AntiguaDailyPhoto.Com

Okay, here is my contribution to the Costumbrism Photographs From La Antigua Guatemala.

What better specimen for the costumbrism photography of Antigua than a typical corner from La Antigua Guatemala with a corner window, Spanish-tile roof, colonial-style street lamp, cobblestone street, window plants, tree branches peeking in, gorgeous blue sky, stoned walls, whitewashed walls, wooden beams holding up the roof and absolutely no people in plain view?

Watercolors from La Antigua Guatemala can be found and bought in just about every tourist town in Central America. In Calle del Arco you can find many of the watecolor painters sitting on their little stool and with their portable studio over their knees.

Although, I do not like pinturas costumbristas, costumbrism paintings, many people seem to find them irresistible. Nevertheless, I am happy to know many of these painter are able to make a living doing what they love; not many people can say that, right?

The best thing about street photography: serendipity
—Philip Greenspun (source: Photo.Net)

“Stare. It is the way to educate your eye, and more. Stare, pry, listen eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long.” —Walker Evans (source: Photo.Net)

See, I have tricked you into thinking I am a genius. I merely happen to be there when things happen, I am simply a witness; that’s all.

Here’s the follow-up photo to yesterday’s rear view mirror vista. In this picture, you can appreciate the different cortes worn by the indigenous women of Guatemala. These cortes are not the usual indigenous dresses you find around La Antigua Guatemala. I am not sure where they are from exactly, but for sure, the different styles are from the high lands of Guatemala.

I am amazed and speechless whenever I realized the importance that the traje indígena, the native Guatemalan clothes, represents for the identity and culture of Guatemala and its people. These brave and resilient women are the last anchor of culture and identity for a country that everyday looks like more of the same. These courageous women show us other ways of being human.

Some people like photos without people; aseptic and sterile images pues. I am the opposite. To me what makes the image interesting is the life in it.

Here’s my approach to the photo taking process:

This morning as I was driving past the San Francisco El Grande Church, I spotted a classic post card of Antigua Guatemala, so I parked, I prepared for the shot and waited for tourists or Antigüeños to appear. I had done three takes when the monk came into the viewfinder and so the shot was resolved. (follow the white rabbit to see the image)

For a while now, I wanted to take some photos using the rear view mirror as a frame. Well, the other day I was lucky to see a group of Guatemalan women from the highlands dressed with their gorgeous cortes so I drove up to the next corner and set the mirror and then prepared the camera and waited. The image above is one of the images in the series. I hope you like it even though it has people in it.

Please, tell me do you like photos with or without people?

Guatemala does not have a Spring season, nor Summer, Autumn, nor Winter, yet it is known as the Land of the Eternal Spring because year round the flowers and plants are blossoming. The only Mayflowers that I have seen are the flowers of the coffee tree which reacted to the first rains of May.

All year you can find spots like the one above where you can buy live flowers for your garden. Do you want to know the average rate?

Oh the photos look so much better with people in them, especially if they are smiling.

If tostadas had a kingdom, La Enchilada would be the queen of the tostadas. Good, you say, I’m glad to know, but can you tell me what the hell is a tostada or enchilada. Well, I’m glad you asked. (follow the white rabbit for the whole enchilada!)

Some people have to wait until special occasions like Independence Day to see a fireworks show. Here in La Antigua Guatemala, thanks to Volcán de Fuego or Fire Volcano, quite often we get the opportunity to see a real fireworks. To me, it does not matter how often I see Fuego volcano erupting, every time it takes my breath away.

You may have to click on the image above to get a larger view of the beginning of an eruption. The electric power lines are there for the benefit of MO.

Here’s another vista which conveys the mellow and relaxing atmosphere of La Antigua Guatemala. This image was taken at Doña Luisa Xicotencatl restaurant.

My best wishes for you and make sure you have a mellow and relaxed weekend!

Here is another section of the façade of La Merced Church in La Antigua Guatemala. I also like this particular shot because of the contrast of the yellow paint and the white stucco against the dark blue sky and the irregular shapes on top.

What do you think of this vista?

For sure, if you have followed the AntiguaDailyPhoto.Com for a while, you have seen photos of La Iglesia de La Merced, right? Well, in case you have not seen this richly saturated yellow landmark from La Antigua Guatemala, here are some of the previous photos: La Merced Church framed by the Arch of Santa Catalina; Show me the moon; Façade of Iglesia de La Merced; Iglesia de La Merced Dome; Framed shadow; and Dove meeting.

However, I believe this is the first time I actually show you a close-up view of the baroque details which adorn the façade of Iglesia de La Merced, quite possibly the most beautiful church in Guatemala. Or can you come up with a different name for the most beautiful church in Guatemala?

Oh there is a revolution brewing down South in Meso-America. This revolution will not be televised. This revolution will be streamed!

Let me explain how this is going to happen. First a little background on telephone lines in Guatemala. Throughout its entire telephone history, Guatemala has barely managed to get a little over a half a million telephone land lines. In less than ten years, however, the cellular telephone companies have managed to get 6.5 or 7 million active mobile accounts. In a country with about 13 million people, that is a little over 50% or 60% or even more because children are included in the total population and of course, not all of them have cellular phones.

How is it possible that in less than a decade the cellular telephone industry accomplished what the regular telephone company could not do?

Simple the infrastructure to create a cellular telephone network is much cheaper since the signal travels through airwaves. If the cellular repeater towers are placed in strategic locations you can cover several municipios (counties) with one or two cellular towers.

Then, the cellular companies came up with an clever marketing plan. Let’s make pre-paid plans and give away the telephones dirt cheap or for free and we will recoup the investment in the users pre-paid usage. That’s how they were able to get 7 million cellular telephones lines installed; less than 5% of those are contract lines. In the process, the three main cellular companies were able to bring the air time prices down to a bare minimum and now it’s cheaper for Guatemalans to call the U.S. and Canada than the other way around; go figure!

Well, last year I shared with you the news about how the three main cellular companies, Tigo, Claro and Telefónica were upgrading their networks to the 3G or third generation of telecommunication standards and with it comes wireless Internet access. Since the telecommunication infrastructure is already in place, it will only be a matter of time before wireless Internet access is available in every corner of Guatemala.

Next, computer are getting cheaper and cheaper every time. You can get a nice working netbook for about $279 with Linux or $379 with Windows. Or the next generation of OLPC (one laptop per child) will be $75 when it becomes available.

So with the wireless infrastructure in place and inexpensive computers and mobile devices like iPod Touch or even intelligent telephones just around the corner, the only thing missing is computer classes and workshops. Well, why wait if the motto for Escuelas Abiertas; let’s provide computer workshops now for free on the weekends.

What do you think, am I hallucinating or there is real opportunity here the narrow the gap between the have and the have-nots?

One important aspect of the Escuelas Abiertas school program on the weekends will definitely be the safe playgrounds and fútbol and basquet bol canchas, foot ball (soccer) and basket ball courts respectively.

I wish I can transmit through images the energy and happiness of the kids playing in their school courts with new balls on the weekends.

Surely, this will have an impact on how children see their school during the week since they know this building is not only the place they are obligated to go to receive their education, but can also be a fun place to go to play with their friends and to learn computers, English, music, handicrafts, and art stuff without any obligation at all.

I wish there were open schools when I was growing up.

Finally something good for the communities in the rural areas of Guatemala. Escuelas Abiertas or Open Schools is a government program which will pay for teachers and tutors to work in public schools on the weekends from 9 to 5 so the kids take art and computer workshops, music, English, as well as physical education programs.

The idea is to open the schools on the weekends so the children of the communities can have a place to hang out and take courses which are not available during the regular school study assignments and without any obligation. If you open the schools on the weekends and providing engaging activities and workshops, perhaps, the kids will stay of gangs and out of the streets.

Spanish word of the day: Inscripción is the correct Spanish term for registration. However, online, for lack of knowledge or for plain laziness, registration forms are known as formularios de registro in Spanish. Registro is the word for record or inspection. Easy does it is the mentality for many web sites in Spanish, thus, they simply change the spelling of English words into Spanish looking words.

For instance, here is a real question asked a while back on a very popular Spanish web site: ¿Es tu registro usable para el usuario? which translates as, Is your registration form useful (usable) for the user? the word useful in terms usability. Now since Spanish is a phonetic language you can write, read and pronounce just about anything; even if it does not make any sense. The two basic problems with the question are registro and usable. even though registro is a Spanish word, is not the right word which should be inscripción. Usable, on the other hand, is not even a Spanish word; the right words in my humble opinion, for usable are útil or amigable. So the question should be: ¿Es tu formulario de inscripción útil (or amigable) para el usuario?

Sadly, however, the Spanish language is losing the battles with registro (inscripción/registration), tráfico (transito/traffic), masacre (matanza/massacre), usable (útil), usabilidad (utilidad/usability), mail (correo), chat (conversar), et-cetera. Can you share with us what other English words are being misused or poorly translated into Spanish?

I love signs; as the Sign category can testify with 98 entries so far. I am sorry about that since you have to experience La Antigua Guatemala vicariously through my eyes. Oh well, c’est la vie!