High on Santa Cruz

We hired the 3 wheel taxi called a TucTuc to drive us to the top of Santa Cruz's main village about 700 feet, pretty much straight up above the lake and etched out of the mountain side.

Photography by Crystal Masters - Santa Cruz Church

At the top is an open plaza where a school, some other very large unidentifiable buildings and a very old unassuming church are found. Our friend Enrique has invited us to this wondrous architectural antique church described by him as a must see! We open the small iron gate and step back in time as the dark coolness invites us in from the burning bright southern sun. The 25 foot ceiling stretches above, plain and humble without any hints of Michael Angelo's paint strokes, just beams and boards hiding the tin roof above it. 

Photography by Crystal Masters - Enrique and the Santa Cruz Church from the inside 

We share the rectangular room with the ancient wood carvings of various saints standing shoulder to shoulder on a ledge that lines the walls on either side of the uncomfortable pews. Each statue stands at least 3 feet tall, missing color details, arms and bits and pieces from the once perfectly painted replicas of Saints long past. They are eerie and beautiful. We visit each one and imagine their creators. Encased in special glass are some life sized saints as well, one called La Reina de Santa Cruz. It's crude, simple and wreaking of stories untold.

Photography by Crystal Masters - Wood carvings in the Santa Cruz Church

We depart closing the iron gate behind us and decide to walk back down to the dock but not before taking a quick look at the artisan workshop, cliff side, overlooking the lake and beyond. Today the room of sewing machines and looms are covered and still, the culinary school is open without a single customer save a young boy on his computer while his young aproned mother stood in the kitchen. We took some time to enjoy the birds eye view of the scape over the lake from so far above it, truly unusual.

Photography by Crystal Masters - Leaving the Santa Cruz Church

We zigged and zagged our way back down the mountainside taking in Santa Cruz lifestyle on our way past this mountainside community until resting at the shore of the lake awaiting the next boat to San Marcos.