La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo

Believe it or not what you call the Santa Lucía Street is the biggest controversy on this 6-block-long avenue. See, most people call it Calzada Santa Lucía; calzada is one of the Spanish words for paved avenue/street. Those who know and pay attention to the signage, would tell you there are no calzadas anywhere in La Antigua Guatemala. You should call it Alameda Santa Lucía; alameda being the Spanish word for a tree-lined street/throughway.

This controversy has gotten so big that spilled out of the 6-block avenue onto the rest of La Antigua Guatemala. Most cheap and poorly researched maps would have Alameda Santa Lucía as a Calzada.

Honest the whole thing is mute since most people in La Antigua do understand what you mean when you say Calzada/Alameda Santa Lucía. It’s the poor tourists who become confused with the maps pointing towards the calzada (or worst the abbreviation calz.) Santa Lucía. There is a second photo below that you can click on to get an enlargement of the tree-lined throughway as exhibit two.

So, you the jury, having heard the arguments and viewed the evidence for calzada vs. alameda, what is your verdict?

DICCIONARIO DE LA LENGUA ESPAÑOLA aside: Spanish speakers are lucky to have the ultimate and authoritative reference in the form of a dictionary known as DICCIONARIO DE LA LENGUA ESPAÑOLA - Vigésima segunda edición. Also, it is the fortunate fact that this dictionary is available online at www.rae.es as I am sure most people have never seen a printed copy in their entire lives (I know I haven’t, I do have however the Diccionario panhispánico de dudas, which is also available online). But, there is always room to improve on these great resources and some people did by making a quick query into the database-backed dictionary by entering a quick URL+word-being-searched. Here are two examples to make this resource clear: rae2.es/alameda to find the definition for Alameda and rae2.es/calzada for Calzada. In other words, you enter RAE2.ES/WORD-I-AM-LOOKING-FOR to get a fast definition pulled from the DICCIONARIO DE LA LENGUA ESPAÑOLA - Vigésima segunda edición. There you have it, don’t ever say I do not share this geeky stuff with you.

Here’s a second wooden sign for the Sabe Rico Delicatessen Chocolatería which can be found hanging at the entrance doorway. I really like both wooden signs, although today’s sign is more traditional.

Now if I could only find the font used in the Sabe Rico sign… I have some ideas where to use such a beautiful typography, especially the stylized ‘y’ that appears at the end of Tuesday.

Do you remember the elegant and stunning typography used in the José María Magaña Juárez sign? If not, you should really check it out; it’s amazing.

Obviously not all the signs are for new business. Sometimes, there are business which did not succeed and their local is taken over by a new business or by another looking to expand into a larger space. That’s the case here: The Sabe Rico Delicatessen Chocolatería has taken over the space previously occupied by Tortas Locas Hipocampo Restaurant; which is no more. C’est la vie!

Money literally grew on trees in Guatemala, the land formerly known as The Maya Empire. Did you know Guatemala was the birthplace of chocolate? Money, chocolate, Rudy—man you’re really losing your nuts and are not making any sense whatsoever. Well, I let my fellow country(wo)men explain…

Can somebody explain to me what kind of product do you find at delicatessen chocolatería?

I said it before, but I repeat it now: I could go on forever photographing the never-ending supply of signs around Antigua. It looks like every time I blink a new business opens its doors.

The other day, I read an apocalyptic article entitled Antigua 2020 in which the author describes the business association delightful reaction as the very last citizen of La Antigua Guatemala is forced to move out into a neighboring village and his home becomes yet another business enterprise, thus turning Antigua into a giant 63-block mall.

Oh how jealous mister Disney would be of our colonial-themed humongous mall, don’t you think?

Here I was walking around Antigua with a smile on my face mulling about how lucky I was to be able to share my printed photos with more people (really, how lucky of me to have other people hang my photos in their home or office.) then out nowhere I saw a fellow photographer with not one, but two cameras exactly like mine.

I could not resist and I started to stalk this poor fella for about half of block (between the Muni and Museo del Libro Antiguo) trying to figure out why he needed two cameras, was he not confident that one camera could do the job? Well, my curiosity won me over and finally I approached the photographer and asked why he was taken photos with two identical cameras. He was very kind and slowly he explained to me how by taken two photos at the same time with a remote shutter he was able to create 3D photos or stereo photographs.

I was able to give the photographer one of my cards, but I was not able to get his name or email address. I hope that he will visit the La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo and share with us his 3D catches. You need a special “crossed-eye” technique to view the stereo photographs though.

Have you ever seen 3D photographs?

SPECIAL OFFER ON 11″x14″ PRINTS: For this week only I will be running a special offer on 11″x14″ prints on whatever paper you like (yes from Kodak Endura Matte to gorgeous Kodak Metallic) for $20 per print; five minimum order. That’s as much as 60% off the regular price ($45 for matte and $50 for metallic paper). I will also pay for the shipping within the U.S.A. for those ordering 5 or more prints. This special offer will expire on August 31st. Take advantage of this blow up prices and get the large prints you want to decorate your home or to give away as presents. Contact me right away for details and to place your order.

With the new administration at La Antigua Guatemala’s City Hall, there have come new regulations and orderliness on the streets of this colonial town. Well, they are trying; I am not sure the Antigüeños are ready to change their 500-year-old ways, you know.

The little tile embedded on the sidewalk depicting a motorcycle is there to mark the motorcycle parking areas, along with a painted white stripe. The painted red stripe means no parking (well, it’s a suggestion according to drivers around Antigua). The unpainted sidewalks are vehicle parking areas. If you travel back in time to June 24th, 2007 you can find a tiny blue-and-white tile marking even sidewalks under the La Antigua Guatemala Without Barriers project.

Behind the Scenes Aside: Okay, a little over sharing for you or let’s just call it behind the scenes. The story behind the last three pictures is that while I was taking a photo of the motorcycle parking area tile above, I raised my head and saw and old man watching an approaching young tourist with shorts and sandals. A quick hand movement allowed me to capture the passing story line. You’re my accomplices now; you know.

SPECIAL OFFER ON 11″x14″ PRINTS: For this week only I will be running a special offer on 11″x14″ prints on whatever paper you like (yes from Kodak Endura Matte to gorgeous Kodak Metallic) for $20 per print; five minimum order. That’s as much as 60% off the regular price ($45 for matte and $50 for metallic paper). I will also pay for the shipping within the U.S.A. for those ordering 5 or more prints. This special offer will expire on August 31st. Take advantage of this blow up prices and get the large prints you want to decorate your home or to give away as presents. Contact me right away for details and to place your order.

I wonder what was going through the old man’s mind while watching the young tourist with flip flops (thongs) and short shorts.

Was he thinking I would never let my granddaughter go out dressing like that or was he wondering if those sandals, which are all the rage right now, are really comfy. What do you think?

SPECIAL OFFER ON 11″x14″ PRINTS: For this week only I will be running a special offer on 11″x14″ prints on whatever paper you like (yes from Kodak Endura Matte to gorgeous Kodak Metallic) for $20 per print; five minimum order. That’s as much as 60% off the regular price ($45 for matte and $50 for metallic paper). I will also pay for the shipping within the U.S.A. for those ordering 5 or more prints. This special offer will expire on August 31st. Take advantage of this blow up prices and get the large prints you want to decorate your home or to give away as presents. Contact me right away for details and to place your order.