Aves de Guatemala en Tela

As usual, the timing and the place weren't exactly right for serious outdoor birding during my short business trip to Antigua in Guatemala. Little did I know the most diverse birding opportunity I would see was in the El Mercadito across the street from the Central Park. However, I 

Central Park in Antigua, Guatemala

did get to see some new live birds - the first were seen while taxiing after landing at Guatemala City airport - Great-tailed Grackle that were frequenting the turf areas next to the tarmac. While driving from the airport to the hotel in Antigua - about an hour drive with mid-day traffic - there were many more grackle along the way as well as House Sparrow. Even though I went prepared for this trip - I had briefly gone
through my copy of Howell and Webb's Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America to become familiar with the different kinds of families - my brain hickuped, because I didn't take my travel binoculars.

Embroidered birds on woven cloth (detail)

Regardless, I still got some decent viewings. Along with many more grackles were White-winged Dove and Clay-colored Robin. There were also hummingbirds, but without binoculars and good lighting, it is impossible to even take a guess at which species I saw - there are 37 species of hummingbirds in Guatemala, far more than I would have imagined until I looked at a bird list for the country. The most exotic sighting though, happened while a group of us were sitting out on the patio at the hotel, when a blueish-colored bird flew in front of us, across the length of the grounds. I got a good look at the bird during its few second flight from left to right - after checking my birding guide, I decided it was a White-crowned Parrot. There were other smallish species, but without binoculars and time to stalk or sit-and-wait, there was little chance to figure out what I saw.

Guatemala, and especially the area around Antigua, is know for the sales of products sold by local artisans, especially textiles. Vendors are found all spread out along the streets selling small blankets or scarves - along with many other handicrafts. After having a late afternoon coffee

Artesanias Gloria holding a loom

at a small bistro, we went into the El Mercadito to view the different wares that were for sale inside there. I specifically wanted to look for peasant art. As I began to stroll past the booths, vendors standing in front would call out prices whether you made eye contact or not. After a short time, I knew I wanted to focus on folk paintings and woven cloth. A trick I learned in China was to keep asking vendor after vendor what price they wanted for a kind of item I was interested in - that typically would establish the range of starting prices the sales people were working from. (I emailed a friend of mine from work who has traveled extensively what was a fair negotiating price, and received a reply the next day that when ready to buy, begin offers at 25% of the starting

Many embroidered birds

price, and not go above 30%.) After walking straight to the end of the first hallway between vendors, and then up an incline to the left and then right, I walked to the end of another lane of vendors and made a jog to right and then straight ahead. At the end on the left (before turning right and then down a decline) was a display of textiles made by Mayan Cakchiquel people and tended by Artesanias Gloria. One of my companions was fluent in Spanish, so we asked questions about what she was selling, how much, and her willingness to negotiate prices. There was a sign at the entrance of El Mercadito that read "No Photographs," so we asked if it was alright to take some pictures - she smiled and said "Si." When she asked if we wanted to buy, we said not today, but that we would return "tomorrow." In Spanish she said we had nice faces, and offered prices that were lower than the beginning quotes, and gave both of us a woven book marker.

We didn't have time the next day, but did return to El Mercadito the last evening of our trip. Again, we  checked the prices as we walked along the rows of vendors in front of their stalls, stopping to look at

Quetzal, Coffee, and Mayan Temple

pieces of interest and asking prices. After looking at several displayed textiles, I made my way back to Gloria's stall - the quality of her textiles were noticeably of higher quality than the others we had looked at. It came down to deciding: the piece with the many birds, or another showing a pair of matching Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) birds along with coffee plants and a Mayan temple that represented a mountain - the detailed piece with the many birds was more than 1,000 Quetzal (1), the later with only two birds, 500 Q. Even though both of these were hand made, I didn't want to pay more than $50, so Gloria and I settled on 400 Q for the less elaborate piece - we were both satisfied.

Like the elusive plentiful tropical species of birds found in Guatemala, so was the purchase of my first choice of a textile with many birds as the subject. If I return to Antigua and El Mercadito, and if Gloria is still tending the wares made by the Cakchiquel people, I think I will get a piece with all of the different birds of Guatemala - no matter how poor of a price negotiator I am. (2)
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(1) The Resplendent Quetzal, Pharomachrus mocinno, is found from

Pharomachrus mocinn

southern Mexico to western Panama. This bird is well known for its colorful
plumage, and plays an important role in Central American mythology. It is Guatemala's national bird - an image of it is on the national flag and coat of arms, and it is also the name of the the local currency. The use of an important symbol for the name of a nation's currency reminds me of how in Botswana, a very arid country, the name of its currency is the Pula, the same word for water.

(2) Another topic I will research ahead of time before my next trip is finding out whether a vendor represents a cooperative that ensure fair trade pricing and return of value to the people who produce the products.