Last time I declared that chow mein was among the most “authentic” dishes in the Guatemalan gastronomy I got into trouble. Then, recently I declared that there was nothing more chapín (Guatemalan) than the chow mein tostada and once again some people disagreed with me, at least initially, because at the end everyone sees the light.

Let me share with you some comments I have received:

Luis: Chow Mein is not an authientic Guatemalan dish!

Javier: Sorry Luis, But Guatemalan Chow Mein is very different from the other chow meins.

Susanita: What do you mean that chow mein is not Guatemalan!!!!! My Daughter loves to eat it with lots and lots of CATSUP and soy sauce….and it’s not weird it’s traditional.

Ana: I am from Guatemala visiting my daughter in the USA and the first thing she asks me to cook every first time I see her in more than six years is Chow Mein Guatemalteco, it’s very unique, everyone has it’s own recipe with onions, carrots, “guisquil”

Miguel: jajaja, sera con guacamol o tomate o frijol, pero este chow mein se nacionalizo, bueno.

Miguel: Si, y a casi cualquier hora, incluso se llama ya “CHOMIN”

Sometimes you have to lose all the color to really appreciate the dramatic lighting of the cathedral of Antigua Guatemala. The picture above also happens to be a follow up to Antigua’s Cathedral at Sunset; follow the white rabbit to look at the cathedral during the afternoon.

On January 21, Under the name of Subida por la vida, there were over 8,000 people climbing Volcán de Agua (Water Volcano) to form the largest heart in the world at 12,335 feet as part of campaign to bring awareness and to reduce domestic violence. The event will also be a party with music and foot ball matches (the real McCoy) in different venues in Antigua Guatemala. Subida por la vida also stands as manifestation for Peace where Guatemalans want to demonstrate and let the world know that we want peace and we will not tolerate violence any longer.

Here’s the complete program of activities and below is the complete description of the event in Spanish and some maps of the event.

Volcán de Agua, Guatemala
El 21 enero 2012, vamos a reunir a por lo menos 8,000 guatemaltecos en una cadena humana de las faldas a la cima del icónico Volcán de Agua. De esos 8,000 participando en la cadena, 1500 llegarán primero al cráter para formar el corazón más grande que el mundo haya visto desde 12,335 pies. El evento será seguido por una fiesta de celebración en el estadio en Antigua para todos los participantes y para las estrellas nacionales que apoyen. La celebración incluirá un partido de fútbol con personalidades y un concierto con El Tambor de La Tribu y El Viento en Contra ya confirmados.

Para promover la campaña “Rompe el Ciclo” que está inspirando un cambio generacional de actitud en contra de la violencia doméstica, y ultimadamente para reducir los niveles de violencia en Guatemala. Para darle a la juventud de Guatemala un dramático estímulo de energía, unidad y determinación de llevar un cambio positivo a Guatemala. Para recaudar fondos para ayudar a las víctimas de violencia doméstica. Cada participante pagará Q50 y una obra de caridad será elegida a través de un voto democrático en la página de Facebook de Rompe el Ciclo desde 22 Noviembre 2011. Para crear una espectacular imagen positiva de Guatemala que alcanzará a los medios globales.

Subida por la vida Volcan de Agua climb stands for:

• Over 8,000 people climbing Volcán de Agua
• 1,500 people forming the largest heart in the crater of Volcán de Agua at 12,335 feet above sea level
• Awareness campaign against domestic violence
• Large manifestation for Peace
• Fundraiser to help the victims of domestic violence
• A party for Peace
• To create a huge positive image of Guatemala
• To bring people together to bring a change in attitude and to have fun

As in previous occasions, our dear friend and dare-devil adventurous reporter Nelo Mijangos took upon the challenge to document this Walk for Life, with pictures and in this opportunity with a GPS track so we can get real data of the climb of Volcán de Agua as experienced on the Subida por la Vida event. Below you will find photos and a map with the actual route walked by Nelo.

I also took photographs of some of the activities put on stage by the organizers of Subida por la Vida around Central Park and Calle del Arco. I know, my day was not nearly as though as Nelo’s, but what can I say, someone has to cover all the cultural events as well.

I also recorded several videos; here’s the first one I am sharing with you about the Maya ceremony asking for blessings from the Gods.

In my never ending quest to bring you unique and different perspectives of this enchanting 500-year old colonial town which we know as Antigua Guatemala, I bring you this photograph taken by one of my co-workers at Revue Magazine and fellow photograhy enthusiast César Tián. The photo above could be the facing view of the picture shown in Almost Ready for 2012. Obviously, César knows people in higher places than I do because I have never been to the roof top of the Muni building. I’ve gotta fix that! In the mean time, let’s thank César for sharing this rooftop panoramic vista of Central Park with us. Make sure you click on top of the photo above to look at a larger image.

Photo by César Tián

The callejones (alleys) found in many of the villages of La Antigua Guatemala are really narrow, passageways really created, I imagine, as a result of splitting of land through the process of inherence. These alleys are really no wider than six feet at the most. I’ve been photographing many of them found in San Pedro Las Huertas. Each callejón has something unique about it and I will do my best to capture its essence.

What kind of stories do you imagine when you see a callejón like the one pictured above?

La Antigua Guatemala remains as one of the few places where you can meet with hundreds of people willing to Burn the Devil and the bad spirits in a cleansing ceremony through the purifying power of fire. The idea of the La quema del diablo celebration was to get rid of the devil, the bad spirits, the bad vibes and anything negative that may interfere with the celebrations of Nacimientos (Nativity Scenes), Posadas (Quest for Shelter [Español/English verses]) and Christmas celebration which begin officially with the Feast for the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th.

Photos by Leonel [nelo] Mijangos – EnAntigua.com

This is just one of the ways we recycle magazines in Guatemala and, as always, it has to be colorful. I found these boxes and baskets to be very sturdy. As I have declared, in Guatemala we recycle just about everything without really having recycling programs.

Here are some of recycled things I have highlighted in AntiguaDailyPhoto:

1. Burnt oil
2. Chicken buses
3. Charcoal broilers
4. Paca clothes
5. Recycled sewing machines

Check out the scrap metal recycling photographic essay by Rodrigo Abd at The Boston Big Picture to get an idea about how recycling works most of the time in Guatemala.

Back on August I shared with you the presentation of Caldo de Gallina Criolla from Sabe Rico Restaurant in Antigua Guatemala. Criollo or criolla is the Guatemalan Spanish word often meaning native, garden grown or free range. As I said before, criollo in colonial times was the word used to label the offspring of Spaniards that were born in America (remember America means the entire Continent not just the U.S.). Nowadays, in Guatemala we use the word criollo/criolla for things that grow in an orchard or garden and often for free range chickens. In the case what Caldo de gallina criolla means is stock or stew made with a free range hen grown in the patio, garden or orchard. The gallinas criollas are usually smaller than mass-grown farm chicken and the meat is darker and much more delicious. Since in the previous photo of Caldo de Gallina Criolla some of the ingredients were not visible, I decided to share this other photo which shows some of the vegetables that are often part of the dish: Perulero (white chayote or white Sechium edule), carrots, corn of the cob, and squash.

Here’s the recipe found at Revista Amiga. Can anybody help with the translation?

Caldo de gallina criolla

Rinde 6 porciones
Ingredientes
2 litros de agua hirviendo
1 gallina de 3 libras
2 chiles pimiento
2 cebollas
5 tomates
5 papas
1 zanahoria
1 güisquil
1 cucharadita de aceite
1 manojo de hierbabuena
1 manojo de cebollín
sal al gusto
polvo de consomé al gusto

Preparación
En una olla grande cueza la gallina en el agua hirviendo, sazónela con sal y consomé al gusto, añada el tomate y la cebolla picados.

Corte las verduras en pequeños trozos y saltéelas en una sartén con el aceite. Añádalos al caldo y cueza por 45 minutos. Pique la hierbabuena y el cebollín, incorpórelos al caldo, retire la preparación del fuego y sirva.

One of the most often seen stamps around the main plaza of Antigua Guatemala is the groups of tourists and ambulant sellers trying to make a living by offering their wares to the visitors.

The installation crew for the Christmas lights is hard at work to have all 600 series installed before December 3 and that’s when the all the trees and plants at Parque Central will be lit at night. To see how the main plaza looks like with all the lights on, follow the white rabbit to Tree Branches on Fire and Lit branches at Parque Central. The Christmas lights were taken down on February 20 this year, so that gives you an idea how long the Christmas season is in Antigua Guatemala.

La Antigua Guatemala is quite possibly the most photogenic town in Guatemala and it comes as no surprise to find photographers, sometimes entire groups, to be walking around the colonial time capturing enduring memories and vistas to share with family and friends. In the picture above, we see two such photographers comparing their shots.

On November 11, 2011 (11.11.11 for short) the Feria Nacional de Comercio Justo y Solidario Guatemala 2011 opened its kiosk on the arched hallway of Palacio de los Capitanes Generales to promote exchanges for a better world the brochure declares. The national fair trade fair will remain open until Sunday at 3pm, so if you’re in Antigua Guatemala stop by to get chance to talk to and buy directly from the artisans and small producers of honey, coffee, handicrafts, textiles, recycled crafts, shampoos, teas, cereals, etc.

I took other photos of some of the fair stands, so, stay tune for additional coverage.

Every once in a while we all need a break. La Antigua Guatemala will be having such a break in a few hours since there will be a programmed power outage from 8am to 1pm on Wednesday 19 because the electric company will be doing some testing and maintenance of the power grid around Antigua Guatemala. So, don’t worry if for a few hours there are no updates in Twitter, Facebook and other social network from people living in Antigua Guatemala. I also will be disconnecting from the matrix as of now…

Even Google celebrated Guatemala’s Independence 2011 with a Doodle.

Also, President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent their congratulatory remarks to the people of Guatemala:

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of Guatemala on the 190th anniversary of your independence this September 15.

As Guatemalans the world over celebrate this special day and honor the heroes of Guatemala’s independence, we stand with you in celebration. Americans have long enjoyed the beauty of Guatemala – from the ancient ruins of Tikal to the stunning volcanoes that surround Lake Atitlan – as well as the warmth and hospitality of the Guatemalan people. Your rich culture, diversity of languages, and traditions steeped in history are a special part of our region.

During my visit last June for the Central American security conference, President Colom and I renewed our commitment to building strong democratic institutions, promoting the rule of law, and expanding economic growth and opportunity to our nations’ citizens.

On this historic day, I send best wishes to all Guatemalans – in Guatemala, the United States, and around the globe. We look forward to deepening the ties between our two countries as we work to build a safer, more prosperous and democratic future for our peoples.

In La Antigua Guatemala, it was students parades all day as usual.

A couple of weeks ago as I checked in at the Plaza Mayor (Main Square) with Foursquare, I mentioned that everyone was missing the relaxing murmur of the Mermaids fountain. At the time I made the commentary in Foursquare and Facebook I didn’t know that the water pump was broken. Luckily, Elizabeth Bell from Antigua Tours read the Foursquare comment in Facebook and shared that the reason was that the water pump was broken. A few days after that, I happened to walk by the Mermaids fountain when they were repairing the pump. I quickly pulled my omnipresent camera to take a few shots and document what I saw. These are some of the photos I took.

One thing I really love about photography is the fact that only through the camera I get a chance to REALLY observe my surroundings and the day-to-day stuff that otherwise would go unnoticed. I have must’ve published at least a dozen photos about the Mermaids fountain and this was the first time I noticed where the pump was and the electrical wiring that controls it.