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Old window, originally uploaded by rudygiron.

Because the high levels of humidity around Antigua, people have to paint their walls often. Not every time walls get painted they use the same color and after so many years when the paint peels, you get the gorgeous texture where the different colors peek through. The Antigua Protection Agency recommends that people use lime-stone-based paints because they allow the walls to breath. The lime-stone-based paints have shine, similar to pearls, so that is how you get some incredible colors as light changes through the day.

School bus and street sweeper, originally uploaded by rudygiron.

Street sweeping is still done manually in Antigua. You can see the street sweeper carrying his trash can and a broom which is made with dried branches of a bush.

I will make sure to take a snapshot of the broom itself next time.

Guatemalan Cuisine: Salpicón, originally uploaded by rudygiron.

I want to end the food series with something light. Salpicón is a type meat salad; that is right I said meat salad. It is made of minced beef, onion, tomato, mint, chile, salt and lemon or sour orange. Also, I want to apologize for using the word cuisine lightly. Most of the meals you have seen this week are “fast food” by Guatemalan standards. Salpicón and ceviche are on the light side, but most of the other meals are pretty heavy.

What would you consider Guatemalan cuisine then? I am glad you asked. Guatemala is a tiny country, yet it is at the crossroads of North America (including Mexico), Central and South America and the Caribbean Islands, so it receives a lot of influences. Furthermore, Guatemala is the heart and cradle of the Maya Civilization. The country has so many different micro-weather zones that ranges from the hot and humid tropical coasts to the very cold and cloud forest peaks. Therefore, the Guatemalan diet can be extremely varied.

Here, I am going to list several dishes, which will be my homework for future food series, that are considered “real food” or cuisine. Pepián, pollo en jocón, hilachas, mole, piloyada antigüeña, shepes, tamalitos de loroco y cambray, yuca y chicharrón, quesadillas, gallina en crema, frijoles blancos con espinazo, frijoles colorados con costilla, subanik de olla, pulique de costilla, jocón, tapado, tayuyos, siquinché, kasabe, rice and beans, ceviche, carne en amarillo, mariscada, revolcado, tiras de panza and kaq’ ik’, just to mention some of them. It is obvious that I will have to do several series of Guatemala cuisine. Until them, please do your excercise and try to stay lean.

Bon appetite!

In Mesoamerica, many dishes have the same name but are not the same dishes. Chiles rellenos from Guatemala are different than the Mexican chiles rellenos. So, it is with enchiladas and quesadillas, just to throw two names which might be familiar to you.

Guatemalan chiles rellenos are basically, stuffed chillis, normally bell pepers, jalapeño peppers, and huaque (sp?), depends mostly on what is on season and how spicy you want your chiles rellenos. The stuff in Guatemalan chiles rellenos is a mixture of minced meat, carrots, green beans and other spices; all of that covered in an egg batter, and fried.

In the picture, you can see two chiles rellenos served over two black maize tortillas, rice, mashed avocado, and two slices of the pitaya fruit (the pinkish fruit).

Guatemalan Cuisine: Pache, originally uploaded by rudygiron.

Tamales are an ancient American food, made throughout the continent for over 5000 years. How about that for trivia, thanks to Wikipedia. There are so many kinds of tamales that if one was to try one per day, it would take you over twenty years to try all the different kinds. That is right, I said twenty years. In Guatemala alone, there must be 100 different kinds if not more. Tamales are usually made with a cooked masa (maize dough), tomato sauce, and a piece of meat; normally pork, chicken, turkey, all wrap around in husks or banana leaves. When I say tomato sauce, I am being over-simplistic since this tomato-based sauce could be as difficult to make as an Indian curry, if not more.

Here I bring to you a very special kind of tamale made with potato dough instead of maize. It is called pache (short) and it is made in all other respects the same way as tamales. In Guatemala, paches are usually sold on Thursdays, I don’t know why, and “normal” maize tamales are sold on Saturdays, although if you know your way around you any kind of tamale any day you like.

You should read the overview entry of tamales in Wikipedia to get a feel for it. I should mention that I think the entry for tamales is very short and it should not. I will research more about the subject and I will update the Wikipedia with my findings.

Guatemalan hotdogs: Shucos, originally uploaded by rudygiron.

Shuco is a word that means dirty. It is not Spanish or Maya, but it is a word that represent their meeting point. Now why in the world would you use the world dirty for food; well, why not, if they can call them “hot dogs” in some other parts of the world.

Anyhow, the Guatemalan hot dog comes with guacamol (avocado sauce), boiled cabbage, mayonnaise, tomato sauce, mustard, hot sauce, and one or more of the following: chorizo (Guatemalan red sausage), longaniza (Guatemalan white sausage), salchicha (normal hot dog sausage), ham, bacon, pepperoni, german ham and sausages, chichen breast, beef steak fajitas, polish sausages, et-cetera. Well, at least they do at La Perrada, a hot dog joint in Antigua.

There are four sizes at La Perrada: normal (which is more less your normal bun), special (150% larger), jumbo (300% larger) and ballena/whale (500% larger). The jumbo is pictured here and it comes with five meat toppings and it costs about Q20 (US2.50). La ballena or whale has 10 or 20 meat topings at it rings about Q35 (US$5) and Q45 (US$6). I can barely finish a Jumbo, but other people have no problem with even a whale. I leave you with a picture of two acquaintances who were getting ready to devour their hot dogs. In the secondary picture you can see Pablo with two jumbos and Cynthia with a whale split in half.

Bon appetite!

Pupusas is a name inherited from El Salvador to a dish which can be found in the Southeast Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and quite possibly all the countries in Central America under various names. Pupusas are “normally” about the size of CD and are made from a mixture of maize dough, cheese, and whatever ingredient you ask for from a menu. The pupusa here is about three or four times the “normal” size and thus the name: Mayan pizza. It is way over a pound and it has four ingredients and costs about Q20 ($2.50). This is Guatemalan “fast” food, if you know what I mean.

Why maize and not corn? Funny you asked, I was going to tell about a great book with a very short name: 1491. In this book, the author makes a clear distinction between one word and the other. Maize can only mean one thing, while corn is often used as crop in other parts of the world.

Maize is grown in what is called a milpa. The term means “maize field,” but refers to something considerably more complex. A milpa a field, usually but not always recently cleared, in which farmers plant a dozen crops at once, including maize, avocados, multiples varieties of squash and bean, melon, tomatoes, chilies, sweet potato, jicama (a tuber), amaranth (a grain-like plant) and mucuma (a tropical legume)… Milpa crops are nutritionally and environmentally complementary… Milpa is one of the most successful human inventions ever created. [ed. Just a fragment on the chapter about maize).

This book is so good and so bad at the same time. It is a book rich with the latest scientific and historic facts; and that makes it so good. This book has so many truths in it that will shatter everything you think knew about America (the continent); it is almost like regaining conscience. I do not recommend this book if you are very comfortable with what you know now, even though most of is myth. Okay, you are forewarned.

This is the view from the dining room. Guatemala sells itself as tourist destination and they focus mainly on the colonial towns, the Mayan people, the Mayan ruins and the Atitlán Lake. Well, they miss the gorgeous light and color that is available throughout Guatemala.

Here I leave you with the image that you are having breakfast and you decide to step to the door to receive a little sunshine and you are overwhelmed by the amount greens and reds and the stunning warm quality of the light. I buy that on the spot, wouldn’t you?

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / dining room/ Posada del Ángel

Really green garden, originally uploaded by rudygiron.

This a very lush and green garden. It is a pleasure to the eye. In you enter though that door, you find yourself in the dining room, which, by the way, will be tomorrow’s photo. I leave you now to digest this tranquil view.

rusted plant pot, originally uploaded by rudygiron.

On the opposite wall, the plant has taken over the whole wall. I do not its name, but for sure I will find out and I will post an update. Posada del Ángel could give enough material for a month. The interesting part is the Posada del Ángel is very small, just 5 suites, but it is full interior design and architectonic elements that really hit on the sensitive side. It is such comforting and aesthetically pleasing place. I will only post three more photos from Posada del Ángel so give you an idea.

Starting Monday I will begin a Guatemalan cuisine series. I hope you are not too hungry.

Plant pot at Posada del Ángel, originally uploaded by rudygiron.

Yesterday I brought to you a metal plant against a wall. I bring to you a real plant against a wall on its metal pot. Today I finally got the chance to take some photos with the new camera and this is one of them. I went to Posada del Ángel, a luxury bed-n-breakfast, to take some shots of the interior since there seems to be some interest. I know this place to be a great photographic location and the manager is my friend, so I asked. On June 23rd I told you about the place where Mr. William Jefferson Clinton went to eat, today I bring you the place where he stayed. This was also the first time a U.S. president ever spent the night in Guatemalan soil. I recommend to you, go see their website; it is full of information and gorgeous photos of the place.

“This inn is a pearl. It is easy to say that it’s my favorite inn in Antigua for its attention to detail, intimacy, and extraordinary service. And I am not alone; ex-Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau and Senator Tom Daschle bunked here.” Carol Schimke gives Posada del Angel 5 stars in her book Incredible Inns of Central America.

Muebles y hierro forjado sign, originally uploaded by rudygiron.

Antigua is known to Guatemalans as a great place to get high quality craftsmanship. Here you can find all kinds crafts, very rustic, but with a lot elegance and style. I showed you a man selling furniture on the street on June 9th. Today a bring you a sign to a shop that specializes in forged metal and wood furniture, artworks, design elements, and whatever you ask of them. I like signs as you can see.

Sidenote:
Starting today we have a new function in Antigua Daily Photo. If you click once on the comments, they will appear just below the message, if you click once more on the comments, they will hide. If you would like to get this working on your blogger site, just read the instructions here. For the recent comments function on the sidebar look here.

Antigua’s street from Cafe Sky, originally uploaded by rudygiron.

Here is another shot from Cafe Sky roof-top bar. Between this view and yesterday’s you can see Fire and Acatenango volcanoes. Fire volcano is active but far away from Antigua (about 20~30 Kms.), yet you can still see it clearly because these volcanoes are huge. Water volcano which was in the background on yesterday’s photo is only 3 or 4 Kms. from Antigua. I would worry if Water volcano were to become active.

Sidenote:
Happy holidays to people behind the Daily Photo cities in the U.S., whom, today, celebrate their Independance Day. Let’s hope we can see some great fireworks shot tomorrow.

Cafe Sky roof-top, originally uploaded by rudygiron.

Sunsets in Antigua are something special and even more so when you watch them from Cafe Sky roof-top bar. You sit at the roof-top bar with drinks and friends to watch the sun set against a sky line, broken by volcanoes and mountains; if you are lucky you will be greeted by Fire volcano. Sunset’s warm light falls on Antigua’s color palette to give you such rich and wonderful spectrum that makes you wonder if these are the same walls and house from this morning. To your left you can see Water volcano raise just outside Antigua. There are the things that make Antigua such a magical place.

Cheers to all of you! and my warmest wishes to all the Daily Photo Cities.

Sidenote:
The church you see just a little south is La Iglesia de San Francisco el Grande. There is buried the only Catholic Saint for Central America: El Santo Hermano Pedro de Betancourt. He was born in Tenerife, Canary Islands in 1626. The World just keeps on getting smaller. I wander if Pamela knows about El Hermano Pedro.

It’s a beautiful day, originally uploaded by rudygiron.

Okay, let me say right at front. I do not trust the weather forecasters, including Guatemala’s own National Institute of Seismology and Vulcanology. They had predicted heavy rains and floods for the weekend and as you can see the weather was marvelous. In fact, the last three days have some the best weatherwise in a long while. Allow me to describe very briefly the atmosphere in Antigua yesterday.

There was a sense of peace and fun, people were happy and smiling everywhere, many were crying while other yelled and howled about some soccer game result. That is right France overcame Brazil and since Guatemala has never even qualified for a World Cup, Guatemalans have adopted Brazil as their team. Temperature was around 75-80° F, there were no clouds, the air was fresh and clean, people seemed to feel simply great. On the image I caught a tourist who was enjoying the late afternoon sun. To top it all, Friday was a national holiday on Guatemala, so people had a very long weekend. All in all, it was a great time to meet people for lunch and beers.

Sidenote:
I want to thank Lillian and Brian for their kind email comments. Yesterday I said that because of your comments and motivation I bought a domain for this blog, yet I forgot to mention that I also bought a better digital camera, Canon Powershot A620 which should be on my hands this coming week, so I can take better photos or at least the pictures how I want them. Because of your wonderful feedback, I felt compelled to do a better job. Oh, how I wish it could be this simple with my rough English.