I went to see him because there is a god of shocking appearance in Guatemala

God of Esoteric religion in Guatemala / Sansimon. Illuminated by a gorgeous neon, tightening a tie and shaving a cigarette in his sunglasses is exactly shocking. I have been seeing Sansimon that private faith and Catholic were born and merged.

Hello.World newspaperIt is Matsuzaki Atsushi of. I am around the world, now I am in Antigua, the ancient capital of Guatemala. In the future I am planning to go south from Guatemala to Panama.

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This week about the esoteric god who went to see him when he was staying in Guetemala's second city · Keatsuartenango. In the highlands of the southwestern part of Guatemala, especially in the villages around Lake Atitlan there is the Masimon faith which celebrates the image "Sansimon". Sansimon seems to have been born with the fusion of private faith and Catholic, but anyway I listened to the story that "the apparent impact is not unusual", I went to see him in a hurry. Sansimon seems to be in various parts of Guatemala, but this time we will introduce Sunimon of Sunil which is close to Quetzaltenango, one of the three most famous sanshimon headquarters.

Route from Keatsuartenango to Suniru

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Sunill is a 30-minute bus ride


I get on from behind for some reason


Passengers are sparse


The village of Sunil was visible. Atmosphere like hot spring town in Japan


I am washing in the river


When I asked the villagers, they taught me "Saenshi, Morning!" It is on the other side of the bridge.


The village is resting with a stormy landscape


Women who pass each other are almost wearing ethnic costumes


Suddenly I looked up ... ... I found a sign.


It is 100 m to Sansimon!


The sign goes a bit ... ....


85 m to Sansimon!


Is it count down by 15 m? I thought that ... I thought that I can not find a sign after that.

When listening to the villagers, it refers to the road that leads from the signboarded road into the field. There is no signboard pointing around the direction ... .... Why only 100m and 85m?


I write something on the black wall in white. Is that it?


There is a man wearing a black hat in front of the hall, and it smells like a burning something in the vicinity. I feel intuitively "here".


When trying to enter the hall, a man calls out and says "Pay money." The entrance fee is 5 qualifications (about 50 yen) and the photography fee is 10 quotes (about 100 yen).


I am afraid to enter. I see something glitters.


South America Guatemala, The House of Saint Simon - YouTube


Sansimon was settled in the back of the room. Sancimon is emerging in the dark.


I'm tightening sunglasses and neckties to the silk hat. I was overwhelmed by the strange appearance, forgotten to take pictures and settled.


I will get closer.


I am smoking a cigarette. This is what the believer added.


I have never seen such a god


There is a basket that puts an offer at the knees.


In the room, there is light music at ease, children are running around and making noise. Sansimon quietly smokes in it. It falls into a certain kind of surreal feeling.

The statue of Christ is being festival beside Sanshimon


People in the library did not give eyes here, I was reading the newspaper


Is it the child of the person who came to pray? Insanely adorable


There was a shop handling pray goods next to the pavilion so I will go there.


Various prayer goods


Bread is placed casually


A plant of something to use for praying. I will soak him in sake and pay his body in front of Sanshimon.


Return to the hall and stand up the candle I purchased


The candle has meaning, red is love affair, blue is work, light blue is academic, pink is healthy, yellow is said to be beneficial to business. And black means bringing disaster to those who do not like ... ....


When I was about to return, a brotherly girl came out to see me off.


If the luck was good, it was that the believer could see Sancimon drinking ... .... Unfortunately, that did not come true. I will turn back the way I came.

Then, there is no sign of "SAN SIMON".


As you go down the alley, you will find a sign. Is there another Sanshimon?


There was. I pay the same amount here


It is more than double the size of the old pavilion. It is similarly dim, but music is not applied, it is exactly silent.


It is equivalent underground atmosphere.


Something you wear like sunglasses and flowers around you are different. It seems that the facial expressions are the same, but I get a completely different impression


I still have cigarettes in it. When the ash got longer, the girls in the house had dropped down


I am wearing something like a beard


Admin girl


altar


On the top is the cigarette buttsu of Sanshimon


Christ statue lying by the side


After a while, a male came in and prayers began


And, thinking that the girl in the house tilted Sansimon ... ... The man began to drink. By the way, drinking is supposed to accumulate in a pail below.


Make something drink while tweeting something


A man who speaks to Saint-Simon. A serious expression will show the thickness of faith


The Spaniard invaded this area in the 1500s. The Spaniards propagated Christianity to the Mayan aborigines who lived at the time. However, the indigenous people did not abandon the indigenous faith which originally existed (such as burning incense and dedicating prayers in front of a stone carving). It seems that he kept his faith by wearing a Western style (Spanish style) costume to Sansimon, in order to conceal the surveillance of the Spaniard.

Was that strange appearance a challenging measure for keeping faith ....

According to local people, in March when there is a resurrection of Christ, the villagers carry the image of Christ, and he sometimes walks round the streets. At that time, Sansimon will also go out. Although Sansimon goes around after the statue of Christ, finally it overtakes the statue of Christ and looks back towards the statue of Christ and there is a legend that "Laugh with Kerrakera".

Somehow, I left the house with subtle feelings.

(Sentence / picture: World Newspaper / Atsushi Matsuzaki
http://sekaishinbun.blog89.fc2.com/)