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Visiting the El Carmen ruins folkart market is among the top things people do on the weekends and holidays in La Antigua Guatemala.

Here’s a little secret. One of things on my to do list is to capture through time-lapse photography the contrast between the stark, almost monochromatic muted colors of the El Carmen ruins and cobblestone streets and the colorful handicrafts sold at the market.

Can you imagine watching the time-lapse video beginning with just the ruins and cobbled streets as backdrop and then how the color is added as each new vendor sets up shop and displays the colorful Guatemalan handicrafts?

Believe it or not, in La Antigua Guatemala we have flowers in our gardens year around. We also are lucky to have a temperate weather during the dry and wet seasons to enjoy them. On top of that, the humidity levels, the water and soils are of such quality that just about anyone can be a constant gardener. Finally, the variety of flowers is quite large; browse the Guateflora category to get an idea of the flowers available in the Antigua gardens.

If you lived in La Antigua Guatemala, what kind of flowers and plants would you have in your garden?

Don’t you wish you were here now? How many songs can you think of when you see these photos?

text and photos by Arturo Godoy. Check out Arturo’s portfolio to purchase photos from his massive photographic bank.

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As in previous years, La Antigua Guatemala begins wearing violet or purple decorations over doors, windows and balconies. Heck, even the jacaranda trees wear violet during Cuaresma.

Also, in previous years we have discussed the significance of the color purple (or violet) which is very prominent during Lent and Holy Week. The first person who can come up with the correct answer, the title of the post and the date it was publish will win a Semana Santa post card made from one of the photos previously shown at AntiguaDailyPhoto. Remember the answer is in the archives. Good luck to all participants!

We visit the daily menu again with today’s higado encebollado, liver with onions. It is so ironic that one can get home-made style healthier food for less through the discounted Menú del día, daily menu special, found at most diners and restaurants; don’t you agree. This Higado encebollado took me back to my grandmother’s cooking; what an incredible nostalgic culinary trip!

When was the last time you had higado encebollado?

Before you think of the largest pyramid in the world and the Mayan ruins complex known as El Mirador, El Petén, this is El Mirador farm located in San Martín Jilotepeque. We ended up there after a talk I gave on basic photography. The members of the Casa de la Cultura, House of Culture, invited me to give a talk about my passion, how could I resist? So, we covered basic theory and practice came after lunch. Little I knew of where we would go; to take photos however new locations are always welcome.

Lunch had been programed at the Granja El Mirador, it was a delicious Caldo de Gallina Criolla. While we ate, Don Meme talked to us about the farm, which is a very interesting integrated farming system, totally self-sustainable. Although the most important aspect of the farm is its social outreach, which as Don Meme said, “there is no point in the technicalities of conserving anything without a strong social component.” Don’t you agree? Because of this, often they are visited by national and international visitors to learn about the family farm.

If you would like to visit them or to learn more about their social outreach, you can write to them at manuelhuz@hotmail.com and nazariohuz@gmail.com. There are a few more photos below to entice you to pay them a visit. Enjoy!

text and photos by Arturo Godoy. Check out Arturo’s portfolio to purchase photos from his massive photographic bank.

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This Sunday afternoon at Calle del Arco was just as guest contributor Arturo Godoy said in The mime just wants to get married post, “Often it’s a bit complicated to go out on Sundays because La Antigua Guatemala gets crowded… Remember that anything and everything can happen as you walk around Antigua Guatemala on any given Sunday.”

That’s exactly what I felt when I walked onto Calle de Arco this past Sunday as the enchanting Mayan music coming off from the marimba from Grupo Maya Kaqchikel. The crowds were making a natural amphitheater around the marimba players. Watch the short video clip below to get an idea.

Everywhere you look there were people, locals and foreigners alike, having a good time. Every a few steps, people were snapping shots or having their photograph taken. There were several algodones (cotton candy), globos (balloons) and chupetes (triangle-shape hard candy) vendors all along Calle del Arco. To top it all, of course, there was a large procession on Calle del Arco as well. For a few hours this past Sunday everything seemed to be in harmony; one of those Life is good! moments I have talked about.

Do you remember when was the last time you had a chupete candy?
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Sunday was such a great day in La Antigua Guatemala; nice weather conditions and a wonderful atmosphere all around town with people enjoying the processions. The Holy Week aromas could be smelled everywhere. Music, balloons, chupetes, clowns, cucuruchos, town fair food; what a cornucopia for the senses.

If you don’t already have your plane ticket, I suggest you buy now, life is too short to miss Semana Santa in La Antigua Guatemala.

Portfolio Aside: Some of the photos that you see here everyday were turned into high-quality large-format prints to add colorful imagery to the walls of Máximo Nivel Spanish School in La Antigua Guatemala. If you’re interested in getting large format prints from my photographs to add color to your walls or as gifts, please, get in touch with me. Of course, you can also purchase 8″x10″ and 11″x14″ high quality prints from the Buy photos page. If you want to keep up with all the places where the AntiguaDailyPhoto images show up, check the Portfolio page regularly.
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This entry should be called “ephemerides updates” because there several events that happened this week. On Tuesday, kids everywhere celebrated carnaval, carnival, by breaking cascarones on the heads of their peers. Next, on Wednesday, the beginning of Cuaresma, Lent, was marked by the celebration of Ash Wednesday; there were many people with an ash cross painted on their foreheads. On the very same Wednesday, there were velaciones (please help translate this word) ceremonies. Of course, with the Lent season also comes the procession season. There were small processions during the weekdays and the usual large processions on the weekend. Needless to say, it was a very busy week in La Antigua Guatemala.
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Let’s know your guesses in the comments or stay tune for an upcoming entry with the answer.

This room with samples of the Maya hieroglyphic writing from San Bartolo (I believe) was another treat available at Casa Herrera on the 2012: Myths and Facts about The Mayan Prophecy conference. Taking this photo was extremely difficult because of the poor lighting conditions and because lots of people were taking photos of the hieroglyphics (including me). I understand nothing of the Maya writing, except that is very beautiful and that without a doubt the Maya were ahead in terms of civilization, culture and art [plus warfare ].

Make sure you make to time to visit Casa Herrera to see what they have on display next time you visit La Antigua Guatemala. Here’s a little overview about Casa Herrera:

The Casa Herrera is a research, conference and teaching facility located in the heart of La Antigua Guatemala that focuses on the varied and inter-related disciplines that contribute to the study of Pre-Columbian art, archaeology, history and culture.

Since 1977, The Maya Meetings at Texas have been at the cutting edge of research into the culture of the ancient Maya of Mexico and Central America. This annual conference draws scholars from a wide spectrum. (source: Facebook Casa Herrera page)

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I found the juxtaposition of cutting edge telecommunication technology and colonial lifestyle and architecture so fascinating and that’s why I have covered it in the following articles:

• The Young Maya Geeks
• iPhone 3G on Sale in La Antigua Guatemala
• Internet Access in Every Corner of Guatemala
• iPhone Twitter Updates from Guatemala and
• Fully Apple Equipped for La Antigua Guatemala

Today’s picture is mostly focus on living la vida digital that is feasible in La Antigua Guatemala. The photograph depicts some of the elements that are present in a geek lunch that can be had in Silicon Valley, London, Singapore, Tokyo or La Antigua Guatemala. Also, the photo above shows the cosmopolitan aspects of La Antigua Guatemala: a Philly cheese steak sandwich, French-style vegetable chips, German-style coleslaw, Wired magazine [tnx querida amiga, you know who you are], authentic coffee from Antigua Guatemala, a smartphone from Finland, all in a French bistro on Calle del Arco. Life is good!

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Aren’t you curious of what else is around Antigua Guatemala besides the famous places? Aren’t you curious of what might you find? Here is a glance of San Martín Jilotepeque, located at some 17 kms north of Chimaltenango. Next time you visit La Antigua Guatemala, venture out and explore the surrounding communities!

text and photos by Arturo Godoy. Check out Arturo’s portfolio to purchase photos from his massive photographic bank.

This is a follow up image to Luna de Antigua to ease you up at the start of a new week. I hope you like it and appreciate the things I do for you.

In La Antigua Guatemala people really go the extra mile to show they care about each other. If one is creative, all one needs is a block of post-it notes and a pen.

Now the question for you, is Fer a man or a woman?

Feliz Día del Cariño y la Amistad (Happy Valentine’s Day) to everyone! Wish all of you lovely day!