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The Maya represent a culture that demonstrates how tradition and technology can thrive together. This Maya woman, dressed in the traditional Mayan falda – or skirt – fills the tank of her scooter at a local gas station: Guatemala truly is the “Land of Contrasts.” I love what it symbolizes… progression without losing the rich attributes of the past.

text and photo by Laura McNamara

Women. They are the subject of these pictures. Why? The gruesome brutality hasn’t stopped. In fact, it has barely dipped. The Latin American Herald Tribune reports that 708 women were violently murdered in Guatemala in 2009. That figure is down compared to the 773 reported violent deaths in 2008, but not by much. There is simply no justice:

According to activist Norma Cruz, who heads the Survivors Foundation that provides help for abused women in Guatemala, no plans exist to guarantee women’s safety. In a statement to reporters, Cruz said that more security agents are needed in areas considered extremely dangerous for women. The activist regretted that even though police and prosecutors nab the aggressors, the courts tend to free them with such substitute measures as letting them out on bail. Guatemala is second in the world in murders of women after Russia, which posts more than 10,000 crimes against women, according to the Human Rights Prosecutor’s Office. Source: Latin American Herald Tribune

Second in the world in murders of women. Jarring. Disheartening. I briefly touched upon this issue in an article I wrote for Revue Magazine. Las Gravileas is a school for low-income women that not only teaches women a wealth of technical skills and business skills, but one that also stresses the importance and value a women plays in her family and community. So, unlike traditional media where only the disappointing statistics are reported, I would like to point readers to a positive response. I would like to offer an opportunity for becoming a part of the solution. Read about Las Gravileas, and, if you dare, become a part of the solution by donating or, better yet, getting involved. (Contact me for more information… if you dare.)

The Guardians of Las Gravileas

A project where women serve their sisters…

The center’s name is symbolic. In a country where coffee represents approximately 10 percent of the gross domestic income, the gravilea tree provides a critical, protective canopy for the shade-loving plant. Just as the gravilea tree provides this fundamental necessity for the cultivation of coffee, so, too, is Las Gravileas meant to offer a protective, nurturing environment for women of every background and ethnicity.

“It’s a name that represents receiving, taking care of, and supporting the growth of a woman,” Project Manager Dalila de Montoya says. The keys to achieving this ideal environment, she adds, are education and training.

Las Gravileas is defined as a center for the promotion and technical training of artisan women. The project offers a large assortment of instruction, ranging from textiles, piñata making and ceramic molding and painting to cooking and baking, basic literacy, business studies and more… continue reading the entire article at Revue Magazine.

Also remember to visit the Survivors Foundation“>Survivors Foundation website. Norma Cruz has just been named Person of the Year 2009 by the Guatemalan national newspaper the Prensa Libre. Contacting her or her organization would also be a great start to becoming a part of the solution.

The women in these pictures are from Santa Caterina Polopó and San Antonio Polopó at Lake Atitán – just a few hours drive from La Antigua Guatemala. Instead of thinking of statistics, think of them and the thousands like them. Beautiful Maya women. Maya mothers, sisters, daughters… whose lives are being violently taken at alarming rates. And for what? A lack of education in their communities. A lack of interest by anyone else.

I leave you with a poem attributed to Pastor Martin Niemöller – hoping it will help instill you to go beyond reading the facts and statics, hoping it will urge you to act.

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.

text and photos by Laura McNamara

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