Lake Atitlan

I found out recently that Bryan Bennett, a BYU student, went to Lake Atitlan and gathered research for a project Jason Fairbourne was conducting. Jason Fairbourne is the founder of the Microfranchise Initiative and does extensive microfranchise work. Bryan told me about Lake Atitlan after I watched the Pueblo a Pueblo documentary and posted what I learned last week. His research, combined with those who went with him, will be invaluable as I continue to study the recent history of health care in Maya Guatemala. I will keep you all posted as to what he shares with me. Thanks.

My website!

Although I haven't thought a whole lot about my website, I'm excited to make it. I want it to represent the Mayans well and their history. The podcast will go on it, more pictures to illustrate Mayans living in Guatemala. I will let you know more.

As far as learning about Guatemala's health care history, I watched a short documentary on what is called the "Hospitalito", or the hospital that Pueblo a Pueblo put up some years ago by Lake Atitlan. It offered surgical procedures, immunizations, and many other essential services. Unfortunately, this hospital was destroyed in 2005 due to a mudslide that destroyed many homes as well. It has in the more recent past made plans to move into a permanent location again. If you're interested in what they do, their website is http://puebloapueblo.org.

Many Mayans live next to Lake Atitlan, and there are many dialects there. I watched a short video in one of the Maya dialects that showed how to use an inhaler. I thought this was a neat thing, because it allowed the patients to know what to do outside of the clinic--it made them more self-reliant. I will continue to research this.