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These colorful public transit buses are just another way Guatemalans recycle the junk from the U.S. and Canada. Of course, we live in a colorful culture where women wear the Spring on the blouses and rich saturated colors are the norm, so it comes as no surprise that take the boring yellow school buses and make then uniquely Guatemalan. Of course that’s not the only modification that these buses undergo, the engine, transmission, suspension, breaks, seats and interior are replaced and improved.

Well, old and retired school buses from the U.S. get to live a real second life as camionetas (the street name for public transit buses in Guatemala). Revue Magazine published an in-depth article about The Birth of a Camioneta which detailed step-by-step how an old retired school bus became a powerful camioneta ready for the curvy roads of the mountain ranges of Guatemala.

Slowly, but surely we progress in our own unique way.

Just before we leave Ciudad Vieja, I wanted to share with a follow up post to Having Ice Cream in Antigua Guatemala where I tried to explain that despite the crime and violence that is shown in the news, most people in our Latin America find the time and love to spend quality time with friends and family. We can not negate the violence, it’s all there in the statistics, but most of it happens in Guatemala City, sadly. Take a look at the picture above, this is not the violent country you see on the news all the time.

But don’t believe just my words, let’s hear from a group of students from Northeastern Illinois University who took an alternative Spring Break:

… This weeklong trip was a combination of cultural immersion and community service. During the first full day in Guatemala, we were given a first hand look at coffee farming, from seed to cup. Who would’ve thought that the coffee you drink in the morning starts as a pebble sized fruit similar to a cranberry…

One of the most rewarding experiences of the trip was helping Timoteo, a local craftsman, build a middle school for his community. Prior to this, middle school students in San Miguel Escobar attended classes outside of the primary school. Knowing that a small group of farmers took it upon themselves to fund and build a school for future students is inspiring. Overall, this was an experience of a lifetime and the lessons learned about community, collaboration, and sustainability will not be forgotten. Read the entire story about the Alternative Spring Break at The NEIU Independent.

It’s good to see the natural drains for Volcán de Agua sort of clean since the rainy season will soon begin discharging enormous amounts of water all around Guatemala and Water Volcano is a natural formation that accumulates lots of water, thus its name, and often the excess water runs down the natural drain channels. When these drains are blocked, we end up with lahars and lots of destruction in San Miguel Escobar and Ciudad Vieja.

In my recent incursions to Ciudad Vieja I’ve happily surprised of all the new improvements done around the town. The plazuela right in front of the Ciudad Vieja cathedral is one good example of the new works being performed by the Municipality. I also two municipal pools and improvements to the municipal stadium and children’s park. I guess that when our local governments really do work for the people and not for themselves, one gets to see a lot of progress; don’t you agree?

It had been a while since I visited Ciudad Vieja, the town about two miles from Antigua Guatemala. I was surprised to see all the changes and improvements made around Ciudad Vieja.

Ciudad Vieja is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Sacatepéquez. According to the 2002 Guatemalan Census, the municipality has a total of 25,696 people. Ciudad Vieja was the second colonial capital of the country. Many of the recent photos have been taken in Ciudad Vieja and/or in San Miguel Escobar, a community of Ciudad Vieja.

San Miguel Escobar is the modern name for the district that contains the ruins of the second colonial capital of the Guatemala region. The Spaniards founded their capital here in 1527, after their previous capital at Tecpán Guatemala became untenable. The city was destroyed by a catastrophic lahar from Volcan de Agua in 1541, and the survivors had no choice but to abandon the site. The capital was again refounded several miles away at Antigua Guatemala in 1543. (source: Wikipedia)

Make sure you pay Ciudad Vieja and San Miguel Escobar a visit next time you come to Antigua Guatemala.

If Antigua Guatemala means the Former Guatemala City, then Ciudad Vieja (Old City) would mean the former former Guatemala City.

For a while now I wanted to do a backlit fountain shot and the opportunity appeared the other day when I paid a visit to Ciudad Vieja, the former former Guatemala City. I was also able to include a couple kissing on the same frame to make the photo more interesting.

As always, I feel lucky to be able to share with you quotidian vistas from Antigua Guatemala and its surroundings. Next Tuesday AntiguaDailyPhoto will be celebrating its 6th year anniversary of everyday life images, stories, art and news from Antigua Guatemala.

I don’t know about you, but I like the design of most things done before 70s. I mean just take something as mundane as a refrigerator and back in the 1950s the design was better. Obviously cars are the best example of that. Take the 1953 Ford coupe above, come on, cars back then had style, personality. Nowadays, most modern cars look the same and you have to look for the brand to realize what they are; there are some exceptions, but most modern cars look generic to me. Of course I’m being simplistic and make some broad generalizations, but you get the general idea, right?

What do you think, am I crazy to think designer really use the Gestalt theory and principles before the 70s?

Video trivia: Guess where “El Gordo” who is actually “flaco” is playing at?