La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo

The Compañía de Jesús Building has to be one of my favorites building in La Antigua Guatemala. It is beautifully restored with so many gorgeous details like arches, wood floors, wood arches and columns, fountain, gardens. The Compañía de Jesús Building is under the care of Cooperación Española NGO, Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional in Spanish, which converted the building into a cultural center and library. On Wednesdays at 7 p.m. they show Spanish films. The library is among the few that allows to check out the materials there. In the atrium of the Compañía de Jesús Church Ruins are presented every month classical, jazz and world music recitals as well as all kind of cultural activities. Almost all the activities are free. How could I not love this building; I get my cultural fix here.

I feel I have not done justice to the beauty of this building through the photos presented thus far. I promise I will make the time to go there one afternoon and really take better photographs. Stay tune!

Theme Side Note: Tomorrow La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo will be participating in the Theme Day of the Daily Photo City community (over 250 cities around the world). The theme chosen for tomorrow is the view from your bedroom (window) of your town or city. Come back mañana to look at what I see each morning from our window and to check out the bedroom window view of other daily photo bloggers around the world.

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / arches / fountain / Compañía de Jesús building

I am sucker for shots with contrast. I like to show all the different contrasting vistas that come into my viewfinder in La Antigua Guatemala. Contrast can come in different shapes like size, culture, age, etc. Tourist and indigenous women often come into the viewfinder and I like to show that contrast. Sometimes the meeting takes place at a doorway like the one above; some going in others going out. Although some visitors find my photos of Doors and Windows in La Antigua Guatemala not as challenging, I find in doors and windows amazing opportunities for documenting contrast. Besides doors and windows work really well as frames for the everyday-life incidents; I just have to be ready to catch the decisive moment.

What do you think about the Doors and Windows photos shown here? Should I continue with this kind of photographs?

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / indigenous women / tourist women / Compañía de Jesús building

All work and no play makes for a very dull day the saying goes and that is why these shoe-shiner kids take a break to play and do some outdoors rock climbing on the walls of the historic building of Compañía de Jesús, former house to Bernal Díaz del Castillo.

What I learned from these kids is that rock climbing is possible in La Antigua Guatemala; child labor still present in Antigua and I don’t know if ever it will be eradicated; regardless of the labor conditions, kids will find a way to play. Good for them!

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / shoe-shiner kids / rock climbing / Compañía de Jesús building

The Antigua Guatemala is full plaques pointing to historic sites or events that happened here. The Antigüeños must luck the humor or wit described in the Ridicule film (if I am not mistaken) because all the plaques actually point to a real site or event, unlike modern day Paris where you can find plaques pointing to a site where on April 17th, 1967 nothing happened there (or other dates).

For instance, in the shot above you can see a plaque informing that this building was the residence of Bernal Díaz del Castillo, a conquistador, who wrote an eyewitness account of the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards under Hernán Cortés. The plaque can be found in the south façade of the Compañía de Jesús building which now houses the Cooperación Española NGO or Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional as it is called in Spanish.

Díaz took part in one of the most successful military campaigns in history, which brought an end to the Aztec empire in Mesoamerica. During this campaign, Díaz spoke frequently with his companions in arms about their experiences, collecting them into a coherent narration. The book that resulted from this was Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España (”The (True History of) the Conquest of New Spain”)…

As a reward for his service, Díaz was appointed governor of Santiago de los Caballeros, present-day (ed. La) Antigua Guatemala. He began writing his history in 1568, almost fifty years after the events described, in response to an alternative history written by Cortés’s chaplain, who had not actually participated in the campaign. He called his book the Verdadera Historia (”True History”), in response to the claims made in the earlier work. (Source: Wikipedia).

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / Bernal Díaz del Castillo / plaque / Compañía de Jesús building

I believe the magic of La Antigua Guatemala is in its details, often overlooked, like a lamp. You can browse the Doors and Windows, Details and Fountains and Gardens categories just a get a feel of all those wonderful details that make for an enchanting experience a visit to this Spanish Colonial Town embedded between coffee plantations, flower farms and volcanoes.

A question for those who have visited La Antigua Guatemala. Was there anything that you really liked about this town?

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / stop sign / window / red wall

The flavor in life is found in the little details. The transit signs in La Antigua Guatemala are a very good example of that. You take something boring but necessary as a stop sign and turn it into a beautiful detail; which makes your walks around town a little more pleasant to the eyesight. The stop signs (alto in Spanish) in La Antigua Guatemala are made from red ceramic tiles and metal frames.

To all the regular visitors, I wish you a very pleasant weekend full of warm experiences.

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / stop sign / window / red wall

The Bagel Barn is one of those rare places that offer magnificent coffee, light and tasteful bagel sandwiches and free WIFI so you can update your blog or site if you bring a laptop with wireless connection. I showed the Bagel Barn blackboard menu before to talk about WIFI access points throughout Antigua Guatemala. Free WIFI access points —wireless internet access for those who don’t know what wifi is— are actually available in many restaurants and cafes around Antigua. You can check you email, look at some photos on Flickr or watch videos on Youtube, on Pollo Campero, McDonald’s, Burger King and other small bistros. Boy! how I wish I had a new laptop.

The photo above is not very good, but I sure you can still see the metal coffee-bean back on the chairs. Is WIFI freely available in your hometown?

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / coffee / bagels / WIFI

Please, do not attack this fruit and vegetable stand with your liquidiser. Your blender would probably work better at this tropical fruit stand and for sure the smoothies would taste better.

Ha, I am a cheater! I post a photo like today’s and pass it as extraordinary, while it really is just an everyday-life shot in the La Antigua Guatemala’s market. Well, who knows, maybe the jocotes are still exotic to your eyes?

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / fruits and vegetables / La Antigua Guatemala’s market

This reckless image can be seen often in La Antigua Guatemala, where motorcycles are fast becoming the most popular vehicle (thanks to Mr. Bush). I have seen four people, or even five people, in a single two-wheel motorcycle; two adults and two or three children. So as you can see in the photo above, a motorcycle is fine for a family of four.

Is this something you can photograph in your home town?

Economic/Political Side Note: In 2001 when we arrived to Guatemala the cost of a gallon of gasoline was around Q12 (Q is short for Quetzales, the Guatemalan currency) or about US$1.50 at the exchange rate of Q8 per US$1. Then, Bush took the U.S. to two wars (or invasions, depends who you read) and the price of gasoline began to climb. Today, in Guatemala the price of the same gallon of gasoline is around Q27 or US$3.56 at Q7.58 per US$1 (minimum wage in Guatemala is about US$5.25 per day). The world is less safer (remember Madrid and London). The U.S. has become one of the worst offenders and violators of Human Rights as seen in all the evidence in the Guantanamo prisoners and in Iraq. More than two hundred thousand innocent people have died in Iraq, and who knows how many more in Afghanistan. The same question for the number of dead soldiers from the U.S., Spain, U.K. and others. The whole planet is warmer and more catastrophic; The dollar has devalued against many currencies in Latin America, making the cost of fuels even more expensive. Okay, I know, Bush’s wars are only part of the cause; a big part I may add.

This increase in fuel costs are probably the main cause for the popularity of motorcycles, Tuk Tuks motor taxis and bicycles as means of transportation. I hope this clarifies to many visitor from the U.S. why your decisions at election time are so important to your neighbors down south and elsewhere. You vote, we suffer the consequences!

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / motorcycle / Alameda Santa Lucía

As suggested by Scott, here’s a more challenging photograph, although I did include a door (does that count?), yet it is an everyday-life scene. As Pamela said, these doors and windows are portals to the history and witnesses of events and people. But I have to admit, they are not very pleasant to look at —sometimes— as Abraham pointed out, unless you have a new set of aesthetic values to appreciate and old town like La Antigua Guatemala.

Thank you for your wonderful feedback and interesting links. I hope to be able to reply more quickly soon and to visit your own websites as well.

Tags: Antigua Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / door / indigenous old woman / yellow wall

I can’t remember now who wrote to me that they could just go around Antigua taking shots of just doors and windows. I have done quite a lot myself; 32 photos published here and some others published at Doors Around the World site which is maintain by MarieMc. Honest I could do 5 times more, but I don’t want to bore you with so many doors and windows; you might think this is door and window catalog.

Tags: Antigua Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / door / wood and metal doorway / yellow wall

Cayucos are small indigenous hand-made vessels, sort like kayaks, that can be found around Lake Atitlán, about two hours from La Antigua Guatemala (see satellite maps). So, since there is no actual lake in Antigua Guatemala, you have to find new uses for those old and aged cayucos; flower and plant pots is one of them. They work great and look even better.

What do you think about recycling this old cayucos?

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / cayuco / flower pot

As mentioned yesterday, cupolas are a very popular architectonic feature in many residential homes and hotels. Cupolas break the otherwise flat rooftop line of the La Antigua Guatemala. White is also the favorite color for cupolas around La Antigua Guatemala. Sometimes I wonder how many cupolas there are in La Antigua; thousands at least. This photo was taken near El Calvario Church, in the south of part of town.

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / Cupolas / rooftop

One of my favorites small luxury hotels in Antigua Guatemala has to be Posada del Ángel. The good taste around this bed-and-breakfast is evident in the tiniest details like a plant pot, even if it is rusted pot, or the exuberant green garden or even when you open any window or door. Here you see a close-up view of the cupola at Posada del Ángel. Cupolas are a very popular architectonic feature in many houses and buildings in Antigua Guatemala. They are used for functional reasons as chimneys or as light domes, or more aesthetics reasons for the beauty they add to an otherwise flat rooftop line.

My best wishes to you on this upcoming weekend. May you find the time to relax with your love ones or to catchup in those loose errands on your to-do list.

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / Cupola / Posada del Ángel / rooftop

Believe it or not, the McDonald’s restaurant in La Antigua Guatemala is very nice place to meet for coffee with friends and family —I swear I haven’t sold my soul, yet—. In the patio, which runs along the length of the restaurant, there are tables all around the garden and fountain. The floors of the patio have a layer of cobblestones, green islands with flowers and bushes of irregular shape break the space up. If you seat on the north side and you look south, you can see Water Volcano (Volcán de Agua) in the farthest background and the San Jacinto Ruins just at the end of the lot. If you seat in the south, like the girl on the right of the frame, you can see the Spanish red-tile roof tops, fountain, clown and short trees. The whole atmosphere there is serene and if you happen to order a cup of rich Guatemalan java juice from the gourmet coffee bar —watch out Starbucks— and pick up the morning newspaper, you can almost forget that nearby there is the most grotesque thing the Western culture has come up with, as Anna put it, while referring to the scary, ugly, hideous and gross clown.

My apologies to all the regular visitors and commentators for not responding your feedback and inquiries lately. The move to a new house has taken all the available time and besides we are without internet service at home. We will be forced to paid the 50% of the remaining contract of the internet service provided by the local telephone company since they do not provide internet in the area we moved to. Now, we will have to get a new contract with another telephone company which has wireless internet access in the area. The worst thing about these contracts is that they only have them for a minimum of two-year period and if you move before that you have to paid 50% of what is left on the contract. Oh well, enough of my wining. I promise that as soon as we have internet at home, I will come back to answer all the pending comments and questions. Be patient, please!

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / patio / McDonald’s / Garden