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Sometimes the ride from Guate city (la capital) to LAG takes a bit longer than expected and then there is not enough time to visit some of the interesting places. Or at least you end up finishing your pie de ayote or pie de higo by closing time, and then between getting some clay lantern and marimba CDs and paying for the plants you are taking back to la capital you end up having to ask the gatekeeper to let you out.

We can imagine names such as don neto or don chepe, always diminutives, showing a familiarity that may or may not be there, and at the same time a respect towards someone at our service. In Guatemala (and LAG is Guatemala) there is a marked difference, if not in ethnic group, at least in social class, between “us” and gatekeepers. Maybe it is the same worldwide, maybe it only exists inside my head.

Gatekeepers exert their power, limited as it might be, by being there to help us. Catholics might have something right by portraying one of their founding fathers, St. Peter, as the gatekeeper of the heavens. More earthly gatekeepers usually are there to open the door so we can continue our journey and leave the dreamland we are visiting. Gatekeepers have the keys to the outside world and the keys to inner worlds beyond our right to roam free. They let us in, they let us out.

I’ve been reading an online novel by Ronald Flores called Una cabaña en Atitlán (in Spanish) and it reminded me of this picture and this post I’ve been wanting to write. The central character in the novel (a middle-class ladino from la capital) has a couple of encounters with Mayan people, one of them that opens and closes a door for him. A door to another life, to the possibility of escape, to the possibility of change. Beautiful doors (and windows) are abundant in LAG and probably represent more than architectural elements…

Can you guess where was this picture taken?

How are usually the gatekeepers where you live or where you come from?

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A quick search for architectonic details throws beams, arches, baroque elements, Spanish-tile roofs, windows, doorways, et-cetera. Each an individual entry showing a distinct aspect or element of the colonial architecture of La Antigua Guatemala. In today’s photo I was able to capture several elements: the cupola, the window with its ironworks crate, the ojo de buey (bull’s eye) window, the Spanish-tile roof.

Somehow, I believe, the colonial architecture of La Antigua Guatemala is much more than the sum of its elements. What do you think?

Okay, here is my contribution to the Costumbrism Photographs From La Antigua Guatemala.

What better specimen for the costumbrism photography of Antigua than a typical corner from La Antigua Guatemala with a corner window, Spanish-tile roof, colonial-style street lamp, cobblestone street, window plants, tree branches peeking in, gorgeous blue sky, stoned walls, whitewashed walls, wooden beams holding up the roof and absolutely no people in plain view?

I really like the Lent decorations you find over doorways and windows in La Antigua Guatemala. Lent or Cuaresma in Spanish is the penitence period observed for the 40-something days before the Holy Week in Antigua Guatemala. Besides decorating doorways and windows with violet or purple bands and ribbons, there are weekend processions.

The picture above was taken at the main entrance for Casa Santo Domingo, the only 5-star hotel in La Antigua Guatemala. Next time you visit Antigua Guatemala, don’t forget to pay a visit to Casa Santo Domingo which houses besides the hotel, a restaurant, the Santo Doming ruins, museums, art galleries, antique stores, tastefully lit gardens and more. I will add Casa Santo Domingo to my to do list of photo series for 2009. Stay tune!

By the way, if you are coming to Antigua Guatemala during Lent or the Holy Week, you should make your hotel reservations with plenty of time since most of the hotels experience full capacity. Don’t forget to check out the Premium sponsor hotels on the sidebar and please let them know you were referred from AntiguaDailyPhoto.

Detalles, details, detalles.

Take a corner window, add a forged iron crate and a few plants and you have transformed a boring window into something beautiful. Well, at least that’s my opinion; what’s yours?

Details, details, details.

Often you find little windows on the doorways of the houses of La Antigua Guatemala and most often they are protected with a window crate. I was lucky to capture this wonderful metal crate at the Doña Marí­a Gordillo candy store.

That’s it. As the sun sets today we will be waving goodbye to 2008. I want to take this opportunity to thank all the wonderful people who have left comments or sent feedback. I want to send a big THANK YOU to all of you who supported my efforts through donations towards the hosting bills, purchases from my Amazon wish list or purchases of high quality prints from the over 1300 photos available in the archives of La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo. We close the year 2008 with 998 pages, 6659 comments and 915,194 visits (at the time of writing).

Please, let us know what were your favorite posts, your favorite series, or your favorite photo. THANKS!

Se acabo. Cuando el sol se oculte detrás del ocaso esta tarde, le estaremos diciendo adiós al 2008. Quiero tomar la oportunidad para agradecer a todas las personas que han dejado sus amables comentarios o han enviado palabras de retroalimentación. Quiero enviar un gran GRACIAS a todas las personas que han apoyado mis esfuerzos a través de donaciones para las cuentas de hospedaje del sitio, compras de la lista de deseos de Amazón o compras de impresiones de alta calidad de las más 1300 fotografí­as disponibles en los archivos de Una Foto Diaria de La Antigua Guatemala. Cerramos el año 2008 con 998 páginas, 6659 comentarios y 915,194 visitas (al momento de escribir esta entrada).

Por favor, comparte con todos nosotros cuál fue tu entrada favorita, tu serie favorita o la fotografí­a que más te gusto. ¡GRACIAS!

I don’t get it, why would anyone would go through the hassle of building a fake door, then painting it to look real, and finally adding a sign above it?

¿Qué alguien me lo explique? Can somebody explain it?

As the Guatemalan Independence Day approaches, one begins to see all the bunting in windows and doorways around Antigua Guatemala.

Since Jeff would like to know what kind of festivities are planned for Guatemala’s Independence Day, I figure that instead of providing a straight answer, I will put some questions up and l will you find the answers in the archives. Once you found the answers, come back here and share them with the rest of us. Whoever comes back with the most answers will receive a series of 4×6 Independence photos. The hunt is on!

• On what date is Guatemalan Independence celebrated?
• What are two main activities in the Independence Day celebrations?
• Out all the possible shades of blue, which one is the official and legal blue color for the Guatemalan flag?
• Why were school bands forbidden after 1996?

You can browse the archives for 2006 and 2007 to find the answers.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That’s certainly the case for the window above. This is not everybody’s cup of tea, you know.

I wonder what was going through the old man’s mind while watching the young tourist with flip flops (thongs) and short shorts.

Was he thinking I would never let my granddaughter go out dressing like that or was he wondering if those sandals, which are all the rage right now, are really comfy. What do you think?

SPECIAL OFFER ON 11″x14″ PRINTS: For this week only I will be running a special offer on 11″x14″ prints on whatever paper you like (yes from Kodak Endura Matte to gorgeous Kodak Metallic) for $20 per print; five minimum order. That’s as much as 60% off the regular price ($45 for matte and $50 for metallic paper). I will also pay for the shipping within the U.S.A. for those ordering 5 or more prints. This special offer will expire on August 31st. Take advantage of this blow up prices and get the large prints you want to decorate your home or to give away as presents. Contact me right away for details and to place your order.

Sure, La Antigua Guatemala is a nearly-quincentennial city and you may be inclined to believe after some strolls around Antigua that nothing has changed since 1773. Wrong, La Antigua Guatemala is alive and healthy and nearly everyday something changes and the more often you walk around Antigua the more often you notice things that weren’t there yesterday or this morning. Such is the case of this arch-doorway, which is new to me and to my recent memory of 5a calle oriente. The same thing happens with businesses: they open and close doors at such a rate that sometimes creates vertigo.

If I started a series about the NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations) headquartered in La Antigua Guatemala, one per day, I could probably go a full year without repeating once. Once I called this town the NGOs Capital of the World.

This is what I grabbed from the ninosdeguatemala.org web site:

The goal of Niños de Guatemala is to contribute to a better future for Guatemala and its population. The NGO (Non Governmental Organization) Niños de Guatemala (NDG) was founded in 2006 to initiate and support small-scale education projects for Guatemalan children. In starting these projects, community involvement is crucial.

The first project by NDG will be to build an elementary school in the community of Ciudad Vieja. From summer until autumn 2008 construction of the school building will take place. Per 1 January 2009 the classes in school will start. Naturally, the school is operated by local staff and within set time limits (latest in 2013) the school will be entirely self-sufficient and financially independent.
Source: ninosdeguatemala.org

Later this month, I will try to make some time to visit this project and others to do a week-long series. Stay tune!

Photography 101: capture contrast. Well, that’s another easy task around La Antigua Guatemala. Here you can find contrast in color, between the old and new, between hi-tech and lo-tech, between local and foreign, between being safe and unsafe, between the wealthy and the rest of us, and between the betweens.

Contrast is one of the key adjectives people take away from Guatemala after a short visit. So, next time you come around Antigua Guatemala, make sure you look for it and take its many manifestations in your memory chip.

Sometimes you just feel blue, other times you simply feel red.