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A simple snapshot of a nightly parade on Independence Day in La Antigua Guatemala. I have lots of photos and videos to process and not much time to write a lot at this moment. Stay tune for the full coverage of the Independence Day in Guatemala.

The Spanish-style terra cotta roof tiles and Volcán de Agua are omnipresent throughout La Antigua Guatemala. I believe this is the second time I present a photograph which includes the rooftop, Volcán de Agua and a bird. The focus was different this time around though. I wanted to show the aging patterns and the textures formed by the Spanish-style terra cotta roof tiles. This rooftop belongs to the Compañí­a de Jesús building.

Elsewhere in La Antigua Guatemala, there is all kinds of Independence activities, similar to what I showed you last year. Today and tomorrow will be filled with patriotic sounds coming from the many students school bands and their parades, as well as the many Independence marathons which carry the patriotic fire in their torches back to their communities and villages. I will try to get at least some different shots of the activities, if work allows it. In the meantime, you can get a feel for the festive and noisy atmosphere we live now in La Antigua Guatemala by checking the entries below.

Related Guatemalan Independence Day activities:

• Independence Day: Flags are everywhere
• Independence Day: Come on baby, light my fire
• Independence Day: Run Lola, Run
• Independence Day: What about the Peace Accords of 1996
• Independence Day: Slideshow

I have said that I really enjoy being in this building so many times that you might actually believe that I work for the PR department of Agencia Española de Cooperación International in La Antigua Guatemala. I do not, just to get it right out in the open. However, I do check out books sometimes and read magazines from Spain from the Biblioteca (library) from time to time.

Honestly, I just cherish the atmosphere of the building. On the other hand, one thing I really want to do is sit on the bench in the corner, in the other side of the fountain, for lunch and read Un paseo en primavera (ES) by Ronald Flores. I could really get on the shoes of the protagonist, a tourist guide, since I’ve been told by Maggied that I am her personal tour guide. Just wait Maggied, I am preparing your invoice. Interestingly enough, the one thing I did not want to be was a tourist guide, nor I wanted for this site to become a touristic guide; it seems I have failed at both.

For now that is not possible because of the rainfall in the afternoons. I just have to wait until I can sing Requiem for the rain again. Also, I need to get an autographed copy of Un paseo en primavera from Ronald, like my friend Juan Carlos Escobedo.

Back to the Compañí­a de Jesús building to see the photo exhibit Punto de fuga by some of my favorite photo journalists: Sandra Sebastián, Moisés Castillo and Andrea Aragón. Since I had promised to come back to this magnificent example of antigüeño architecture and show it to you, I took a few more shots. This window ‘National Geographic’ frame is the first of this mini-series or the continuation of the Compañí­a de Jesús building series. Either way, let me know what you think of it. Boy, La Antigua Guatemala is so full of these wonderful vistas.

From childhood to old age, life goes on… one day at the time, one year at the time.

I wish all of you an easy-going day!

Helados Sarita, on 5a calle poniente, is the meeting place for these three kids and their joyful smiles. Sometimes life can be beautifully simple and full of joy (even for adults).

A finger marked with indelible ink is the proof you have voted in the Guatemalan General Elections. Above a marked finger in front of one of the voting centers in La Antigua Guatemala where elections progressed in a calm and quiet atmosphere.

People were pointed to their voting centers by a mailed slip with the information or by visiting one of citizens’ registration booths made available by the Tribunal Supremo Electoral (Electoral Supreme Tribunal). At the voting centers, people were oriented by the posters with table numbers and voting registration number (número de empadronamiento in Spanish). Once the voters had the right table, they walked to the queue and waiting their voting turn. At their turn, they approached the table where they had to show their cédulas (Identification card) and they were asked to repeat some of the information in their cédulas. Their voting registration number was checked against the logbooks provided by Tribunal Supremo Electoral. If all checked correctly, voters were given four ballots: One for city mayor, another for regional congress seats, another national congress seats and the last one for president and vice-president. With the four ballots and a crayon, voters walked to the voting booth and marked their election and walked back to the voting table to deposit their ballots in the urnas (ballot transparent bags). After that, voters had to sign the voting registration logbooks and their cédula was given back and their pointing finger marked with indelible ink. Basically, this is the voting process in Guatemala.

Children were also given the opportunity to simulate the election process by voting for president and vice-president. The children’s election process mimicked the adult voting process with similar ballot and erasable purple ink. Children between 5 and 17 years of age could participate. Children voting centers were located at different locations throughout La Antigua Guatemala.

I prepared a Flickr Slideshow of the Guatemalan Elections 2007 with keyframes showing the election process described above. Please, let me know what you think of it and if you believe I have done my job at giving you a feeling for the election process in La Antigua Guatemala. I will be waiting for your feedback.

Here is a short list of other blogs (in Spanish) that covered the Guatemalan Elections thanks to Blogschapines.com:

1. Votaciones 2007
2. Dentro del proceso electoral
3. Sitios Web de los medios impresos y las Elecciones Generales en Guatemala
4. Maratonica lucha para ejercer el voto
5. Elecciones en Guatemala Transcurren con normalidad
6. Primera media jornada de votación transcurre en calma
7. Otto Pérez Molina en las urnas del CUM
8. Todos a Votar
9. Llegó la hora: a mancharse el dedo

This corner building became one of the branches of Banco Industrial, Guatemala’s largest baking corporation, when this baking corporation acquired one of its rivals Banco de Occidente. This corner is prime location because it is one the corners of Parque Central, the main plaza, between the portal del ayuntamiento (city hall) the portal de las panaderas in La Antigua Guatemala. The jacarandas shot shown in Jacarandas at Antigua’s Central Park was taken from the corner window in the second floor.

The photo above was taken on August 31st, which was a payday and that is why you see all those people were queuing to get their salary from the banks. Tomorrow, Guatemalans will be queuing again to cast their vote. Also, this was the first time (this year) I noticed the Guatemalan flags that will adorn the buildings through September, which is the independence month. Guatemala’s so called independence from Spain is celebrated on September 15th. Check out the Independence Day Slideshow from last year.

I read recently (I don’t recall where at the moment) that to be truly independent a country must have sufficient wealth as to not have to depend on an outsider (duh!); well, let me break it to you guys, Guatemala has not been an independent country for the last 500 years or so. When I was teenager, I remember reading a Mafalda anthology where Mafalda was reading a history book and all of sudden she screams: You mean we were part of Spain, who the hell had the bright idea of independizarnos (freed us from Spain)! Back then, I laughed so hard at the comic strip, but just now I get the joke. Thanks Quino.

Remember, tomorrow Guatemala will be holding its general elections lottery (as Pamela calls it). Come back tomorrow night for an overview of the process and a link farm from all the blogs and sites covering the event.

We continue with “the sign fetish” and today’s turn is for La Tienda de Doña Gavi sign. Believe it or not, this tiny store is one of La Antigua Guatemala landmarks and it’s located on the street behind the Cathedral. Doña Gavi sells all kinds of organic stuff in this cozy shop including avocado ice cream. If you come to Antigua, you must visit this shop. If you don’t trust my recommendation, read the On the Road Travel recommendation below:

La Tienda de Doña Gavi
3a Avenida Norte #2, around the corner from Posada Joyerí­a del Angel, open 11:30am — 6:30pm.
Dona Gavi serves up the best — and most unique — ice cream in Antigua. Choose from avacado, corn, fig, cherry, lemon, and other local fruit flavors. The mango ice cream is incredible. In fact, it is a treat just to meet Dona Gavi and explore her store. Cones are Q16. (source)

La Tienda de Doña Gavi also provides a good contrast with her textured walls against the completely white skies of the rainy season. See, I have been complaining (almost nagging) about how white or gray the skies are because of the rain without realizing I could use these neutral backgrounds as backdrops for the wet and saturated colors of the buildings façades. Nevertheless, I am happy with what I have captured while taking advantage of a disadvantage (see One Way to the Decisive Moment).

Remember there will be general elections in Guatemala next coming Sunday 9th. I will try to do something special for the day. Stay tune!

I am a sucker for signs and La Antigua Guatemala has an amazing palette of signs made from wood, ceramic tiles, metal, paint, glass, etc. Perhaps, I am sensitive to signs because of my graphic design background or maybe because I am sign junkie. I like the colors, the materials and sometimes simply the typography used. The sign above is made from metal, welded together and installed at entrance of the parking lot of Porta Hotel Antigua with a gorgeous hand-made typeface. Sorry, I said I am sign addict and since I try to show you what one is expected to find while strolling around Antigua Guatemala.

In La Antigua Guatemala you’ll never know what can you find in a driveway or doorway as you walk by. Here I found these two old metal wheels which probably belonged to an old horse-carriage… really who knows, but here they are. Can you guys suggest what these wheels were used for in the past?

Climate Side Note: Hurricane Felix touched Central America land yesterday a 5:55 in the coastline of Nicaragua and it is expected to cross Nicaragua and Honduras before it reaches Guatemala as a tropical storm. My best wishes for the people of Nicaragua and Honduras and a prompt recovery from the damages cause by Hurricane Felix.

This coming Sunday Guatemala will be holding general elections for president, vice-president, congress curule seats, and city mayors throughout the country. It is sad to read the news feeds and news headlines regarding Guatemala. It seems like this tiny ‘paradisiac’ banana coffee republic has an innate quality to generate bad press. Like Tarzan, Guatemala jumps from bad stories to worse stories. It is a true jungle out here.

In the meantime, Guatemalans will cross their ballots to exercise the democracy Mayan ball game. But, before that, they must know where exactly they will cast their vote and for that, they have to go to one of the many citizens’ registration booths; like the one pictured above in the entrance to La Antigua Guatemala.

I sure hope things were a litter better for Ann in Montego Bay.

Okay, sometimes when you are too close to the trees, you can not see the forest. With two previous macro photos you were able to get real close to the flower of the Chicalote’s plant and to the seed cocoon. By stepping a bit further, now you get the chance to see both of them in context.

Further in the background, you see the leaves of one of Guatemala’s most edible weeds: Quilete (also known as yerba mora and macuy). Yerba Mora is the weed in the background with the tiny yellow flowers. Guatemalans’ diet include many weeds and herbs. I will list them here as a sort of to do list and to see if other Guatemalans can help with translating some of the names. Guatemala’s most edible weed goes by the name of Chipilí­n and it used in so many dishes like chuchitos, mixed with rice, with chicken in a creamy white sauce. Other weeds, that I remember right now, are Bledo (young green amaranth), Berro, Acelgas (chard), Espinacas (spinach), Loroco, Flor de Izote, Flor de ayote. I am sure this is only a fraction of the list… can you point out other weeds and herbs I left out.

I am sure the previous list will awake long-time dormant memories and smells in many Guatemalans living abroad right now. To exacerbate their nostalgic pain, I will try to photograph all of these weeds and herbs cooked in delicious dishes. What a nice guy I am… right?

Statistical Side Note: The entry 500 went by without me realizing it on September 1st. Today we are at entry 503. Boy oh boy, I did not think I could even maintain this rhythm for 30 days. I second Sompopo’s introspection: Where does time go? I want to thank all of you for supporting me through all your wonderful feedback and comments and for riding along with me in this camioneta (chicken bus) tour around La Antigua Guatemala. Make sure you have your pasaje en mano, mientras se mueven para atrás porque dónde caben tres caben cuatro.

Last year, on the entry The Land of the Eternal Spring, I talked about the “undocumented alien” in our garden, the Flor de Pascua (poinsettias) which were not planted or maintained, yet it gave us those wonderful red flowers from October through March. Since then, we moved to another house in San Pedro Las Huertas, one of the neighborhoods of La Antigua Guatemala, which is next to a coffee plantation with lots of trees and birds (partners in crime). Well, I am happy to report yet another “undocumented alien” in our new garden by the name of Chicalote (Prickly Poppy or Argemone Mexicana), a sort desert weed (that’s right I said desert, remember La Antigua is located in a tropical country). Two days ago I presented you the chicalote’s flower in the entry Flora and Fauna working together. One thing many visitors to La Antigua Guatemala notice right away is the incredible number of exotic flowers and plants, many of which grow in the wild.

Thanks to the instructions and education I received from our gardener, I learned this plant is medicinal and quick search in Google throw the following”

This plant (ed. Chicalote/Prickly Poppy) was sacred to Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain and water (ed. Chac Mol for the Maya), and water related diseases such as rheumatism and palsy were treated with this herb to appease him. (—Ancient Aztec Herbal Remedies)

Clearly, there is much more to this apparently rough and simple weed than meets the eye. (—Alchemy Works)

Come back tomorrow to see the Chicalote’s seed cocoon and flower in context, along with one of the most edible weeds and herbs in Guatemala.

Sometimes you just get lucky. Sometimes bad situations turn out good. Let me explain. See the theme for September 1st is Street lights and signs so I had made my mind to photograph a street sign illuminated by a street lamp; really, a situation very common in La Antigua Guatemala. Except, there has been a lot of rain lately and the photo I wanted to take was not feasible.

Plan B: go out and photograph a sign and a lamp in the same frame with some rain or street flood. So just the other day, in my lunch hour, as I am walking to the restaurant where I was going to have lunch, I noticed that the street was completely flooded; I detected my shot was there as I walk to the corner; I pulled out my camera as I got near and step on a cobblestone, flipped out the viewfinder and set the Canon Powershot A620 as close to the water as possible to get a portrait shot so I can get the street lamp on the left (top left corner of the photo) and the UNA VIA (one-way) sign to the right of the yellow arch.

As I negotiated my acrobatic skills over the stone, looked back so I don’t get ran over or splashed by one of the uncivilized drivers, looked at the camera so I don’t ruin it with the running dirty water, composed the shot to include both elements, I took a couple of shots to get the best composition. As I was ready to put away the camera and moved away from the center of the street because two vehicles were using their horns to alert me that they were close and they had no mercy; this lady entered the frame; I did see her with my own eyes as I was looking down to the twist-out viewfinder paralleled to the floor; I had but fleeing second to take the shot and in this fraction of a second my mind went through all countless photographs warehoused in my memory so fast that I must have seen over thousand images until my brain did a full stop at one my favorite images ever: The Decisive Moment by Henri Cartier-Bresson. With that image in my head, I pressed the shutter release. Next, I pulled away from the centre of the street just in time as the vehicle behind me went by, making a big splash (I did not get wet), pulled up my eye sight to see that the lady did not fall and was already walking away in the opposite direction.

I did not order dessert for lunch since I had already my sweet moment.

One can argue that the street sign is too small or that the street lamp is almost out of the frame. Well so be it. If you still want to see a Street Sign or a Street Lamp you’re welcome to press the links, or you can browse the Signs category and the Lamp category.

108 Daily Photo City sites are participating in the September 1st Theme Day: Street lights and signs, please use the links below to visit them.

Due to time zone differences and other factors, the theme photo may not be displayed until later if you are viewing early in the day.

Seattle (WA), USA – Ocean Township (NJ), USA – Cottage Grove (MN), USA – Cleveland (OH), USA – Menton, France – Monte Carlo, Monaco – Singapore, Singapore – Boston (MA), USA – Mexico (DF), Mexico – Kajang (Selangor), Malaysia – Mainz, Germany – Evry, France – Port Angeles (WA), USA – Sequim (WA), USA – Maple Ridge (BC), Canada – Nottingham, UK – Toulouse, France – Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands – Manila, Philippines – Mumbai, India – Montpellier, France – Bellefonte (PA), USA – Stayton (OR), USA – Moscow, Russia – Paris, France – Saint Paul (MN), USA – Austin (TX), USA – Lyon, France – Stockholm, Sweden – Hyde, UK – Hong Kong, China – Joplin (MO), USA – Seoul, South Korea – Chandler (AZ), USA – St. Louis (MO), USA – Arlington (VA), USA – Anderson (SC), USA – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Villigen, Switzerland – Sydney, Australia – Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia – Montego Bay, Jamaica – Norwich (Norfolk), UK – San Diego (CA), USA – Bandung (West Java), Indonesia – Albuquerque (NM), USA – Melbourne, Australia – Nelson, New Zealand – Quincy (MA), USA – Kyoto, Japan – Tokyo, Japan – Bend (OR), USA – Wellington, New Zealand – New Orleans (LA), USA – Cypress (TX), USA – Nashville (TN), USA – Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia – Detroit (MI), USA – Saigon, Vietnam – Selma (AL), USA – Phoenix (AZ), USA – Miami (FL), USA – Arradon, France – Sheki, Azerbaijan – New York City (NY), USA – Inverness (IL), usa – North Bay (ON), Canada – Melbourne, Australia – Port Vila, Vanuatu – Tenerife, Spain – Auckland, New Zealand – Forks (WA), USA – Rotterdam, Netherlands – Chateaubriant, France – Madison (WI), USA – Wailea (HI), USA – Orlando (FL), USA – Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation – Ajaccio, France – Baltimore (MD), USA – Crepy-en-Valois, France – Rabaul, Papua New Guinea – Budapest, Hungary – Lyon, France – Saarbrücken, Germany – Adelaide (SA), Australia – Le Guilvinec, France – River Falls (WI), USA – Stavanger, Norway – Naples (FL), USA – London, UK – La Antigua, Guatemala – Philadelphia (PA), USA – Montréal (QC), Canada – Paris, France – San Diego (CA), USA – Trujillo, Peru – Haninge, Sweden – Prague, Czech Republic – Oslo, Norway – Grenoble, France – Shanghai, China – Toronto (ON), Canada – Durban, South Africa – Zurich, Switzerland – Cape Town, South Africa – Singapore, Singapore – Torino, Italy