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I don’t know in what position is located Guatemala in terms of wealth resources as measured by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross National Product (GNP), but I am sure that if the wealth of country was measured by its people, the richness of their cultures and traditions, the wealth of its colors, the diversity of its flora and fauna, et cetera, then Guatemala would be among the richest countries in the world.

Measusring a country’s wealth only by its money does not make much sense, don’t you think?

No sé en que ubicación está Guatemala en la escala del valor monetario medida en términos de Producto Interno Bruto (PIB), pero sí sé que si la valor de un país se midiera por su gente, por la riqueza de sus culturas y tradiciones, la abundancia de sus colores, la diversidad de su flora y fauna, etcétera, entonces Guatemala estaría entre los países más ricos del mundo.

¿No creen que medir la riqueza de un país únicamente por su dinero como que no tiene mucho sentido, no?

In the previous century it was common knowledge that one could identify the provenance of the Maya people in Guatemala, especially women, by their corte and güipil (skirt and blouse). Pan-Mayanism is changing this at such fast rate that in just a few years the Maya will mix and match textiles from all over the Mayan world and it will be impossible to apply the outdated and expired canons. In La Antigua Guatemala this mixing and matching is already true. Of course, textiles and Maya weaving is only one aspect of Pan-Mayanism, the most obvious perhaps, but only one facet of this movement.

Looking for other aspects of Pan-Mayanism I found the entitled Pan-Maya Ideology and Bilingual Education in Yucatan [PDF file] which shows how this movement is all over the Mayab (Mayan world). Below I share with you an excerpt of the above essay to

Pan-Maya ideology is the conscious construction of a local identity in the Maya area with connections to other Maya groups in Chiapas, Guatemala, Belize, and the United States. Pan-Maya ideology is much more associated with the highlands, especially the highlands of Guatemala…

Pan-Maya ideology is a relatively new political direction for revitalizing Maya identity in the world of the Maya…

I also found a reference to “Becoming Maya in San Francisco: The Redefinition of a Pan-Maya Identity among Guatemalan Refugees,” American Anthropological Association, San Francisco, published in December 1992, but I was not able to find the document (at leat for now).

Perhaps I need a follow up article to expand in the subject, what do you say, does pan-Mayanism interests you?

The world-famous Guatemalan apron is going places, you know. Just like you can find mothers and daughters selling gabachas, aprons, on any given street corner, you can also find a zillion online stores selling Guatemalan aprons; some of them claiming to pay “fair” prices or wages to the artisans.

I often wonder what is “fair” trade? What does that really mean? What are fair wages? Is it “fair” fair?

How does one decide what are “fair” wages to pay to the artisans for their handicrafts? Does one pay the “average”, the minimum legally possible or a fair share of the final price? Is it “fair” to keep artisans communities impoverished so long their “basic” needs are covered?

I often wonder how many of the so-called “fair trade” NGOs pay fairly? I wonder if the artisans that sell their wares to these “fair trade” live any better than their neighbors that sell their wares on the open market? Do “fair trade” artisans have access to better education, better food, better lifestyles?

Boy, I have many questions. Me urgen respuestas.

By the way, the aprons above sell for Q35/$4.23 directly from the seamstress and her daughter; online, the Guatemalan aprons sell on average for $35 (Q289). Go figures…

Resistance through culture; culture through textiles; textiles as heritage; heritage as identity; identity as resistance.

What do you think?

Ah, look at all the lovely colors
Ah, look at all the lovely colors
Where do they all come from?
Where do they all belong?

In La Antigua Guatemala, religious celebrations draw together all kinds of heterogeneous people and the feast day of Virgin of Guadalupe is no exception. In the day of La Virgen de Guadalupe, Our Lady of Guadalupe, you can find gringa mamas, indigenous mamas, ladino mamas and white mamas all taking their children dressed with indigenous clothes to visit the altar of La Virgen Morena. In many cases you have grandmas and the whole family taking part of the visit to Virgin of Guadalupe inside Iglesia de la Merced.

Carmen and Monolo must’ve been thinking of the incredible power of the sense of smell to detonate nostalgic memories, quite possibly inspired or influenced by Patrick Süskind masterpiece Das Parfum (Perfume). I lived such an experience today while taking the shots that you can see below in the slide show, as I was bombarded with the scents of pine needles, firecracker’s polvora (powder), fruits, traditional Guatemalan Christmas foods (do you see a new series coming up?), incense, candles, on and on. My sense of smell was in shock and my memories were flowing incessantly. But before I bore you with such descriptions, I leave you with a slide show and a video clip of the Virgin of Guadalupe celebrations in La Antigua Guatemala so you can get an idea. You will be missing the smells though.

Please, let me know your impressions of the photos and video clip as well as how is The Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe celebrated in your neck of the woods?

Slide show of the Virgin of Guadalupe celebrations in La Antigua Guatemala

Video clip of the Virgin of Guadalupe celebrations in La Antigua Guatemala

Here is a better shot showing how the Guatemalan textiles literally carpet the garden around the fountain (fuente in Spanish) at La Fuente. I had to underexposed the fountain and the people in the background to get a better view of the colors and textures of the textiles in the foreground. As always, if you are interested in zooming in to see the details, all you have to do is click on the photo above to get a larger version. This textile market is only available on the weekends.

On the weekends the center garden around the fountain in La Fuente strip mall and restaurant is carpeted by Guatemalan textiles on sale; awesome stuff, by the way.

La Fuente is one my favorite places to have lunch and meet with people. You can recall the entry about Six Degrees of Separation at La Fuente where I met Sompopo’s family. Also, many of the traditional Guatemalan dishes I posted here have been photographed at La Fuente, like the Pepian dish. If you are coming to La Antigua Guatemala and want have an economic traditional lunch, head up to La Fuente, next door to Doña Luisa Xicotencatl on 4a calle oriente #14, one block away from the Central Park on the east side. Make sure you ask for the daily menu.

Make sure you come back tomorrow for another shot at La Fuente and its textiles around the fountain.

Guatemalan textiles are world-famous. As a graphic designer, I have been intrigued for a long while now about the fact that the indigenous people use so many different colors, patterns and textures in their textiles and yet the whole pieces are always in harmony. How do they do it?

Just click the link to see many more samples of the native Guatemalan textiles.

Today’s entry is dedicated to Hisako, Meg‘s mom, who is currently in a trip through Guatemala to learn about the textiles techniques from this part of the world. Good luck on your trip Hisako!

The indigenous women’s dress is known as corte (the bottom part or skirt that is). The corte translates roughly as cut or a piece. It is one of the most attractive subjects to see and photograph. It makes many tourists go click-crazy and it is quite understandable. I wonder what the indigenous women and men feel to be exposed and prone to a constant clicking; sort of like being chased by paparazzi photographers, I guess.

In our last visit to Sabor Cubano, there was a group of tourists who were wearing indigenous clothing and I could not resist to pull the camera. Here is the photograph of a tourist wearing the indigenous dress.

Waiting for customers can be boring. The waiting can take your mind to far away cities… with daily photos. I wonder too!

One the souvenirs that backpackers take from Guatemala is certainly a t-shirt and for some strange reason the Gallo beer logotype and brand name is among the favorites. Other motifs are Maya hieroglyphics and nature/tourist destination landscapes.

Does your city has such t-shirts?