(...)
Soon after having visited the archeological site of Quirigua, we headed towards the once greatest port of Puerto Barrios to catch a boat that would take us to Livingston located on the other side of the Amatique bay in the river Dulce.
The view was quite interesting particularly because one had the feeling of being somewhere different from the Guatemala we had got to know until then, which wasn't too far from the truth, as we would later find out.
We reached our hotel in Livingston by "sea ... a "beauty" "embedded" in the landscape with a Caribbean touch.
Hotel Villa Caribe as seen from the swimming pool.
It was soon clear that there was an unusual mix of people, which according to the local guide were Garifuna, Afro-Caribbean, Maya and ladino.
For many of those in the group the word Garifuna was heard for the first time, not for me though as a few years back I had bought a CD of Paranda music, which ultimately lead me to further study its origin and the one of those who played it - Garifunas (descendants of Carib, Arawak and West African people).
Since then UNESCO proclaimed the language, dance and music of the Garifuna as a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of the Humanity.
We were lucky enough to have tried their cuisine ("tapado" and "mauca" - fish gastronomy specialties with banana and coconut milk) at the hotel that same evening, as well as "experienced " the richness of their musical culture (I even learned how to dance "punta").
We were soon strolling along the main street of Livingston, whose name is after the American jurist and politician Edward livingston who wrote the Livingston codes, which were used as the basis for the laws of the liberal government of the United Provinces of Central America.
It was soon clear that there was an unusual mix of people, which according to the local guide were Garifuna, Afro-Caribbean, Maya and ladino.
For many of those in the group the word Garifuna was heard for the first time, not for me though as a few years back I had bought a CD of Paranda music, which ultimately lead me to further study its origin and the one of those who played it - Garifunas (descendants of Carib, Arawak and West African people).
Since then UNESCO proclaimed the language, dance and music of the Garifuna as a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of the Humanity.
We were lucky enough to have tried their cuisine ("tapado" and "mauca" - fish gastronomy specialties with banana and coconut milk) at the hotel that same evening, as well as "experienced " the richness of their musical culture (I even learned how to dance "punta").
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