La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo

JennyStar DVD Rentals is the Netflix of La Antigua Guatemala. JennyStar DVD Rentals is what happens when you think through a good business model and apply intelligent solutions to what’s missing in your community. La Antigua Guatemala can be one of the smallest cities in the American Continent with only a geographic grid of 10 blocks by 10 blocks (about 1.5 square miles) and less than 30,000 inhabitants, but it has a home-delivered dvd rental with over 2,314 films, from old classics up to the latest releases, most of which can not be found anywhere else in Guatemala.

JennyStar DVD Rentals has a web site from which you can pick your selection and have it delivered, if you choose so, along with a dvd player, pop corn and candies. From the web site you can also reserve movies for a later pick up. JennyStar DVD Rentals is located on Alameda Santa Lucía norte #12 (7832-0813).

On top all the great features of their DVD rental service, JennyStar DVD Rentals is an NGO (Non Government Organization) which aside from giving employment to Jenny and her staff (Enrique and Helen), donates all profits to support disable and poor children in villages around La Antigua Guatemala. Thus, by renting a DVD, you are yourself donating toward this worthy cause. See this is an example of Sí se puede (Yes we can) at a local level.

So if you find yourself in La Antigua Guatemala and need a dvd player to watch El Norte or No Country for Old Men, please give JennyStar DVD Rentals a call at 7832-0813.

Disclaimer Side Note: I am receiving no money or benefits for this review of JennyStar DVD Rentals, but I do hope that once they find out about it, they will give me at least a couple of dvd rentals for free (just kidding!).

Through our mothers’ safety zone we learn to crawl, walk, run, swim and fly! It is only fair that we assign one day out of the year to celebrate their unconditional support and the safety zone they provide for us.

In Guatemala, it is on May 10th that Mother’s Day is celebrated as “Día de la Madre.”

I wish a very happy Mother’s Day to all the mommies out there and a very special Gracias to my own mother for teaching me how to be a fairly decent human being (I think! ) most of the time.

What’s so special about the Esquisuchil trees around La Antigua Guatemala?

For starters, the esquisuchil trees (bourreria huanita) are very old and very few. Quite possibly, the oldest specimen is located in San Miguel Escobar where it was planted by Guatemala’s first bishop Francisco Marroquin in the 16th century. From the esquishuchil tree in San Miguel Escobar, the Santo Hermano Pedro de Betancourt (1626-1667) took pods and planted several trees around La Antigua Guatemala, being the most famous located inside the San Francisco El Grande Church; his burial grounds.

Most, if not all, of the esquisuchil trees around La Antigua Guatemala have plaques to highlight their importance and give out background information. The specimen of esquisuchil tree in the park of San Pedro Las Huertas is not an exception. If you can read Spanish, you can click the thumbnail below to read the plaque.

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day in Guatemala, let’s hope I can get a shot of all the mamas!

This is the technical data sign in front of the Esquisuchil Tree or Tree of Santo Hermano Pedro. Come back tomorrow for a picture of the tree and the historic and background information on this rare specimen.

I caught these would-be High School teachers learning Guatemalan history on Sunday in front of the Church of San Pedro Las Huertas. I learnt that these future teachers were taking tours around the churches of Departamento of Sacatepéquez to learn mass movements in Colonial times as part of their history class. For sure, this history classroom beats my thick-n-boring-n-outdated-book-based High School history classroom.

From blue birds, to quetzals to owls; we are on a bird streak.

According to Damara, in Guatemala, owls or tecolotes represent luck, prosperity and abundance, especially with money and that is why ceramic artisans use owls as piggy banks. If you get an owl bank, you will have prosperity with income and savings. Boy oh boy, if I was the president of Guatemala, I would make all the alfareros (ceramic artisans) produce nothing but owl banks… perhaps then, the luck of this tiny banana republic would change for good.

With today’s photo I have published four (4) photographs with owls in La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo. To the fist person that can find all four and list their published dates and titles, I will send s/he these four post cards of owls so her luck can change as well. I wish owl luck to all of you in your search.

Let the game begin!

Black Bird Side Note: On a totally different note or tune, can you tell me what was the meaning of the Beatle’s song Black Bird. Hint, it was written by John Lennon Paul McCartney.

The typical Guatemalan camioneta (public transit bus or chicken bus for those who like the colourful derogatory term) is based on an old looking Blue Bird school bus. How the Blue Bird insignia became a Green Quetzal beats me. But I guess this sort of transfiguration is what makes the Guatemalan idiosyncrasy; don’t you think so?

Don’t we all? ¡Sí se puede! (Yes we can!)

In Guatemala and many countries in Latin America today, May 3rd, is celebrated the Day of the Holy Cross and also the Day of the Construction Worker. The Day of the Holy Cross is known in Guatemala as Día de la Santa Cruz and you can see many Albañiles (construction workers) placing an adorned cross at their current construction site.

Below you can find a fragment of the text I published last year regarding this celebration:

The legend has it that when they were unburying Jerusalem, they found three crosses, one of them larger than the other two. When some of the diggers touch the larger cross, their ailments healed and the cross were thought to be miraculous. The priests on site called a funeral passing by and the dead man’s hand was made to touch the cross and he resurrected and walked away. The cross was taken immediately to Rome, the Vatican to be precise, and a chapel was built for it. This chapel was built in record time and for this reason and for the fact that the man who resurrected was a construction worker who had died while at work a few days earlier, this date became the day of the construction worker. All of this as seen on tv, a few details more or less.

I leave you one of my favorite poems about the construction worker written and performed by no other than Chico Buarque himself. I was not able to find the lyrics for Construção (Albañil/Construction Worker). Perhaps, you can help with the translation, what do you say?

Video clip Construção performed by Chico Buarque

Construção performed by Chico Buarque

Lyrics Update: Thanks to Andi for providing the links to the lyrics of Construção.

Construction

He loved that time as if for the last time
He kissed his wife as if she was the last one
And every son as they were the only one
And he crossed the street with a timid step.
He climbed the construction like a machine
He built on the balcony four solid walls
Brick by brick in a magic design,
his eyes flooded with cement and
tears.
He sat to rest as on a Saturday
He ate rice like he was a prince
Drank and wept like he was
shipwrecked
Danced and laughed as if there was
music
And stumbled in the sky with his drunken pace;
he floated in the air like he was a bird
And ended on the floor as a flaccid lump
agonizing in the middle of the public street
And died on the highway disturbing the
traffic

He loved that time as if he were the last one
He kissed his like she was unique
And every son like he was prodigal
And crossed the street with his drunken step
He climbed the construction like it was solid
He built on the balcony four magic walls
Brick by brick with a logical design
his eyes flooded with cement and traffic
He sat to rest like he was a
prince
He ate his poor rice like it was top food
Drank and wept like a machine
Danced and laughed like he was the
next one
And stumbled in the sky like there was music
He floated in the air like it was Saturday
And ended on the floor like a timid lump
Agonizing in the middle of the shipwrecked street
He died on the highway disturbing the
Public

He loved that time like he was a machine
He kissed his wife like it was logical
He built on the balcony four flaccid walls
He sat to rest like he was a
Bird
And floated in the air like he was a prince
And ended on the floor like a drunken lump
He died on the highway disturbing the
Saturday
(Source: The Infinite Voyage)

Construcción

Amó aquella vez como si fuese última
Besó a su mujer como si fuese última
Y a cada hijo suyo cual si fuese el único
Y atravesó la calle con su paso tímido
Subió a la construcción como si fuese máquina
Alzó en el balcón cuatro paredes sólidas
Ladrillo con ladrillo en un diseño mágico
Sus ojos embotados de cemento y lágrimas

Sentóse a descansar como si fuese sábado
Comió su pan con queso cual si fuese un príncipe
Bebió y sollozó como si fuese un náufrago
Danzó y se rió como si oyese música
Y tropezó en el cielo con su paso alcohólico
Y flotó por el aire cual si fuese un pájaro
Y terminó en el suelo como un bulto fláccido
Y agonizó en el medio del paseo público
Murió a contramano entorpeciendo el tránsito

Amó aquella vez como si fuese el último
Besó a su mujer como si fuese única
Y a cada hijo suyo cual si fuese el pródigo
Y atravesó la calle con su paso alcohólico
Subió a la construcción como si fuese sólida
Alzó en el balcón cuatro paredes mágicas
Ladrillo con ladrillo en un diseño lógico
Sus ojos embotados de cemento y tránsito

Sentóse a descansar como si fuese un príncipe
Comió su pan con queso cual si fuese el máximo
Bebió y sollozó como si fuese máquina
Danzó y se rió como si fuese el próximo
Y tropezó en el cielo cual si oyese música
Y flotó por el aire cual si fuese sábado
Y terminó en el suelo como un bulto tímido
Agonizó en el medio del paseo náufrago

Murió a contramano entorpeciendo el público

Amó aquella vez como si fuese máquina
Besó a su mujer como si fuese lógico
Alzó en el balcón cuatro paredes flácidas
Sentóse a descansar como si fuese un pájaro
Y flotó en el aire cual si fuese un príncipe
Y terminó en el suelo como un bulto alcohólico
Murió a contromano entorpeciendo el sábado
(Source: Vagalume)

Last but not least, for those lucky enough to read Spanish, I leave you with a link to the history and background information about Los orígenes históricos de la fiesta de la Cruz de Mayo by the Guatemalan chronicler Celso Lara published by the Guatemalan newspaper La Hora.

In the photo above you can observe several percussion traditional Guatemalan musical instruments like chinchines (the black rattles made from gourds, seeds and other objects), tortuga (turtle shell), shellfish shell, drum, sonajas (rattles) and the omnipresent marimba (which you saw yesterday).

Guatemala has a rich assortment of traditional musical instruments which are used in the paying and creation of traditional Maya music like the La Suite Maya Kekchi “El Paabanc” (Mayan Kekchi Suite “El Paabanc”). The word Maya Q’eqchi’ (Kekchi) “Paabanc” means to reaffirm my beliefs (reafirmar mis creencias) according to webpage El Paabanc de Cobán {ñ}. If you can read Spanish, I recommend that visit the web page El Paabanc de Cobán {ñ} to understand all the rituals and mysticism behind one of Guatemala’s most famous Mayan musical suites.

Below, I am going to share two samples of La Suite Maya Kekchi “El Paabanc”
played by the Marimba Nacional De Concierto (Concert National Marimba Orchestra). Even though I have said in the past I wish I like marimba music, I can tell you, with out guilt or shame, that I make an exception for the La Suite Maya Kekchi “El Paabanc” played by the Marimba Nacional De Concierto. If you come to Guatemala, please make an effort to purchase this compact disc; you won’t regret it.

Baile De La Catarina from La Suite Maya Kekchi “El Paabanc”
played by Marimba Nacional De Concierto

Xojol Quej O Danza De Los Venados from La Suite Maya Kekchi “El Paabanc” played by Marimba Nacional De Concierto

Of course, you can browse the Music category for more samples of marimba music and background information regarding this percussion instrument.

Day one of year three. Are you ready for the new tour of 365 days around La Antigua Guatemala? If you do please, bring your pasaje en mano, dónde caben tres caben más.

Every time humans arrive at a milestone, we tend to review what we have traveled thus far. Two years of consecutive blogging is not much or even important in the big scale of things. Nonetheless, it is a big achievement for me since I have never done anything like this before. I am very happy to have reached this time mark and to have helped others in the process. I thank all my regular visitors for your support, comments, feedback and donations.

Now let see the La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo in numbers (like Edgar would put it): In the last 731 consecutive days, there have been 744 entries, 6 pages, 13 drafts, 5037 comments, over 1,000 emails with feedback or questions, 624,604 visits (80,099 in 2006, 371,172 in 2007 and 173,333 so far in 2008), 120,616 spam comments. The website began its life with Blogger under a sub-domain and in less than three months moved to its present home of antiguadailyphoto.com and platform of Wordpress 1.2 (now version 2.5.1). All in all there have been over a thousand photos published here in the last two years.

More Numbers Updates: About 1,300 sites linking to antiguadailyphoto.com according to Google, 1,442 blog reactions according to Technorati, over 1600 hours invested in maintaining this website, 4 plagiarized photos that I know of, over 100 photos used with permission or proper photo credit by other websites, 2 newspaper articles, several photos found its way into magazines and 1 photo found its way as a book cover. Not too bad, don’t you think so?

What other numbers do you guys think I should shared with you?

Tomorrow the La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo (LAGDP) will be two years old. About 744 consecutive daily photographs and descriptive narratives of a Spanish Colonial Town embedded between coffee plantations, flower farms and volcanoes.

As a pre-celebration party, I am making available another desktop wallpaper for you computer (1600×1200 pixels) of a set of bougainvilleas colors. Like always, by clicking the photo above you will be presented with a high resolution image that you can use as a desktop wallpaper. If you are interested in the other wallpapers available for download, please, browse the wallpaper category.

Second Anniversary Side Note: By the way, I forgot to tell you that La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo (LAGDP) will be celebrating its second anniversary (731 consecutive days of entries) on May 1st. I hope you come to celebrate this amazing milestone (at least for me).

If I had been told when I was a little kid that they would “grow” and “harvest” fish in a farm around La Antigua Guatemala, I would have said, “Get out of here!”

Surely enough, in the picture above you can see the fish farmer’s harvest being sold at the Farmers’ Fair in La Antigua Guatemala.

Now, I still wonder though, what do the fish trees look like, do you know?

Second Anniversary Side Note: By the way, I forgot to tell you that La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo (LAGDP) will be celebrating its second anniversary (731 consecutive days of entries) on May 1st.

The Departamento of Sacatepéquez (State or Province), where La Antigua Guatemala is located and to which is the Department’s Capital, is very dynamic and project-oriented State. Perhaps the fact the La Antigua Guatemala is the NGO’s capital of the world has something to do with it.

Anyhow, this is the most recent project I have come across. Tres Volcanes Honey Project (do you know the name of the three volcanoes?) based out of San Miguel Escobar, is trying to offer a sweet deal to the communities it buys honey from by creating new and innovative products out the labor of the bees.

A really sweet idea, don’t you think so? I hope it spreads!

Can you guess what’s in the big bag?