Day of the Dead vistas from Guatemala — Mayan Family with Kites
As part of my Day of the Dead Photography Workshop I carried an instant camera/printer so I can give prints on the spot and let me …
Day of the Dead vistas from Guatemala — Mayan kids, kites and flowers
This year as part of my Day of the Dead Photography Workshop I carried an instant camera/printer so I can give prints …
Giant Kites Fly High Above The Mayan Graveyards of Guatemala
For All Saints’ Day and Day of the Dead in Guatemala there are some huge kites on display as shown in previous …
Giant Kites for All Saints’ Day in Santiago Sacatepequez
Visitors enjoy the giant kites on display at the cemetery of Santiago Sacatepéquez, Guatemala, a tradition which dates back more than 119 …
The Giant Kites of Guatemala
Here’s your Guatemalan Spanish word of the day: Barriletes for kites. In my humble opinion, Santiago Sacatepequez is the most photogenic location …
All Saints Day Giant Kites Festival at Santiago Sacatepéquez
As some of you may already know, I lead photo walks at three distinct cemeteries on All Saints Day. After a photography …
Cemetery, Kites and Fiambre Day in Guatemala
November 1 is one of the most important dates in Guatemala. On November 1 Guatemalans go to the cemeteries to remember and …
Guatemalan Kites For Sale
I remember that when I was a kid my friends and I made these kind of kites from scratch; barriletes we call …
Giant Kites from Santa María Cauqué
I am still getting over a cold, so I was a bit hesitant to leave home for All Saints Day. However, since …
Guatemalan Kites As Decoration
Through October and November you can find many businesses using Guatemalan kites as decoration. Last year I showed you some colorful giant …
A Day Among the Giant Kites of Sumpango
What can I say, today was a day with lots of ups and downs. I am too tired tonight to give all …
The Giant Kites Are Coming
If you are planning to leave Guatemala before November 1, you will certainly miss the Giant Kites of Santiago and Sumpango. You …
Giant Kites of Santiago Sacatepéquez
Here’s another quote taken from the article written by Ignacio Ochoa and published in Revue Magazine about the history of kite making …
The Catcher of the Kites
Soon enough the electric wires become adorned with kites, lots of kites. See kite flying and the Guatemalan electric wire webs just don’t get along. One serves as trap for the other.
Kites On Sale
The Guatemalan word for kite is barrilete. Papalote is the most often heard word in Spanish for kite, but in Guatemala barrilete is what people use. The kites on sale at this convenience store or tienda are Q2/$.25. The kite that the little boy was holding yesterday was bought from this store.
It’s Kite Season in Guatemala
The chilly winds blowing from the true north create the conditions for flying colorful kites over the skyline of Guatemala. Come and …
Colorful Portrait of Maya Girls
One thing is for sure, we love color in Guatemala. It is quite understandable since we are exposed to vibrant colors in …
Colorful Kite Decorations Are Everywhere in Antigua Guatemala Now!
Here’s your illustrated Guatemalan Spanish word of the day: Barrilete for kite. It is quite common for home and businesses to decorate …
Enjoy the colorful Day of the Dead festivities in Guatemala
The rains are leaving. The winds are coming. The kites are flying everywhere. That means the dry season is upon us and …
Don’t miss this fantastic Día de los Muertos Photo Tour
In case you didn’t know it yet, here’s a little known trivia: Guatemala has one the most amazing, vibrant and photogenic traditions …
Put “Day of the Dead in Guatemala” in your Bucket List
The Day of the Dead in Guatemala is a must in your bucket list if you haven’t experienced it yet or if …
Shooting the Guatemalan Fiambre Preparation for Day of the Dead
As I mentioned in another post, as part of the Day of the Dead photography workshop on November 1st, we shot two …
Day of the Dead Photography Workshop
As part of the Day of the Dead photography workshop on November 1st, we shot two Mayan graveyards one Spanish cemetery; giant …
A Window Into a Giant Kite Shop in Guatemala
All the kite shops are ready for the vientos fuertes, strong winds from the north. Here I share with you a window …
Kite Flying Season Will Begin Soon in Guatemala
We could argue that officially the kite flying season begins with the celebrations of All Saints Day and Day of the Dead …
Mayan Family Gathering for Day of the Dead
All Saints Day and Day of the Dead are the perfect occasion for large family gatherings in Guatemala. Families bring fiambre and …
Day of the Dead Photo Workshop in Guatemala
Experience one the most impressive, colorful and photogenic traditions in the world and festivals: Day of the Dead and its Giant Kite …
Guatemalan fiambre for Day of the Dead
On November 1st we celebrate All Saints Day in Guatemala. Lots people fly kites, some fly giant kites. Others go watch the …
Join us for a fun and amazing “Día de Muertos” in Guatemala
Even though Day of the Dead is actually observed on November 2nd, and All Saints Day is celebrated on November 1st, we …
Be part of the most photogenic Day of the Dead event in Guatemala
The festival of Barriletes Gigantes of Guatemala takes place in at least three villages of Sacatepequez: Santiago Sacatepequez, the original and most …
Amazing Día de Muertos in Guatemala
Be part of the amazing Day of the Dead Photography Photo Walk in Santiago Sacatepequez with its giant kites festival and a …
It’s Kite Season in Guatemala
Winter is coming! And with Winter the dry season and the winds from the north start blowing, thus the kite season begins …
Be part of the exceptional Day of the Dead Photography Workshop and Photo Walks in Guatemala
This November 1st, I will be leading a fabulous and unique photography workshop and photo walks to document the giant kites plus …
Kite Season Has Arrived in La Antigua Guatemala
Here’s your Guatemalan Spanish word of the day: Barrilete for kite. Normally the kite season is the same as the dry season, …
Kite Catchers Around Antigua Guatemala
Kites hanging off trees, balconies and electric posts are, of course, another typical vista of the dry season. By the way, Guatemalan …
Antigua Photo Walks During Dry Season
This is the group of photography enthusiasts that I lead during the most recent public photo walk through the streets of Antigua …
Visual Recipe for Guatemalan Fiambre for All Saints Day
All Saints Day is celebrated in Guatemala on November 1. Some people go fly kites, some of them fly giant kites. Others …
The Time for Barriletes Is Around The Corner
At the end of the rainy season one begins to see this tissue paper kites being sold in tienditas, small town convenience …
Independence Decorations at Palacio Municipal of Antigua Guatemala
As I mentioned earlier, Independence is celebrated through the entire month of September in Guatemala. These are the last few days when …
Typical Guatemalan Kite Shop
So, here’s a typical Guatemalan kite shop found in most villages. The kites are sold for Q1, Q2, Q5 and Q10 for …
Kite Season Decoration
The kite season is upon us already so it comes as no surprise to see Guatemalan kites being used as decorations. Through …
The remains of the rain
A couple weeks ago I called for the end of the rainy season mistakenly because we had almost ten days without rain. …
When it rains it pours in Antigua Guatemala
The Autumnal Equinox is upon us and to commemorate it our mother Earth sent a heavy down pour to La Antigua Guatemala. …
Kite Flying Season is Now Open
The kites on the skyline mark the end of the rainy season, the beginning of the cold and dry weather and the …
Guatemala’s Fiambre
There’s no way to go by Día de Todos Los Santos (All Saints’ Day) and Día de los Fieles Difuntos (All Souls’ …
Guatemalan Sweets Sampler
In Guatemala we celebrate Día de Todos Los Santos (All Saints Day) on November 1 and Día de Los Fieles Difuntos (Day …
Colorful Guatemalan Kite Decorations
Colorful Guatemala, I tell you! It is quite common for businesses to decorate with colorful Guatemalan kites during October and November. Above, …
Under a Giant Kite from Sumpango
Shoot! I forgot to mention I also recorded some videos. I am sorry, it looks like we have enough Día de los …
Strong Winds Are Coming
The “strong winds” begin making their way to Guatemala; Vientos fuertes would say Miguel Ángel Asturias. With the vientos fuertes also appear …
Jocotenango’s Cathedral
Those darn electrical wires! There they are again… getting in the way. ¡Son tan metiches! —MO I agree, but what can I …
Guatemalan Cuisine: Fiambre
How can we go by Día de todos los santos (All Saints’ Day) and Día de los fieles difuntos (All Souls’ Day) …
The Kite Runner
Those of you, who have followed the daily updates of La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo for a while, would know already how …
Reuniting the Living with the Dead
Ignacio Ochoa has published a recent article about the history of kite making in Santiago Sacatepéquez under the name of Messenges in …
Pick Your Kite and Let’s Talk to The Dead
As read on Prensa Libre recently: According to the legend, each November 1st the God-world releases the souls of the dead from …
Preparing the Flowers for the Dead
By moving from one section of the mercado to another, we find that las floristerías (flower shops) are preparing the flower arrangements …
SAT Office in La Antigua Guatemala
Well, you may be wondering what SAT office means. Behind this placid view of this government building hides one of the reason why Guatemala is so poor; a beggar really if we consider that Guatemala begs money for road repairing, road building, new modern national identification card, fertilizers, schools, libraries and the list goes on and on. The picture above is the local office of the Superintendencia de Administración Tributaria, SAT for short and the equivalent of the IRS.
Mickey Mouse Kite
Cross-culturization is happening so fast that Guatemala may seemed foreign to those Guatemalans who have lived a few years outside its borders. Walt Disney figures and just about any comic hero like Spiderman, Superman, Wolverine, et-cetera are being absorbed by the popular culture and mixed with their own traditional icons like kites and parades for town fairs. But this cross-culturization is happening at all levels and not only with U.S. trivial merchandise, but with Mexican culture, music, food, novelas (soap operas), et-cetera. For instance, a few year back, I took a photograph of menu board in Panajachel, Lake Atitlán, which advertised the Desayuno Chapín (Guatemalan breakfast) with eggs a la Mexican style
I’m Ready to Fly!
With November come the strong winds (Vientos fuertes would say Miguel Ángel Asturias). With the strong winds come the kites. With the kites come the celebrations of the day of the dead and all saints day. With the day of the dead celebrations comes the fiambre, the food to share with our dead. Stay tune for background information on the kite flying rituals and its me
Guatemalan Cuisine: Fiambre Slideshow
In November 1st and 2nd Guatemala, like many other catholic countries, celebrates the Day of the Dead (Día de los Difuntos) and the All Saints Day (Día de los Santos). The cemeteries, from the most exclusive to the most modest and humble, become overwhelmed with people bringing flowers, crosses, food and even music (sometimes Mariachi music) to their dead relatives.
Requiem for the rain
“Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.” —Pradip I found two great quotes about the rain at …