AntiguaDailyPhoto.Com

So, finally I have gotten a copy of La Antigua Guatemala’s sign ordinances. I received two legal-size pages with almost Illegible text on both sides (let’s call it the 100-generation photocopy effect) from El Consejo Nacional para la Protección de La Antigua Guatemala, CNPAG. Half guessing half deciphering, I was able to draw the information from the photocopies.

Of course, if I had bothered to look the CNPAG.ORG website first, I could have saved lots of time by downloading the PDF document Requisitos para licencia de rótulos. Hah! don’t you forget that La Antigua Guatemala is a very modern city!

Here’s a little summary of what the PDF documents below describe at length:

The sign can be any of this three dimensions 0.70m x 0.70m square, .50m x 1m rectangle and .25m x 2m rectangle. The sign can only include any two of the following materials: wood, metal, ceramic tiles, bronze and forged metal. Three is the maximum limit of colors that can be used; with a matte finish. The business sign can only have a logo and name of business and nothing more. The sign must be in Spanish and following the grammatical rules set forth by the Real Academia de la Lengua Española; text in other languages can be included as long as it’s set at a much lower size and must include at least French and English. The typography (font) should be roman typeface (up and lower case) and can not be a modern-looking font. Synthetic materials and glass are forbidden.

No advertising signs and/or billboards can be placed within 4 kilometers on the road coming from Guatemala City; anywhere on the roads between La Antigua Guatemala and Alotenango, Santa María de Jesús and San Luis las Carretas (road to Chimaltenango).

Here are the three PDF documents which are required to obtain a sign license:

• Lineamientos para obtener Licencia de Rótulos — Sign License Requirements (PDF download at CNPAG)
• Reglamento para la colocación de rótulos o letreros — Sign Placement Ordinance (PDF download at CNPAG)
• Solicitud de Licencia de Rótulo — Sign License Application (PDF download at CNPAG)

The La Antigua Guatemala sign ordinances were enacted on March 23, 1973. All existing signs were given 12 months to comply with the new sign ordinances.

A quick scan at the sign category would reveal that many of the regulations and requirements are not being observed or adhered by many businesses.

We continue feeding the sign category with a sign made from ceramic tiles. There are over 106 sign entries thus far.

You know, there are sign ordinances that stipulate the size and materials that can be used in signage in and around La Antigua Guatemala. Would you like to learn what the sign ordinances are?

The most obvious draw to dining at Café Sky is the view. Those camped out on the restaurant’s rooftop terrace can spot Volcanoes, Cerro de la Cruz, Tanque de la Unión and the Church of San Fransisco El Grande (pictured) from the high vantage point. A local magazine even claims the restaurant has the best view of La Antigua. I think that is arguable to Cerro de la Cruz, El Sereno and some private residential houses with excellent views that I’ve had the lucky pleasure of knowing, but the vista is stunning nonetheless.

Yet, aside from the view, the restaurant has, what is for me, “hands down” the best Michelada in town. That is, the best kind with the tomato-hot sauce mix. There is another kind that uses just lime, salt and Worcestershire sauce expertly applied to your can of beer, but for the full out Michelada mix, Cafe Sky is it.

I also fancy their breaded mushroom dish… wow, now I’m hungry!

text and photos by Laura McNamara

I spent four months in La Antigua before I finally ventured to Mesón Panza Verde, one of the most renowned restaurants in La Antigua Guatemala. Yoga classes are what drew me… and I finally learned what the hype is all about. The restaurant/hotel is a stunning old house of brick, stone and fine wood. Plants seem to spill from the walls and ledges in various courtyards. Provoking art is scattered everywhere. Much of the art is created by the owner, yet the work of many other artists is often featured and displayed as well. At night, the dining room is lit in the glow of soft candlelight. The first night I dined there, my friend and I chose the table next to the floor-to-ceiling wine rack – imagining for a second it was all ours. Hehehe.

You can also dine in a stone “den” where live Cuban music is hosted on Friday nights. A long sliver of water shimmers in the rays of light that spill through openings in the stone “den” during the days. I tried escargot for the first time at Panza Verde. The butter sauce the juicy snails were smothered in was delicious. My favorite food that I’ve tried at Panza Verde, however, is the Camembert cheese with raspberry sauce. ¡Qué rico!

Follow a winding stone staircase laced in ivy in the front courtyard and you’ll find a charming terrace with hammocks, a small little art gallery beneath the traditional colonial cupola. Wander on and discover another, larger room that serves as yet another place to display art as well as the yoga studio. In this room, you’ll also delight in a great view of another Panza courtyard below. Venture up yet another staircase – this one iron – to find yet another terrace that places you at eye-level with the rooftops, everything still adorned in lush green plants and bright colorful flowers. Continuing on, over a little rooftop “bridge,” you can rest on one of several stone benches, carved in ornate decoration.

text and photos by Laura McNamara

The entire property of Espacioce! or the Centro de Cooperación de la Formación Española is impressive. Yet, many never venture beyond the ruins outside to discover the impressive rows of arches that enclose a grand expanse of manicured lawn inside the Compañía de Jesús building. The first courtyard is centered around a typical Antigueño fountain that sits amid a sea of bright green grass. Rest on the benches to enjoy the soft sound of the water. Then, glance up to appreciate the rich, wrap-around, wooden balcony on the second level.

The next courtyard is outlined in yellow, with bright pink flowers perched on windowsills high above. Below the terraces and balconies are rooms filled with art or with books. Many don’t know that the cultural center hosts an extensive library.

The center hosts a free cultural movie every Wednesday and one of my favorite photo expositions – Laberintos III – just wrapped up. A few weeks ago Espacioce! hosted a flamenco show outside, in the shadow of ancient ruins.

Does anyone else take advantage of the art and cultural events hosted at Espacioce!? What have been some of your favorites?

text and photos by Laura McNamara

To be honest, I’m not a huge meat eater. Yet, I’m not a vegetarian either. I will splurge every once in a while on a “meat feast” and one of my favorite places to go is a little known restaurant perched on the side of the road on the way to Lake Atitlán.

La Colina is little more than a wooden shack and that is precisely what’s so delightful about it. Pulling off to the side of the road, you step out into the crisp, cool air, greet the family and order the traditional plate of juicy chorizo. In moments the air beneath the little wooden shelter fills with a hearty smoke, rich with the succulent smells of the sausage. The meal arrives on a wooden plate with grilled potato, grilled spring onions, black beans, and Guatemala’s infamously pungent cheese. Lime, salsa, salt and picante are also provided to garnish the meal to your liking. Of course, freshly made tortillas are part of the experience. But, these tortillas are extra special – they’re my favorite, the blue ones! I always order the rich, cinnamon flavored hot chocolate to warm my hands and my belly as I impatiently wait for my food. I delight in the little clay cups that the hot chocolate comes in – formed in an ancient shape meant to lock in the warmth.

I first discovered La Colina when a friend called me up and asked if I wanted to go out for lunch. Thinking he meant eating out in a restaurant here in La Antigua Guatemala (LAG), I obliged and had no idea I was up for the wonderful little road trip, little more than a half hour outside La Antigua. The drive to get there is just as much a part of the experience. Every once in a while it is nice to escape the colonial town of LAG and venture out into the surrounding rolling hills. The road winds up and around until you suddenly find yourself passing through small mountains, with valleys dipping below a sky blanketed in puffy clouds that appear close enough to caress.

text and photos by Laura McNamara

One of the things I look forward to most when venturing out on a little jaunt outside of La Antigua is elote. There is a strip along the road that heads to Chimaltenango that is lined with Maya women fanning their grilled corn, waving drivers to stop for a quick roadside treat. You can find elote in La Antigua Guatemala (LAG), but the traditional munchie just seems a bit more rico when you’re in the car driving through the rural highlands surrounding LAG. And talk about an excellent alternative to fast food. I wish I could drive down the highway in the U.S. and quickly pull through a drive-through for a freshly grilled elote instead of greasy, stale french fries!

It’s also fun to think about the tradition behind the Maya and their connection to corn as you get elote caught in your teeth. According to Popol Vuh —a sacred book that is casually referred to as the Maya Bible— the first man and woman were made from corn. Thus, corn is a huge part of the Maya culture and diet. Unfortunately, corn has predominated the diet of the poorer populations so much that they lack vital variance in nutrients due to their reliance on the staple crop.

text and photos by Laura McNamara

The 2009 rainy season that officially began on April 24 is now over. Nevertheless, before the end, we received 1″ (over 25 mm) of rain between Fridays and Saturday. These last rains were caused by the Hurricane Ida. Hurricane is one of the few Mayan words that have made it into the global scene.

In Maya mythology, Tepeu and Gucumatz (also known as Kukulkan, and as the Aztec’s Quetzalcoatl) are referred to as the Creators, the Makers, and the Forefathers. Huracán (Hurricane), or the Heart of Heaven, also existed and is given less personification. He acts more like a storm, of which he is the god. Tepeu and Gucumatz hold a conference and decide that, in order to preserve their legacy, they must create a race of beings who can worship them. Huracán does the actual creating while Tepeu and Gucumatz guide the process. (source: Maya Creation according to the Popol Vuh at Crystalinks)

By the way, Now we’re talking about the weather, I’d like to share with you the cutting-edge work being done my dear friend Norman of ClimaYa.com who’s setting up real-time weather stations all over Guatemala so we can have up-to-the-minute accurate meteorological data. If you visit the ClimaYa.com web site, you can scan the different weather station on the sidebar as well as read the most recent eye-witness tweets for Guatemala and Costa Rica. Check it out!

This morning the weather changed dramatically with an almost clear skyline, except for a few clouds over Volcán de Agua, and quite comfortable temperatures.

The night of Friday, November 6, was the successful inauguration of the first exhibit of the Club Fotográfico de Antigua. There were a large number people interested in seeing the photographic work of the club members which in only 4 months have amassed a large quantity of imagery.

There are close to 80 images hanging from the cloister walls of Convento Las Capachuchinas showing emotive portraits of elderly people and working children, macro shots of flowers, captivating images of happiness and freedom, and, of course, literal and allegorical pictures of ruins and churches.

The evening’s spectacular and eclectic soundtrack was spun by virtuoso DJ BradElectro, who also lent his dancing shadow for today’s entry.

If you’re or will be in La Antigua Guatemala for the next three weeks, don’t miss the chance to stop by Convento Las Capuchinas ruins to check out and support an local charity through the purchase the photographs hanging at the cloister.

The two most important towns that have giant kite flying on Todos los santos, All Saints’ Day and Día de los difuntos, Day of the Dead, are Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepéquez. However, both days are celebrated throughout Guatemala by going to the cemetery to remember the dead, to take flowers, to clean and paint the burial sites and crypts and to feast at the graves. That’s where the colorful fiambre chapin plays an important role since it is food that you can take already prepared to the cemetery and does not go bad for a long time. In the fiambre dish most of the vegetables are pickled and the meats are cold-cuts.

In the picture above, you can have a panoramic view of the cemetery of Sumpango. Below, there’s another video that shows what happens when a giant kite is not able to take off and fly. Enjoy!

This year the first official rain of 2009 was reported on April 24 with a photograph of a woman with a green umbrella walking in front of a orange wall. Somehow I remember clearly the scene and the circumstances of that image.

Today, I bring you another photo of rainfall taken inside El Jaulón building, located one block away from Central Park. Today’s photograph, however, marks the last rains of the season, the driest rainy season since we are living in La Antigua Guatemala. Interesting enough, normally there are almost no rains in November, but thus far almost everyday we have had precipitations.

Also, don’t forget that the first exhibit of the Antigua Photo Club will be this Friday evening at Las Capuchinas ruins. If you’re in town, don’t miss this rare opportunity to purchase high quality prints of the captivating images from the photo club members, including of course, photographs from yours truly, at discounted prices. All funds raised will be donated to a charity.

Colorful Guatemala, I tell you!

It is quite common for businesses to decorate with colorful Guatemalan kites during October and November. Above, you can see the Guatemalan kite decorations at the entrance of Doña Luisa Xicotencatl. Below, the stairway to the second floor.

Also, don’t forget that the first exposition of the Antigua Photo Club is coming up. If you’re in town, don’t miss this rare opportunity to purchase high quality prints of the captivating images from the photo club members, including of course, photographs from yours truly, at discounted prices. All funds raised will be donated to a charity.

Guatemala is such a colorful country; everything from flora to textiles, from architecture to food is saturated with the richest rainbow. If the entries from the last seven days weren’t proof enough, take a look at today’s colorful fiambre chapín.

Have you ever seen more colorful salad?

Here I present to you the fiambre creator from La Antigua Guatemala. Every first and second of November he withdraws the fiambre recipe that has delighted the taste buds of the most demanding fiambre connoisseur for over 27 years. From his unassuming Lo-Mix comedor set on 7a calle poniente No. 25B, he begins, like an artist, to paint the canvas with different shades of green lettuce, adding more colors, textures and flavors with each layer from a tasteful palette of over 40 ingredients.

Below you can find a slideshow with each step of the process of creating the colorful fiambre chapín. (more…)

Shoot! I forgot to mention I also recorded some videos. I am sorry, it looks like we have enough Día de los difuntos Día de Todos los Santos, Day of the Dead All Saints’ Day material for the entire week.

Today you can appreciate the size of a kite and see how the kites are carried from place to place. Also, by watching the video you can hear the sounds and see the excitement as a kite takes off and lands.

Have you ever seen anything like it?

What can I say, today was a day with lots of ups and downs. I am too tired tonight to give all the details; suffice it to say that our car broke down on the way to pick the fiambre (nothing major) and had to carry the fiambre and the car on a tow truck; Kara and Brad from HablaGuate provided the ride to Sumpango and excellent companionship to keep one humble and bashful; I came back with close to 200 photos of giant kites; I will probably had to do a slide show tomorrow to give you a better idea of what’s a day among the giant kites of Sumpango.

For now, please accept this modest delivery of images from the giant kites of Sumpango. Stay tune for more flying imagery. There will be new fiambre photographs as well.