Calle del Arco is the place to be on the weekends in Antigua Guatemala if you want to listen to live music. For sure you can find live marimba music, either Maya or traditional Guatemalan songs, but sometimes you find blues, jazz or urban rock ensembles. This was the case for the past weekend.
Below you can watch a short video clip, if you can provide the name of the song, you win a post card. Good luck! (more…)
This photo has a nice collection of architectonic fragments which are very representative of La Antigua Guatemala. Interesting enough, this photo is the other side of the arch from the photo published in Antigua Fragments (You have to see this photo as well). If you want to look at other samples of my on-going series Antigua Abstracta, follow the white rabbit.
Best wishes for this coming week, many in Guatemala are already enjoying their Christmas vacation; what about you?
Watching the world-famous mime Tamagochy yanking smiles and laughs from the audience formed around his “maleta de la alegría” (happiness suitcase) I thought of the wonderful song “Garrick” composed and sang by the extraordinaire Guatemalan artist Gaby Moreno. You do remember Gaby Moreno, right? I shared a Gaby Moreno song and video with you in the Nostalgia Triggers post.
Below you will find the lyrics and video for the song Garrick by Gaby Moreno who was inspired in the poem Reir llorando (Garrick) by Juan de Dios Peza.
Can anybody help translating the lyrics for Garrick?
Yo vi la función
Fui testigo de aquella ovación
Eran mil, talvez más
Sin sospechar jamás
Sufrían del spleen
Escapaban de un ocio sin fin
El remedio infalible
Era ver al gran GarrickMarionetas saltan y las ponen a bailar
Empieza la comedia y todos ríen sin parar
Ja, ja, ja, jaAl poco tiempo un señor
Ante un médico se presentó
Su mirada oscura y triste decía
Que moría por morir
Siguió una larga interrogación
Y al ver que nada le causaba emoción
El médico exclamó
Tu mal se ha de extinguir
Al ver al gran GarrickMarionetas saltan y las ponen a bailar
Empieza la comedia y todos ríen sin parar
Ja, ja, ja, ja
El hombre sonrió
Con ojos húmedos:
“Yo no me curo así…
Yo soy Garrick!”
Every Saturday and Sunday the city closes 5a avenida norte, better known as Calle del Arco, to all traffic. Only allowing people to walk through the street. This group of a father and his sons made the experience very festive and lively. Throughout the whole street you can hear the soul of this city flowing through this music.
Do you have a local spot where you like to hear music?
text and photo by Zach Olson.
Casa Escobar resturant is known for having people dress up like colonial-times Spaniards to cry out the specials and menu options to passers-by pedestrian. Sometimes the “Spaniards” pass out flyers at the main entrance of La Antigua Guatemala. In the picture above, the Spaniards were announcing the end of the year party at Calle del Arco, which this year will have shorter hours; from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. —somehow I don’t think people will respect those hours— since the businesses located on Calle del Arco do not want the parties and the drinking to last all night long.
What do you think? Do you think people are just going to go away after 8 p.m.?
A few weeks ago I introduced you to the recycling truck of La Antigua Guatemala and hi-lighted the fact that it runs on biodiesel which is obtained by processing the restaurants’ burnt oil and other liquid fats and how it is used for the recycling program as well. Here’s, once again, my friend Kara Andrade explaining the first recycling program of La Antigua Guatemala.
My dear green friend Kara Andrade had this to say about recycling in La Antigua Guatemala:
For weeks I’ve been asking different people about recycling centers, pickup services, anything to stop the madness of the trash we’ve been generating in our house for the past two months. Everyone’s says “Oh yeah, La Antigua recycles.” or “Have you tried that place in Ciudad Vieja?” “The capital has a few places, go there.” All so vague and unhelpful that it made me question whether it was sheer urban legend.
… I looked in the yellow pages, I tweeted, I asked other “greensters,” but nothing satiated my need for convenience, conservation and practicality. So I spent a few hours on Facebook looking for Facebook groups with the keyword “Guatemala” in them and poured through 500 pages until I found these folks:
We called and spoke to Pedro Morales Tel: 5104 8447 (there’s also an English speaker – Becky Harris (English Speaking) Tel: 5778 4009) and scheduled a regular pick-up from our home on Tuesdays. We neede to improve our sorting/storing methodology, per their requirements, but an hour of sorting, washing out and rearranging everything did the trick. We got some neighbors in on it and they brought their recyclables over. (Continue reading… It’s worth every penny)
Guatemalan Video Aside: You know I’m always looking for Guatemalan music and videos to share with you and to promote what’s being done here. I was made aware of the video “Son de la armonía” by Razones de Cambio by @ykro who in Twitter said this: “No sé pero algo tiene esta canción… que me hace sentirme más orgulloso de ser guatemalateco 
«I don’t know, but there’s something about this song… which makes me feel more proud of being Guatemalan»”.
On the weekends Calle del Arco is turn into a pedestrian strip and several business bring out benches, carts and flowers and plants in huge pots. Lots of people take advantage of these sitting spaces to have their photo taken or simply to take a break.
The picture above is another vista that ” …helps to show that Guatemalan colours and shades are everywhere and are part of the beauty of the Land of Eternal Spring ®” as Manolo put it.
[gmap]
Often we hear that Guatemala is a country of contrasts. Even I try to show it often and what better way to show the contrasts of Guatemalan women than yesterday’s photograph of capitalinas sporting the latest garments in fashion and today’s picture of three indigenous women wearing the traditional corte or Guatemalan hand-woven skirt.
I was lucky to capture these beautiful Guatemalan women taking a short break from selling their handicrafts the passing tourists on Calle del Arco.
What do you think of the series Guatemalan women so far?
The people from Guatemala City are known as capitalinos; residents of the Capital city. Women from Guatemala City would be capitalinas. La Antigua Guatemala is a popular weekend destination for capitalinos (as) since it’s only an hour separates the Old Guatemala City from the New Guatemala City. So, it is on the weekends that we can see what’s in fashion and trendy in Guatemala City.
Today’s photograph came to be by pure accident, chaos, synchronicity or serendipity; call it what you want. I was taken shots on Calle del Arco when I noticed the Pollo Campero truck parked at one of the intersections, displaying Campero’s advertising. Since earlier I had already taken other pictures depicting the sponsorship of the Holy Week, I thought I should continue capturing photos showing the penetration of businesses in celebrations and traditions. So, there I was trying to focus and frame the truck’s advertising just right when these two capitalinas literally walked into the picture. The split-second decision was easy, I pressed the shutter release. 
Last Monday 8 of March was celebrated the International Women’s Day through out the world. I believe women should be celebrated everyday, so this week I will be sharing with you photographs of Guatemalan women, each different, but all of them special.
We begin the week with the beautiful smile of an usher who welcomes people and escort them inside one of the restaurants on Calle del Arco. What better way to begin the series Guatemalan women than with a big happy smile?
This Sunday afternoon at Calle del Arco was just as guest contributor Arturo Godoy said in The mime just wants to get married post, “Often it’s a bit complicated to go out on Sundays because La Antigua Guatemala gets crowded… Remember that anything and everything can happen as you walk around Antigua Guatemala on any given Sunday.”
That’s exactly what I felt when I walked onto Calle de Arco this past Sunday as the enchanting Mayan music coming off from the marimba from Grupo Maya Kaqchikel. The crowds were making a natural amphitheater around the marimba players. Watch the short video clip below to get an idea.
Everywhere you look there were people, locals and foreigners alike, having a good time. Every a few steps, people were snapping shots or having their photograph taken. There were several algodones (cotton candy), globos (balloons) and chupetes (triangle-shape hard candy) vendors all along Calle del Arco. To top it all, of course, there was a large procession on Calle del Arco as well. For a few hours this past Sunday everything seemed to be in harmony; one of those Life is good! moments I have talked about.
Do you remember when was the last time you had a chupete candy?
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Sunday was such a great day in La Antigua Guatemala; nice weather conditions and a wonderful atmosphere all around town with people enjoying the processions. The Holy Week aromas could be smelled everywhere. Music, balloons, chupetes, clowns, cucuruchos, town fair food; what a cornucopia for the senses.
If you don’t already have your plane ticket, I suggest you buy now, life is too short to miss Semana Santa in La Antigua Guatemala.
Portfolio Aside: Some of the photos that you see here everyday were turned into high-quality large-format prints to add colorful imagery to the walls of Máximo Nivel Spanish School in La Antigua Guatemala. If you’re interested in getting large format prints from my photographs to add color to your walls or as gifts, please, get in touch with me. Of course, you can also purchase 8″x10″ and 11″x14″ high quality prints from the Buy photos page. If you want to keep up with all the places where the AntiguaDailyPhoto images show up, check the Portfolio page regularly.
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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 over, every one having a great time, even the sky (check out the moon while the sun was rising).
Enjoy the starting of the New Year!
text and photos by Arturo Godoy
Rudy, Thank you so much for bringing Antigua to me everyday. As so many people, I love Antigua and wish I could live all year. Thank you so much for having stories in English and Spanish. I have been studying Spanish for years and the short stories in both languages are very helpful. Antigua Daily Photo is the first thing I look at everyday when I turn on my computer. Once again, thank you so much. —Michelle, Miami, FL, USA
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