Courtyard at El Jaulón
Sunday, June 2nd, 2013
I feel like doing a series on just courtyards. Imagine, having ten or twelve photos of the most popular courtyards in Antigua Guatemala. Which would you include?
Archive for the ‘Buildings & Houses’ Category
Cupolas and Volcanoes around Antigua Guatemala
Thursday, April 25th, 2013
Here’s a sepia take on this picture that many people seem to enjoy very much. All these houses are newly built, but are made to look antique, used, and aged. The same applies to the photograph, which is digital, but it was desaturated and then I added it a hint of sepia toning to make look antique as well. I guess we are all longing for the “good old day” that came before us; don’t you agree?
Real Guatemala: Los albañiles
Thursday, April 18th, 2013
Of course, we can not leave out the albañiles, construction workers, from a series about the Real Guatemala. I don’t know if everyone is building or rebuilding their houses because it seems there are albañiles everywhere you look. Here for instance, we’re looking at the almost finished salón municipal, municipal ballroom, in Ciudad Vieja. Watch the video below to see the albañiles coming and going trying to meet the deadline for this new building only steps from the main square in Ciudad Vieja, the municipality about three miles southwest from Antigua Guatemala.
Aside: In the real Guatemala, justice took several steps back today as the trial in Guatemala of Efraín Rios Montt and Mauricio Rodríguez Sánchez for genocide and crimes against humanity was set back to pre-trial phase from November 2011. Would you like to read more, follow the white rabbit.
Visit Antigua Guatemala during the Dry season
Saturday, December 8th, 2012
I never get tired of urging you to visit Guatemala during the dry season. The weather is the best, the light is magical and there are so many celebrations, the best celebrations in my opinion, such as Day of the Dead, All Saints Day, Thanksgiving, Burning of the Devil, Posadas, Christmas, New Year’s, Día de Reyes, Carnival, and some years even the world-famous Holy Week of Antigua Guatemala.
This photo is a typical portrait of the weather during the dry season. What are you waiting for? Book your next flight to Antigua Guatemala right now, don’t wait any longer…
HDR of Universidad de San Carlos de Borromeo previously Colegio Mayor
Wednesday, November 28th, 2012
First of all, I should mention that this picture was very difficult to capture since cameras can only expose the sky or the corridor, but not both at the same time, so in this case we use a photographic technique known as high dynamic range imaging (HDRI or HDR) which is a set of methods used in imaging and photography to allow a greater dynamic range between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than current standard digital imaging methods or photographic methods. HDR images can represent more accurately the range of intensity levels found in real scenes, from direct sunlight to faint starlight, and is often captured by way of a plurality of differently exposed pictures of the same subject matter… continue reading on Wikipedia.
This image is drawn on the reverse of the Q100 bill (see picture below). By the way, that is how we abbreviate Quetzales, Guatemala’s currency when writing amounts of quetzals. On the front of the Q100 bill you can see the portrait of Guatemala’s first bishop Francisco Marroquín and on the back the inside view of the building of Universidad de San Carlos de Borromeo previously Colegio Mayor located in La Antigua, Guatemala’s first university and the fourth in the American continent, better known nowadays as USAC, short for Universidad de San Carlos, Guatemala’s only public university. At present this building houses the Museo de Arte Colonial.
Here is the picture and description of the Q100 bill from Banco de Guatemala where you can find pictures and descriptions of all the Guatemalan currency in circulation at the moment.
Billete de cien Quetzales
El de cien Quetzales contendrá en el anverso la efigie del obispo y licenciado Francisco Marroquín, defensor de los indígenas y creador del colegio mayor; y en el reverso, el edificio (parte interior) de la Universidad de San Carlos de Borromeo localizado en Antigua Guatemala. Color dominante: sepia. (source: Banguat)
Façade and Entrance of Casa Convento Concepción
Sunday, September 30th, 2012
After close to twenty thousands images in my photographic library about Antigua Guatemala often I still come across many things or buildings I haven’t photographed yet. The façade, entrance and the entire building of Casa Convento Conception for the matter is one such example. One more thing to add to my things to photograph in Antigua Guatemala.
What other things do you think I should add to my list?
The beauty of the abandonment found in Antigua Guatemala
Tuesday, September 4th, 2012
If there ever it was a place where abandonment looks great that would be La Antigua Guatemala, a city taken out of 1773 which is only possible today because it was abandoned, or rather people were forced to abandon it.
Anyways, most of the ruins and old monasteries still look abandoned, with cracks, broken arches, fallen down cupolas, rusted metal works, chipped paint layers, et cetera. Basically, at least half of the city looks like is in ruins and it is, but that’s precisely appealing architectonic aesthetics of La Antigua Guatemala, don’t you agree?
What other details would you list as part of the architectonic aesthetics of the abandonment of Antigua Guatemala?
