Twenty-five years ago, a young musician and painter named
Martin Prechtel
wandered through the brilliant landscapes of Mexico and Guatemala. Arriving at Santiago Atitlan, a Tzutujil Mayan village on the breathtaking shores of Lake Atitlan,
Prechtel
met Nicolas Chiviliu Tacaxoy—perhaps the most famous shaman in Tzutujil history—who believed
was the new student he had asked the gods to provide. For the next thirteen years,
studied the ancient Tzutujil culture and became a village chief and a famous shaman in his own right.In
Secrets of the Talking Jaguar
,
brings to vivid life the sights, sounds, scents, and colors of Santiago Atitlan: its magical personalities, its beauty, its material poverty and spiritual richness, its eight-hundred-year-old rituals juxtaposed with quintessential small-town gossip. The story of his education is a tale filled with enchantment, danger, passion, and hope.