Pretty Things Thursday: Guatemalan Masks

Last week I shared with you the awesome pottery that we got while honeymooning, or should I say luna de miel-ing, in Guatemala.  This week I bring you the masks that we got in Panajachel, the main town near where we were staying on Lake Atitlan.

The house that we were staying in had a few hand-carved painted wooden masks that we coveted.  For the entire week that we stayed at the lake, we searched all of vendors to find comparable masks, but found mostly crappy imitation ones.  On the last day that we were in town, we finally happened upon a vendor that had legit masks and spent a good half hour trying to decide which masks to get.  We snagged a hilarious donkey and a bird with a fish in its beak.  Here they are hanging in our kitchen.

I love the donkey for the hilarious look he has on his face and for the awesome detail on his snout.

How pretty is this (hence my inclusion of him in Pretty Things Thursday)?

Here is the side of his face.

His mouth is what makes his expression.  I can just hear him laughing a great donkey hee haw laugh.

The bird isn't as pretty as donkey, but the carving is pretty awesome.  Check out the bird in his beak!

Here's a side view so you can get a better idea of the intricate carving.

And the backside of the fish on the other side of the mask.

Coincidentally, we found the mask shop almost right across the street from our fav breakfast spot, Deli II (Deli I was further up the street).  They had THE BEST orange juice I have ever had in my life (pictured below in a huge goblet).  Terrible coffee though.

After we left the lake, we took a short flight to northern Guatemala to visit Tikal.  We splurged and stayed at Francis Ford Coppola's resort, La Lancha.  They had this awesome Swiss Family Robinson-esque outdoor dining room with a wall of masks. 

Aren't ours so much better?  Check out our honeymoon slideshow for more awesome pics of our adventures in Guatemala!