AntiguaDailyPhoto.Com

Regardless of how I may feel about the marimba, this instrument and its waling sound are very important to Guatemalans all over. For instance, this school band parade did not begin marching until the marimba arrived.

What are your feelings about marimba music?

Video coming soon…

I know that Guatemalan Danzas and Bailes Tradicionales are an integral part of the folklore and culture of Guatemala, but I must admit I know very little about them. These traditional dances are so important that many people are documenting, writing and publishing books about them. I happen to know one of them and next time Joel E. Brown, Ph. D. visits Guatemala I will ask him all about them.

In the mean time, please, share with the rest of us whatever you know about these traditional Guatemalan dances.

Here are some words that are part of the vocabulary of Guatemalan Traditional Dances: Rituales y fiestas, trajes y máscaras, Coreologí­a popular and coreografí­as, Morerí­as y mascareros, danza del venado, De toritos, La Conquista, El Rabinal Achí­, Los 24 Diablos, Danza de los mexicanos, Danza de los negritos, Baile de los gigantes, La Paach, et-cetera. We begin by defining or telling what you know about any of those words.

Sure, you say, the traje indí­gena is a far out outfit, but are there really symbols encoded in these garments?

Once again, I will let Julia Montoya answer: “An ever present motif is the zig-zag horizontal stripe, which in Kaqchikel is called Kumatz (serpent or snake). There is also the star or flower which has many variations. Sometimes, it is rhombus with central point which repeats itself within a prominent central band, combined, in some occasions, with the vertical zig-zag stripe (which symbolizes the lighting) and with birds motifs. The isolated motifs do not say much, but when they are combined the form a context. Per example: the aquatic birds o migration birds, the stars and the zig-zag lines motifs can suggest contexts of rain and fertility… with red, green and yellow, colors which symbolize fertility and the abundance of maize… Elder women, especially those who are widows, do not use red, but a combination of black, white, lilac, green and blue (colors which are associated with sorrow)… by wearing the huipil (blouse), women placed themselves in the center, like an axis which communicates the heavens, earth and the underworld (Xibalbá in Maya).

Source: Interview to Julia Montoya {ñ}, author of With their hands and their eyes, by Gemma Gil

We will continue with others questions and answers from this fabulous interview in the following days. Stay tune!

Lo que no se conoce no se ama
One can not love what one does not know
— Julia Montoya

Source: Interview to Julia Montoya, author of With their hands and their eyes in Revista Domingo, September 7, 2007 {ñ}

What I admire the most from the indigenous people of Guatemala is their resilience. They have taken everything thrown at them and they have made it theirs with infinite layers of meaning, tradition and history. So you take the Spanish dance Moros y Cristianos (Moors and Christians) brought by the conquistadors and the Spanish Inquisition and the native Guatemalans turned into something that belongs to them with several coats of mysticism, like a chipped wall in Antigua showing its different paint jobs.

These dances look all the same to us ladinos (mixed), but those who study them and know better, the transformed indigenous dances are fountains of knowledge into the Mayan mysticism, symbolism, and cosmology.

For those of us fortune enough to be able to read Spanish, we can access the wealth of articles, interviews and background information about the traje indí­gena (indigenous dress) available in the past issues of Revista Domingo. With all these archives we can delve into trying to answer some of conflicting feelings, questions and concerns.

Let us begin pues:

Emromesco stated that traditional Mayan dress was practically forced onto the indigenous people of Guatemala in colonial times by landlords. Like always, truth is like a diamond with many faces, and I believe it was more like Stephanie pointed out; the landlord just exploited something that was already happening. Nevertheless, the traje indí­gena did not existed as we know it now in Pre-Colombiam times. As a matter of fact, as indios were forced to dress up as to not offend the Spanish morality and chastity, the Amerindians of Guatemala saw an opportunity to perpetuate their beliefs through the weaving.

Then MO asked, are the current living Mayas reversing this forced custom? The short and long answer is yes they are. As Julia Montoya explained in her interview, after the new millennium (after Y2K) the Pan-mayanismo emerged as a phenomena in which the indigenous dress stop being an expression of “local identity” and it became symbol of “social identity”. I know this to be true because I have asked the indigenous people that I know from the Antigua market and other places where their traje is from and they have told me that they mix and match from different regions, according to their liking.

I will continue deciphering, to the best of my knowledge, memory and google, what we don’t love because we don’t know… Stay tune!

You’re more than welcome to contribute your comments, questions, doubts, or refutals.

Last week, as we watch the delegations parade at the Beijing 2008 Olympics Inauguration, I was thinking how wonderful it was to see so many different and unique national dresses from the many countries around the world. Some of the delegations opted for a no-frills-western-style tie-shirt-suit formal dress code, while others chose to show off their identity and national pride through unique garments. I did not get to see the 12-member Guatemalan delegation.

This weekend in my way to the market, I had to stop to photograph something that is very common and unusual at the same time: an indigenous school band. I use the word common as I suppose this something that one can come across often while visiting indigenous communities. I use the word unusual because I, myself, have not seen an all-indigenous school band; just to show you how little I know my country.

I have shown Guatemalan school bands before; do you recall? Student marching bands and Student Band’s Practice at Ermita de la Santa Cruz; What about the Peace Accords of 1996; Night Parade on Independence Day; Guatemalan Independence Day 2007 Slideshow, just to bring forth some of the school band snapshots available at La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo. But, the question is in how many of those photos did you see an indigenous school band?

Recalling a quoted text I snatched from Congo Days and Desde Kinshasa where my epistolary friend Ale talks often about identity:

While thinking about these issues I remembered a great film I saw almost two years ago that touched upon many of these subjects. Sandrine recommended it first and I loved the movie. It’s title in French is Va, vis et deviens (”Live and Become“) and it is a beautiful story that touches upon identity, race, religion, adoption, history and love from one child’s perspective.

Live and become may be one of the approaches by which the indigenous Maya people of Guatemala have kept alive several different ways of being human over the long and arduous 500 years.

This is the first part of a series regarding Guatemalan indigenous dress, traditions and identity. Below, I share with you a small video clip of their practice before marching on toward Calle del Arco.

INDIGENOUS WORD DEFINITION SIDE NOTE: I use the word indigenous in this site as way to describe native Guatemalan Amerindian people, mostly Maya descendants, whom have decided or still maintain their language, culture, traditions and dress (to name a few aspects of identity).

Not only in walls can you find textures in La Antigua Guatemala; sometimes even wooden beams can provide moth-eaten textures. If you remember the humble Wood Texture from a Beam, you will know how much pleasure a mundane wooden beam can produce. Today’s photo as downloadable wallpaper (1200×900 pixels) was taken by looking up at the top beam from the doorway at La Tienda de Doña Gavi.

I hope that you have enjoyed and downloaded the last three wallpapers for your computer desktop/laptop. Can you tell how many photos have been served as wallpapers?

I could spend a good hour photographing all aspects of La Tienda de Doña Gavi and perhaps bring you a series… but I won’t; I promise I will only post two more wallpapers. Today’s wallpaper, like yesterday’s, is take from the broken up wall at Doña Gavi Store. You can download the 1200×900 wallpaper from here.

If you read the entry Natural Paint Texture, you can find out the reasons for the textured-walls you see often around Antigua.

What’s up Rudy, what’s with all the yellows and reds in your photos lately?

At the closing of the inauguration parade for the Beijing 2008 Olympics, the behemoth Chinese delegation wore a yellow-and-red uniform and by the time all of them entered the stadium, they had encircled all other delegations with the colors of passion and fortune. So there, have a little passion and fortune in your life (or in your computer, at least)!

THANKS FOR YOUR DONATIONS: I want to thank publicly Alan and MO for donating towards the hosting bills of LAGDP. Also, I want to thank MO, Salvador and Susan for having purchased prints as their way of supporting my efforts to maintain this web site. Furthermore, I would like to thank John and Catherine for their continued support through the Amazon Wish List. My gratitude to all of you who have donated books and such.

If you would like to help me and contribute towards all the work that goes behind keeping up this web site alive, please, purchase prints or you can opt for another way through the menu Support My Efforts below the search form on the sidebar.

Also, don’t forget that your comments and feedback are the main encouragement to continue with the daily photo of La Antigua Guatemala.

I will be posting a very special series this coming week as my way of showing my gratitude for all your support.

THANKS!

In September 2007, I brought to you the façade and sign of La Tienda de Doña Gavi, remember?

Today I bring to you a yellow-red wallpaper for your computer desktop, which you can download from here at 1200×900 pixels. I hope you like it and use it for at least a day.

We all live in a yellow house
Yellow house, yellow house
We all live in a yellow house
Yellow house, yellow house

And our friends are all on board
Many more of them live next door
And the band begins to play

Here’s yellow to complete the olympic colors from yesterday’s photo, which only had blue, black, red, and green.

If you want to meet the Guatemalan Olympic Athletes, head over to the Revue Magazine website where you can browse or download the August 2008 issue which profiles the 12 athletes.

PHOTO UPDATE:
Here’s a second version of the photo without, the person as requested by Stephanie, who may someday find her way down to the enchanting and magical Antigua Guatemala. In the meantime, enjoy the photo with or without people.

Here’s one more entry to feed the Color palette category. You can see red, green, blue, and black… ah, let’s see what event starting tomorrow will be using those colors plus yellow?

More than once I have explained my method of taking photographs around La Antigua Guatemala. Back in April 23rd, 207, I explained how I was able to capture one of my better images entitled Monk in San Francisco El Grande Church by framing until I was happy with the photo and then waiting for the live ingredient. In Underneath a Holy Week Float in La Antigua Guatemala, I described my approach to finding new angles so I can present you with “new shots” from often-photographed subjects. In One Way to the Decisive Moment, I narrated how I negotiated my acrobatic skills over a slippery-when-wet stone to capture my best split-second photograph and paid tribute to Henri Cartier-Bresson. In The Tiny Story of Discrimination, Arrogance and Patronizing, I walked you through the process of getting ready and shooting a scene.

Often, I try to give you a behind-the-scenes description so you know how a given photo came to be. So, no Mo, I was not taken photos of unsuspecting people. The approach for the last four photos has been the same: 1. find the shot, 2. take several shots to decide the best framing and lighting conditions, 3. set the camera accordingly 4. wait for the fugitive element, 5. take as many shots as possible to capture the split-second gestures. In other words MO, I was already taking the shots when the people walked into the frame.

Simple, isn’t it?

We know it’s in your hand.

Sure, La Antigua Guatemala is a nearly-quincentennial city and you may be inclined to believe after some strolls around Antigua that nothing has changed since 1773. Wrong, La Antigua Guatemala is alive and healthy and nearly everyday something changes and the more often you walk around Antigua the more often you notice things that weren’t there yesterday or this morning. Such is the case of this arch-doorway, which is new to me and to my recent memory of 5a calle oriente. The same thing happens with businesses: they open and close doors at such a rate that sometimes creates vertigo.

This façade belongs to self-titled Casa de los Paso on Calle de los Pasos (Street of the Steps). You can see several elements of the Antigüeño Architectonic style, such as the ivy covering the wall, the old wooden door, lamp, doorbell or intercom, the broken-show-me-your-guts façade; that’s it, simple isn’t it?

Do you know why this calle is called La Calle de los Pasos?

Your comments and feedback are very important and often show me the way for future posts or follow ups. Such was the case about telephones, wifi (wireless internet access) and more recently the ik word (hot or spicy in Maya) which Manolo was kind to share its meaning and etymology. Furthermore, I normally try to have entries that need further development with background information or first-hand experience and that’s where you come in and fill the missing information. See this site is as much mine as it is yours and the whole experience is much richer if we all contribute to it. I am only planting the seed; it is up to you to make grow and produce fruits. Got it?

If there was a Guatemalan national dish, then Kak’ik would be it. Wait a minute, this Guatemalan meal has the word ‘IK’ as part of its name, so, now we know why. Along the sidebar, there is section of other Guatemalan links that I think might further help understand this effusive thing they call Guatemalanness. From those links, I extracted the following information:

The Kak’ik is a turkey soup-stew which features a number of spices from which achiote, coriander, and a number of chilies stand out. Following is a visual homage to the cultural traditions kept alive by Mayan women of the Q’eqchi’ ethnic group who still kill, clean, and cook the turkey as has been done for generations.

Deemed intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture and Sports in November 2007, the Kak’ik is an ancestral dish of Pre-Hispanic origin largely cooked and consume among the Q’eqchi’ Mayas of Guatemala. “The red coloring evokes memories of the blood used in rituals and ceremonies by their ancestors.” (1)

Source: Ancestral Cuisine: The Kak’ik by James Rodrí­guez’ World (mimundo.org)

Warning: if you decide to follow the link to Ancestral Cuisine: The Kak’ik, you will find the ritual of the preparation of Kak’ik which includes the killing, cleaning and cooking of the turkey through a series of photos. These are extremely graphical and may offend and disturb most people. Think of the entry as being rated NC-17. Vegetarians, please, do not follow the link.

Where can I get kak’ik in La Antigua Guatemala?
There are quite a few places from gourmet versions like La Fonda de la Calle Real to daily menu diners. One sure place to try kak’ik is San Felipe village which has over 20 restaurants around its main plaza that serve a wide range of authentic Guatemalan dishes, including kak’ik, on the weekends. The photo above was taken at one of those restaurants.

Pavo is just one way to say turkey in Spanish; others forms include chompipe and guajolote. What other words do you know?