Visiting Maximon

Today I had the opportunity to visit the Maximon shrine in Santiago, Guatemala which is a small town that lies on Lake Atitlan. Maximon is traditionally a mayan folk saint but this particular shrine shows multiple signs of Catholic influence including multiple crucifixes and a coffin that is holding a statue of Jesus. In reality this particular shrine is treated much more like a tourist attraction than a religious shrine but there were a few locals there giving offerings in exchange for blessings for their families, businesses, and other aspects of life. The owners of the shrine take full advantage of both the interest from tourists and from the belief that local people have and charge for almost everything including over a $1 for each picture you take. The only reason I got to shoot this video was because I gave them rum that, after giving some to Maximon of course, they could drink later that night.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu8rMiULH20[/youtube]