A Photographic Visit to El Mirador…

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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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A glance of San Martín Jilotepeque

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 … Read more

Antigua’s New Year Celebrations Slide Show

Who said New York is the only city that never sleeps? The New Year celebrations is one of the occasions in which Antigua Guatemala does not sleep! I didn’t get much opportunity to take many photographs of the crowds, as it was indeed crowded. It was fun, activities all over, lights all over, people all … Read more

The mime just wants to get married

Often it’s a bit complicated to go out on Sundays because La Antigua Guatemala gets crowded. Two dear friends from El Petén convinced me to go out this particular time to wander around Antigua Guatemala. So, while we were walking and taking pictures, we ran into a mime. Initially, people just kept passing by and … Read more

Visiting San Felipe de Jesús on the Weekends

San Felipe de Jesús is just a small town next to La Antigua Guatemala, which has its own particularities. San Felipe’s church is gothic, its market is cozy, there are many options to have some delicious food… So, why not pay a visit to San Felipe on a Saturday or Sunday? I guess I am … Read more

How about being contagious?

How do you get people infected with good stuff? I mean, it is difficult for foreigners to visit Guatemala, and, sometimes, that’s even true for Guatemalans living overseas. Taking on a lesson from our friend Iván Castro, we can only do it by getting everyone infected with good stuff. So, here is one of my … Read more

40th Anniversary of the National Council for the Protection of Antigua

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The wonderful celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the National Council for the Protection of Antigua was held on Nov 20th at Capuchinas ruins. The evening began with warm words on behalf of different members of the Council. They covered the history of the Council and also included words for the future.

Unfortunately I arrived late to listen to all the words, but you could see the smiles on many people that were present. Everyone payed attention, and of course, how couldn’t you, Antigua is what it is because there is people that truly care to keep this City as it is.

And, as if words were not enough, the Procurador de Derechos Humanos and other public figures were present. The words of Dr. Sergio Fernando Morales provided an even more warming atmosphere, talking about our challenges, our opportunities and of course our future as Guatemalans.

The Orquesta Sin Fronteras amused the night even more. People were hypnotized, as I simply tried to focus on working my camara to capture the moments. It was amazing, great music, great choreography, all combined with great lights.

The evening was just perfect, it was a tribute to Antigua itself, by people that just love it.

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A dance of fire and joy

Tuesday the 13th, a day of much superstition, was the day of the a fundraising event at JP’s Rumbar for the non-government organization Niños de Guatemala. Perhaps, many people thought of it as a very unlucky day, yet, no one that attended the activity thought so. It was crowded! La Raíz played, candles lit the … Read more

Stop, watch and observe

Sometimes I forget that I should simply disconnect from the Internet and go outside. This time Rudy Girón took me out, and there was a rainbow posing just for us. This reminded me that, while out, sometimes I should stop, watch and observe. Walking around La Antigua Guatemala is amazing and I’ve heard that some … Read more

Just a sunset

There is something about how the sun rises and sets that gets people marveled, or in some kind of magical admiration to what nature shows us. On this past Tuesday I was about to meet some friends, and I began seeing what promised to be a beautiful sunset. Someone on the street said, it is … Read more

A brief sunrise amongst volcanoes

After having lived for more than three months now in La Antigua Guatemala, I’ve only been a little around its surroundings. So at some point I was in San Juan del Obispo, San Pedro Las Huertas, and so on, but this past weekend I had the opportunity to go to the Earth Lodge, located in … Read more