GUATEMALA, UNDER THE MAYAN SKY | France 5 | Les Routes de l'Impossible

 Known for the beauty of its active volcanoes, its turquoise water lakes that stretch as far as the eye can see and its colorful markets, Guatemala is currently going through an endless economic crisis, making the country one of the poorest from Latin America. Whether urban or rural, all populations are affected and rely on their courage or on the Mayan gods they venerate.

This is the case of Tomas, a shaman whose steps are guided by his Mayan ancestors. It is precisely to follow in their footsteps that he goes on a pilgrimage with Éric, his apprentice. Direction the Mayan city “El Mirador”, one of the oldest and most inaccessible on the continent. It is a veritable Stations of the Cross that awaits the shaman and his apprentice. Especially since they will have to prove themselves to the gods by smoking “the cigar of the ancestors”, by finding a cave in the middle of the jungle or even by crossing an underground river in total darkness… But Eric is ready to face everything, bear everything. For the young man it is the obligatory passage to become a shaman.

Anthony, he decided to rely on his courage rather than the spirits. “The gods are not the ones who will bring food or medicine to my family”. At only 18 years old, this big guy with the head of a baby looks after his mother and his brothers and sisters alone since their father abandoned them. To earn his crust, Anthony taxis aboard a “tuktuk”. But in these urban areas, the competition is fierce and it’s not easy to get out of the game… So to get there, Anthony decided to go against the grain: now it’s the mountain roads that he will borrow with his “tuktuk”. A daring bet because these paths are dangerous and only 4X4s usually venture there. “My mother cries before each departure. She doesn’t like this job, but I have no other choice if we want to get out of it.

Doing a dangerous job to survive is also Hugo’s daily life. Son and grandson of a fisherman, he has no choice but to follow in the footsteps of his elders. Become a shark hunter! It’s illegal but it can pay off. But the accidents are equal to the salary, numerous and terrible! And then you have to play cat and mouse with the coastguards. “If they catch us, prison is guaranteed. I don’t want to end my life behind bars. Between that and the shark attacks, I don’t know how my father was able to do his whole life…”.

This profession, he may not exercise it for very long. Sharks begin to disappear, victims of overfishing and pollution. Every year, 2% of the plastics that pollute the oceans escape from the rivers of Guatemala! The images of this plastic Tsunami are terrifying and yet without these bins, Axel, 12 years old and Alfredo 7 years old, would not live!

The brothers live with their mother on a landfill. After school, they spend the afternoon collecting plastic bottles and scrap metal which they resell to recyclers.

“The smell of garbage is very strong and when they burn it the smoke intoxicates us. It will kill us if we stay here too long.”

Opposite their landfill is the border, symbol of all their hopes… “Do you see the bank opposite? It’s Mexico! This is where the American dream begins. I promise you that one day we will live in the United States.”