faint dotted line that meanders
across Google maps from Huehue to Uspantán, before crawling along the steep
edges of Quiche’s mountainous ridges to San Cristobal de Verapaz, then finally descends
down to Cobán.
In 2008 disaster struck this area when a section of mountain near the once beautiful Rio Negro buckled and collapsed to the valley floor below. Beneath the rubble lay a 2km stretch of Highway 7W, the only tangible connection between the highland towns and Cobán, the capital of Alta Verapaz, and economic epicentre for the region. The national government however, remains defiant in the face of local demands for the roadway’s reconstruction, citing the elevated levels of seismic activity in the area. Activity that some community members and Canadian NGO Rights Action believe is directly linked to a hydroelectric project that in addition to having plugged the Rio Negro, reducing the once mighty river to a trickle, has purportedly drilled 40km from the dam site through the bedrock to the current location of its generating station. Investigation is still pending but due to the importance of the route to the local economies, a makeshift alternative has been constructed by the surrounding communities reconnecting the misty mountains of Quiché to Alta Verapaz and Cobán’s bustling markets. Because the government is perceived to have contributed to its destruction and has thus far played no part in its reconstruction, the road has been effectively privatized, complete with guard posts on either side restricting through traffic to community sanctioned vehicles. An impressive display of autonomous community action.
Despite the appearance of slumbering passengers on the micros which run the 2½hr journey from Uspantán to San Cristobal, however, the road is definitely not for the faint of heart. The hastily constructed dirt and gravel track is prone to wash-outs, and is often slick from the rain and mists. The Guatemalan government considers it unsafe and has posted dramatic signs warning of its perils. Lonely Planet, demonstrating a little literary panache, describes the journey:
In 2008 disaster struck this area when a section of mountain near the once beautiful Rio Negro buckled and collapsed to the valley floor below. Beneath the rubble lay a 2km stretch of Highway 7W, the only tangible connection between the highland towns and Cobán, the capital of Alta Verapaz, and economic epicentre for the region. The national government however, remains defiant in the face of local demands for the roadway’s reconstruction, citing the elevated levels of seismic activity in the area. Activity that some community members and Canadian NGO Rights Action believe is directly linked to a hydroelectric project that in addition to having plugged the Rio Negro, reducing the once mighty river to a trickle, has purportedly drilled 40km from the dam site through the bedrock to the current location of its generating station. Investigation is still pending but due to the importance of the route to the local economies, a makeshift alternative has been constructed by the surrounding communities reconnecting the misty mountains of Quiché to Alta Verapaz and Cobán’s bustling markets. Because the government is perceived to have contributed to its destruction and has thus far played no part in its reconstruction, the road has been effectively privatized, complete with guard posts on either side restricting through traffic to community sanctioned vehicles. An impressive display of autonomous community action.
Despite the appearance of slumbering passengers on the micros which run the 2½hr journey from Uspantán to San Cristobal, however, the road is definitely not for the faint of heart. The hastily constructed dirt and gravel track is prone to wash-outs, and is often slick from the rain and mists. The Guatemalan government considers it unsafe and has posted dramatic signs warning of its perils. Lonely Planet, demonstrating a little literary panache, describes the journey:
“After a section littered with boulders, the road seems to end at the brink of an abyss, then descends relentlessly into a valley along a rock-strewn track and up again over a similarly ravaged surface, as drivers boldly navigate hairpin turns and passengers pray their vehicle doesn’t lose its grip over the muddy surface.”
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| RN-7W or whats left of it. |
In spite of, or
perhaps, because of it being quintessentially off the grid, I had planned for
the group to brave this hazardous yet beautiful part of Guatemala rather than
return to Guate to take the more mundane freeways. However, because the trek
had forced us to leave baggage behind in Xela the crew had to be separated. At
5am I departed with Ali, Allison, Ana, and the Quetzaltrekkers guides for Xela
while the rest stayed behind in Todos Santos with Jay with the intention of
beginning their journey later that morning. My crew successfully arrived in
Xela, visited banks, tiendas, and repacked before a lunch of tostadas and choco-bananas.
Finally, we said a hasty goodbye to our adopted OG’er and friend Anna from the
chicken bus door and off we went to reconnect with our team in Uspantan, saving
the best part of Highway 7W for the following morning. After a good rooftop
game of Apples to Apples and sweet, sweet sueños in the beautiful Hostal Don
Gabriel, we were off. Weather allowed a more civilized crossing of the
gorge than I had experienced during pre-con but periodic screams, and the near
constant cries of “wow” kept our Guatemalan escorts entertained as OGG made its
way to Cobán. After some creative troubleshooting landed the group on a farm
truck for the remaining 2hr drive, the team was welcomed into Campur by Peace
Corps volunteer, Hannah, and local coordinator, Eric, to begin a week of bottle
school building and bonding with the neighbouring community of Tzibal.
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| The fearless OGG crew courageously crossing RN-7W. Photo Credit: Allison |
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