City - San Andres Itzapa State - Country - Guatemala
About
A local deity also know as Hermano San Simon, "Brother Saint Simon Peter." Maximon is actually a pre-Columbian Mayan god of the underworld formerly known as Maam ("grandfather"); his modern name is a conflation of Maam and Simon. Contemporary images do not depict the deity himself, but rather a life-sized carved wooden statue of the god dressed in 20th century clothing. He is portrayed as a mustached man seated outdoors at a crossroads, wearing a black suit, red tie, and wide-brimmed hat. Maximon symbolizes chthonic male sexual power. As an "opener of the way," his feast day falls at the onset of the fertile rainy season, but except for that day, his darker aspect leads his devotees to carefully guard his visage from public view, for fear that his sexuality may run rampant. Primarily a bringer of rain and fertility, he is sometimes also called "the saint of gamblers and drunkards." He brings wealth and worldly success to those who venerate him. Despite the hostility of the Catholic church, which has tried to identify him with Judas Iscariot, in many Guatemalan villages Maximon is still worshipped with offerings of tobacco, alcohol, Coca Cola, and a tropical plant with orange-red berries. Incense and perfume dedicated to him is scented with the orange blossoms or blended citrus odors of lemongrass, citronella, and sweet orange. On his feast day, he is carried through the streets on the shoulders of his human "horse," and his statue is given cigarettes or cigars to smoke. In some villages he may be hung from the sacred Mayan world-tree-cross at the end of his ceremony.
This is blurry because I could not get close enough for the picture and it was very dark within, but I really like the effect. Below I have put another shot from inside the chapel.
Wow, Alison. Your image brings fear to my soul. I have only seen the images and read the stories of Maximom when traveling in Guatemala. I, of course, am ready to return there for my third trip. It is an endlessly fascinating country. This image is a clue to the psyche of the people. What have we done?
Knowing the background from your interesting "about", the quality of the shot gives it more of an eery feeling, fitting to the idea of the image. Well done, Alison! Dave.
Interesantísima explicación esta curiosa creencia, ahora entiendo mejor la foto... Me voy a buscar a "Prayers for San Simon"....:-), mientras mejor, en lugar de ofrecerlo, el puro me lo fumo yo!....:-)
Aunque de origen desconocido, Maximón podría interpretarse como la reencarnación del dios maya Mam. También éste fue representado en una figura de madera, a la cual solía vestirse como persona y se le ofrecían alimentos. Hoy, Maximón tiene imágenes en muchos poblados guatemaltecos, como San Jorge y Nahualá, aunque es en San Andrés Itzapa, Santiago Atitlán y Zunil donde goza de gran fama. Cada Maximón posee diferente hechura y luce ropas distintas, pero todos son objeto de profunda adoración. Con la superimposición del catolicismo sobre las anteriores creencias durante los siglos XVI y XVII, Mam se convirtió en San Simón. Sin embargo, en la actualidad la mayoría de sus fieles lo llaman Maximón, palabra formada por los vocablos max (tabaco, en maya; de ahí que siempre se le vea con un gran puro en los labios) y Simón. La figura es revestida tanto con atuendo típico de los Altos de Guatemala como europeo: muchas bufandas de seda, algunos sombreros de fieltro y un gigantesco puro en la boca. Vestir a Maximón es equivalente a "hacer a la imagen", ya que su cuerpo no es otra cosa que capa sobre capa de ropas y bufandas. Luego, resplandeciente con su nueva indumentaria, Maximón es venerado. Gustavo a esta figura le ofrecen puros, licor, sacrificios de gallinas etc. Tengo una Foto que puse en usefilm llamado ?Prayers for San Simon ? de una señora Hacienda su ofrenda a el. Alison
Pero que extraña foto mi amiga!...todo un abstracto...:-) una pena que no te pueda entender muy bien el about...pero bueno mi ingles es limitado a lo técnico. Me gusta.
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{K:150877} 9/12/2005
