On a trip to San Ildefonso Ixtahuacan, Huehuetenango, my Peace Corps town, I was sitting in the small park on the town square, watching people pass by. There were two young children playing on the wrougnt iron fence that enclosed this park. There were spikes on the fence and it didn’t seem like a good place to be playing. It was not the the primary school playground that I remembered growing up. A few months later I learned that about eight acres was available for purchase near the town, so I decided to purchase this land for a park and playground.
 
 

Caretakers house is almost finished, and the family has moved in. We just need to finish the letrine and shower. The house will be a model house: sewage from the letrine can be composted; the cooking stove is smokeless and uses 1/3 less wood; and there is a water filter.

 
 

Leveling and enlarging the soccer field. December 2008.
 
 

Caretaker’s house, getting ready to pour the concrete for the roof. September 19, 2009

Laying the foundation for the caretaker’s house, cutting into a hard strata of something.

 
 

 
 

The water tank is finally finished, full of water, and overflowing, at top left. We have run a hose to the site of the care takers house, and another hose to irrigate.
 
 

With water, we can now water the flowers during the dry season. November 2008.
 
 

Rafael Ordonez, in bed and now 96, was somebody I knew 40 years ago when I was in the Peace Corps. His son Abelino, who we bought the park land from, said I could use his share of water from a spring, if I built a water tank for him and the park, which we did. It turns out he didn’t own the water rights, his father did. The father, knowing he might not have long to live, decided to dispose of his properties, and somebody offered him $1000 for the water rights. The father said he would sell his water rights to us for only $600. A contract drawn up, money transfered to Ixtahuacan, and here Rafael signs with his thumb print. I saw Rafael in September, when he was not well, but still the real gentleman I remember.
 
 

 
 

Installing entrance gate, September 2008.
 
 

Advocado tree.
 
 

 
 

 

We shipped this slide from a New York Public School that was throwing it away, then built a jungle gym around it in Ixtahuacan. December 2007.
 
 


 
 

 
 

Sand box and plastic play fort brought from Darien.

 
 

 
 

One smile makes it all worth while.

Barbeque pit.

 
 
 

Coffee tree, with organic fertilizer and fair trade.
 
 

Banana trees provide shade for the coffee.

 
 

Orange tree.
 
 

Path down to the coffee and fruit trees.
 
 

Abelino Ordonez (in red shirt) sold us the land and here with town administrators who are measuring the land. October 2007.
 
 

September 17, 2007
 

September 17, 2007
 
 

Planting 280 trees: pine, papaya, advocado, coffee, and names I´ve never heard of.
 
 

Children of a neighbor who agreed to watch the property. This recently leveled area, by a tractor, is where we were planning to put a basketball court, but a soccer field is more economical, so we will put up goal posts. (they call it “papi” soccer because it is only large enough for 5 players per side)
 
 

Eulalia and Rafael cut bananas from the park to take to an old age home in Xela. During the car ride six mice that were hiding in the bananas “attacked” Rafael, with one going down his shirt. Rafael pulled off the road in a panic, and Eulalia in stiches.

 
 

ENTRANCE ROAD TO PARK

Cutting an entrance from nearest road to the park, in bakground behind house.
 
 

Stream running along the southern boarder of the park.
 
 
MAYAN CEREMONIAL SITE ADJACENT TO PARK

Chico Ramirez explaining to Eulalia Paiz, Quaker medical student, that Maya priests used to strap on a rocket at this religious site and fly to a similar site on the coast. Because Chico is an educated kindergarten teacher I assumed it was a fable, so it was a surprise to learn he believed it.