Ataco, El Salvador

Coffee plants! These are one year old plants in the nursery of Villa Mercedes that will probably be planted next March. Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

These are Lirios de la Madre, (Mother lilies) in the garden of Doña Eloisa. I love the detail in this photo. If you look closely you can see the dew on the underside of the petals. Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

Is lunch ready yet? I love the wood fired stoves! Villa Mercedes. Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

These are banana trees surrounding the small shelters erected to shade young coffee plants from the full force of the tropical sun. Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

This Hoya Carnosa (Flor de Cera) was also in the garden of Doña Eloisa. It was hard to take this photo as lunch was almost ready. Everyone was sitting at the table and I could smell the food but I had to get the shot. I apologize to Doña Eloisa, Maricella, Rafael and Margarita for making them wait! (and thanks again for having me!) Villa Mercedes. ConcConcepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

Zebra Butterfly. Villa Mercedes. Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador..

A typical street scene in the village. Notice the woman center frame with the tub on her head. What the women do is they use a yagual, which is a piece of cloth coiled to form a circle, to allow them to balance the tub. This is no easy feat! Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

I wanted to put her in my backpack and take her home with me. She is so cute! Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

A couple of ladies taking a break from work with a batch of orchids in the foreground. Orchids are everywhere in El Salvador! Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

This is the fountain in Parque Central de Concepcion de Ataco. (Central Park of Ataco) This was a very nice park which had a band stand just behind me and as I was there on a weekend, there was live music and a large tent covering food vendors and crafts. Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

This is the Fabrica Artesanal de Tejidos Diconte. Rafael and Maricella know the owners and they were kind enough to let me wander around with my camera! Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

Fabrica Artesanal de Tejidos Diconte. Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

A fellow hard at work at the loom weaving a blanket. Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

Its all about the colors! This is the end result of the hard work of the young man in the previous photo. Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

A loom lit by the afternoon sun. Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

These are a sample of the types of things that they have at Fabrica Artesanal de Tejidos Diconte. Lupe was shocked that I did not bring one home. However as she is visiting in August she is going to bring me one back! Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

A typical market day in the Mercado de Ataco. Notice the fresh crab (cangrejos) tied up in bundles just above the limes. How appropriate! If you don't know Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador. Concepcion de Ataco, El Salvador.

This is the seafood section of the Mercado de Ataco. Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

Watermelons, jocotes, mamones, papayas, pineapples, melons, bananas, plantains, cucumbers and limes. Oh my! Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

A couple of ladies doing the weekly shopping. Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

Yucca, green peppers, onions, potatoes, lettuce, carrots, zucchini, cauliflower, parsley, plantains, tomatoes and pipianes. The markets tend to be sectioned off by product. I started with the seafood section then went to fruits, here we have vegetables. Mercado de Ataco. Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

China in El Salvador! These are all imported products. Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

If you haven't figured it out yet, I love old trucks! Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

A typical supermarket. Everywhere you go there is a Coca cola sign! Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

"Of course you may take my photo. Just let me fix my hair" Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

Hard at work in Ataco. ConConcepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

Another old truck that just happens to belong to alcalde (Mayor) Don Oliverio. In El Salvador you can tell the difference between a private and a public vehicle by looking at the license plates. Notice here the N on the plate which stands for Nacional, which means this vehicle is government owned. Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

Late afternoon in Ataco. There aren't many people on the streets as this part of the day is very hot. As a matter of fact we had just eaten lunch and everyone was napping while I was wandering around. Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

In this photo you can see that the foundation of the house is brick. However, as brick is expensive, they most likely finished construction themselves using bahareque. Which basically uses a wooden framework (sugar cane) that is then filled with clay. This type of construction holds up very well in a volcanically active topography (read here, lots of earthquakes) and is also cool in the heat which made it desirable. This building technique is slowly being usurped by pre fabricated housing. Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

From the garden of Doña Eloisa. Villa Mercedes. Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

Zebra Butterfly. Villa Mercedes. Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

Lirios de la Madre, Villa Mercedes. Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.

This is the view from the backside of Villa Mercedes. When we walked back here, we inadvertently interrupted two young lovers. They were technically trespassing, but young love knows no bounds! Concepcion de Ataco, Ahuachapan, El Salvador.