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I know that to keep abundant richly verdant mountains in Guatemala we have to have a 6-month rainy season. But, enough is enough, ya basta; we don’t need to have a full week of constant rains. Too much rain is not good for Guatemala either since too much rain breaks the country’s infrastructure, people’s lives are at risk with so many landslides, overflowing rivers and the collapsing of some bridges.

Just take a look at the report about the state of roads in Guatemala by PROVIAL at 6am. PROVIAL, short for Protección y Seguridad Vial (Road Protection and Safety), is part of the Ministerio de Comunicaciones, Infraestructura y Vivienda (CIV) or Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing. You can request information about the state of any given road in Guatemala or follow the punctual updates by @Provial in Twitter or by dialing 1520. (more…)

Today’s entry is a follow up to Camouflaging Cellular Towers where I mentioned how fortunate we are in La Antigua Guatemala where efforts are being made to reduce the visual pollution found elsewhere in Guatemala.

Here’s what posted before:

Sometimes we don’t realized how lucky we are for living La Antigua Guatemala until we take a little trip beyond the municipal boundaries and we are assaulted by all kinds of visual pollution. Yes, outside the Antigua Guatemala municipal borders capitalism is violent. Billboards everywhere, ugly banners on doorways and windows, huge advertising painted on walls, cellular towers along the roads, et cetera.

So, as we drive back to La Antigua and we see all the efforts that are made to reduce the visual pollution within the municipal boundaries, we are thankful, or at least we should.

Simple things like painting cellular towers, adding fake branches, disguising them as colonial street lighting poles, et cetera, goes a long way to reducing the visual ugliness inherent in the telecommunication era. We are not completely free of visual noise, but we are getting closer, poco a poco.

What efforts are being made in your municipal district to reduce visual pollution?

This kind of stoned wall is found through out Guatemala, especially, in the highlands. The purpose of this kind walls is to prevent landslides, deslaves in Spanish, or rather to prevent the landslides from damaging the roads and ridges. Of course, trees are the best defense agains landslides and campaigns against deforestation are the best prevention.

Just yesterday, Zach was asking what is your favorite viewing spot of the Antigua Guatemala area? Well, I don’t have just one. Obviously I like the views from Cerro de la Cruz, Finca Filadelfia and Santo Domingo del Cerro. Nevertheless, I finding the views from the road that takes you to El Hato village quite refreshing and unique. Today’s panoramic vista of Finca Filadelfia for instance even took by surprise the general manager of Finca Filadelfia who jokingly said I must have taken it from the air.

Anyway, once again AntiguaDailyPhoto is participating in the monthly theme day organized by the Daily Photo community which has decided to have as theme for August 1, postcard-worthy images. I believe this panoramic vista of Finca Filadelfia, a renown coffee plantation located on the outskirts of Antigua Guatemala is postcard-worthy, don’t you agree?

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Before you leave Santo Domingo del Cerro, make sure you make a couple strategic stops, especially around the heliport to take some panoramic pictures from La Antigua Guatemala.

In the picture above, we get an bird’s eye view of the Santo Domingo residential neighborhoods, which are located to right, on Calle de los Duelos, of the main entrance to La Antigua Guatemala.

Please, let me know, if you have seen photos from Antigua Guatemala taken from this perspective?

With this last entry, we finish the overview mini series about Santo Domingo del Cerro. I hope you have enjoyed this overview. There’s plenty more to cover in Santo Domingo del Cerro, but for now, you get the picture, so to speak.

The restaurant located on the best spot of Santo Domingo del Cerro goes by the name of Tenedor del Cerro. The views from this restaurant are simply breath-taking, especially during the dry season when you can see all three volcanoes hugging the Panchoy valley. Next to the restaurant there are a couple of terraces with magnificent views; plataformas they call them and there are many tables and lounge chair for you to sip a hot cup of coffee or cool down with Moza or Cabro as well as your favorite cocktail.

I recommend a visit to Santo Domingo del Cerro as well as Cerro de La Cruz and Finca Filadelfia to get the best panoramic vistas from the quincentennial colonial town of Santiago de Guatemala, also known as La Antigua Guatemala.

Perhaps sculpture is not the right word, but I can’t think of a better word right now to describe this giant metal image of Santo Hermano Pedro de Betancourt.

So who was this character who has inspired so many people and that eventually became a Saint? First, here are the archived articles in Antigua Daily Photo related to Santo Hermano Pedro, as he is known now. On October 25 of 2006, I shared with you a forged metal lamp with his image. Remember the monument for Hermano Pedro de Betancourt is on Plaza de la Paz.

Known as the “St. Francis of the Americas,” Pedro de Betancourt worked and died in Guatemala. Pedro was born into a poor family on Tenerife in the Canary Islands in 1626. He worked as a shepherd until age 24, when he began to make his way to Guatemala, hoping to connect with a relative engaged in government service there. By the time he reached Havana, Cuba he was out of money. After working there to earn more, he got to Guatemala City the following year. When he arrived he was so destitute that he joined the bread line which the Franciscans had established… As quoted from Wikipedia (click to continue reading).

Do you know where is the Santo Hermano Pedro metal sculpture shown above located? Hint the word Cerro is part of the name of the location.

So close and so far away, that’s how I feel regarding this rolling hill, so close to La Antigua Guatemala, yet I have not made the time to explore and photograph. I promise I will do my best to bring you an exclusive coverage of the things to do in Santo Domingo del Cerro.

Do you know what’s up there and what things you can do in Santo Domingo del Cerro?

Coffee spawns a new industry around Antigua Guatemala: Coffee tours. It was only a matter of time before the coffee plantations open their doors to tourists interested in learning about the worlds favorite drink. Off course, coffee tours was only the beginning and soon enough the coffee plantations started offering horse and mule rides, bike rides, mountain trails, coffee tasting, birding and canopy tours.

What’s next? Probably photo tours to take advantage of all the photographic opportunities inside the coffee plantations. Check out the photographs captured by members of the Club Fotográfico de Antigua (Antigua’s Photo Club) in a recent photo tour inside Finca Filadelfia, which became a photo exhibition entitled Con sabor y aroma a café shown in La Antigua and in Guatemala City. Con sabor y aroma a café was even covered by Guatemala’s national news networks.

A simple image with lots of green and a touch of red, similar to our beautiful Quetzal; Guatemala’s ultimate symbol for freedom. A simple image inspired on Miguel Ángel Asturias‘ poem Tecún Úman. Below, the first five paragraphs of the exquisite poem.

Tecún-Umán, el de las torres verdes,
el de las altas torres verdes, verdes,
el de las torres verdes, verdes, verdes,
y en fila india indios, indios, indios
incontables como cien mil zompopos:
diez mil de flecha en pie de nube, mil
de honda en pie de chopo, siete mil
cerbateneros y mil filos de hacha
en cada cumbre ala de mariposa
caída en hormiguero de guerreros.

Tecún-Umán, el de las plumas verdes,
el de las largas plumas verdes, verdes,
el de las plumas verdes, verdes, verdes,
verdes, verdes, Quetzal de varios frentes
y movibles alas en la batalla,
en el aporreo de las mazorcas
de hombres de maíz que se desgranan
picoteados por pájaros de fuego,
en red de muerte entre las piedras sueltas.

Quetzalumán, el de las alas verdes
y larga cola verde, verde, verde,
verdes flechas verdes desde las torres
verdes, tatuado de tatuajes verdes.

Tecún-Umán, el de los atabales,
ruido tributario de la tempestad
en seco de los tamborones, cuero
de tamborón medio ternero, cuero
de tamborón que lleva cuero, cuero
adentro, cuero en medio, cuero afuera,
cuero de tamborón, bón, bón, borón, bón,
bón, bón, borón, bón, bón, bón, borón, bón,
bón, borón, bón, bón, bón, borón, bón, bón,
pepitoria de trueno que golpea
con pepitas gigantes en el hueso
del eco que desdobla el teponastle,
teponpón, teponpón, teponastle,
teponpón, teponpón, teponastle,
tepón, teponpón, tepón, teponpón,
teponpón, teponpón, teponpón…

Quetzalumán, el de las tunas verdes,
el de las altas tunas verdes, verdes,
el de las tunas verdes, verdes, verdes.

… continue reading at LiteraturaGuatemalteca.org

Who would like to volunteer for translating the poem’s fragment above?

I wonder if this poem has been made into a song yet; does anybody know?

After having lived for more than three months now in La Antigua Guatemala, I’ve only been a little around its surroundings. So at some point I was in San Juan del Obispo, San Pedro Las Huertas, and so on, but this past weekend I had the opportunity to go to the Earth Lodge, located in the small village of El Hato, a twenty minute drive into the mountains from La Antigua Guatemala. I had only thought of visiting it once before, but this second time it happened.

So, this past weekend a friend and I went because we also wanted to disconnect a bit from Antigua Guatemala, as there is always plenty of parties. I’m not complaining, but some rest was needed, some other kind of experience. So, having my car down on the day we were to leave was no complication, transportation was arranged for us with ease. No complications, all cool, so then I knew this was going to be amazing.

We left, and the ride was just beautiful. We arrived and we were immediately welcomed. Lunch was delicious, hanging out and relaxing with the stunning landscape was amazing, so time passed and dinner was just as delectable as lunch. The night called in, and everyone went to rest. I was most relaxed and happy and awaiting the sunrise.

First, I opened my eyes and I saw how the golden light of the sunrise was bidding good morning to the volcanoes, there were no clouds. I was already dreaming that I was between volcanoes, so imagine waking up and observing this. Struggling to get out of bed and forcing myself to run out with my camera to take some shots, still, the peace and calm of the place put me back to sleep. The second time I opened my eyes, I forced myself out of the comfortable bed, grabbed the camera and and ran out to take some photographs. Unfortunately, the golden light of the sunrise was gone, but the clouds hadn’t yet come to cover the volcanoes, so here is my shot,

Breakfast was as good as dinner and lunch from the previous day, and of course the coffee was a wonderful. If you ever want to pick an affordable place to disconnect, with absolute beauty and peaceful atmosphere, don’t hesitate, just visit to the Earth Lodge. I am happy we did!

text and photo by Arturo Godoy

About Guest Contributor: Arturo Godoy is kind of a blogger, mainly married to photography after being divorced from biology, and is now living in Antigua for at least six months. He is starting up his photography business after making the transition of amateur photographer to a paid one, hence now a pro. In the few years he’s been in photography he’s had four expositions, and is working on two photographic books, one about expressions of women (a shared book with his dearest friends) and one about conservation of nature. His love to photography rises from expressing something through whatever kind of natural beauty that crosses him and his camera. You can browse his portfolio in Flickr.

So who’s fit to go on such a daredevil adventure of soaring like a bird? Antigua Canopy Tours assures that anyone from the age of five an older can go, provided the participant possesses a reasonably healthy physical condition. That means even toddlers and grandparents can “fly” if they’re brave enough. Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent or someone else responsible for their care. Children under 120 cm in height (about 47 in.) can “fly” while physically attached to a guide. That being said, Antigua Canopy Tours Manager Pascu Robredo broke the rules just a bit and sent his 2 ½ year-old daughter on a solo “flight.” How did she do? Check out the video below:

That wraps up the series on Antigua Canopy Tours. Again, a huge thanks to Rudy and Manager Pascu Robredo!

text by Laura McNamara and photo by Pascu Robredo

Antigua Canopy Tours isn’t just about the unique experience of gliding… it’s about gliding through a tropical rainforest or cloud forest canopy. It’s about experiencing nature in an unforgettable way.

Finca Filadelfia operates over a sprawling 750 acres, 660 of which are used for farming. One-fourth of the farm is strictly preserved as an ecological reserve area and another similar area is dedicated to reforestation programs. Ninety-six percent of the farmed land is protected by trees, creating a unique ecological habitat. This is important, the operation says, for growing their “cash crop:” coffee.

“The art of high quality coffee production demands a profound respect and understanding of the coffee plants and the ecosystems where it thrives. In order to produce the best coffee in the world, we must create a special ecosystem termed ‘agroecosystem’ where coffee can express its potential quality as well as preserve the environment.”

As a result, hundreds of birds can be found nesting within the grounds of Finca Filadelfia making it a prime location for bird watching. More than 130 different species of birds can be found on the farm, 30 of which are endemic species including exotic hummingbirds, jays, hawks, and cuckoos.

As part of the canopy tour, visitors will get to observe both flora and fauna at high altitudes, not to mention the excellent views of La Antigua Guatemala and surrounding communities: San Juan del Obispo, San Felipe de Jesús, Ciudad Vieja and other “aldeas.” Aside from coffee, I spotted olive trees, avocado trees, Gravileas and more on my tour. Needless to say, if you’re not up for darting through the trees like a bird the Forest Trail option is more than worth your while.

text and photo by Laura McNamara

During the rainy season (May thru October), every hill around La Antigua Guatemala gets a new emerald green dress. In the picture above, we see the hill near La Ermita de La Santa Cruz ruins, right across from the Pensativo River, with a verdant dress made from coffee bushes and gravileas shadow trees in the lower half and all kinds of trees in the upper half. Like I said in A Million Shades of Green: “Fact #3: The rainy season last well over six months, thus it provides enough water to keep the whole country with a million shades of green year round.” You should read the other facts about Guatemala.

This shot was taken from my car’s window, which I parked on the shoulder of the road that goes from La Antigua Guatemala to La Nueva Guatemala (Guatemala City) about three kilometers from La Antigua’s entrance or exit, depends which way you’re going. These houses belong to the community of San Juan Gascón, a small village just outside of Antigua Guatemala.

As beautiful, cosmopolitan, antique and modern as it is La Antigua Guatemala, many people choose to live in one of the surrounding villages that belong to the municipio (county) of La Antigua Guatemala. There are many reasons for this decision which range from the economics, ‘real guatemalan experience’, or simply to live in a more natural and greener environment.

To try to live in el casco histórico (downtown) of La Antigua Guatemala is the equivalent to try to live in Manhattan; very prohibitively expensive. Others feel that Antigua has lost its Guatemalanness (new word for you there) so they pick one of the villages where the slow pace of the lifestyle and traditions are more in check with the rest of the country. Many more opt for a bigger space where they can have a large garden, trees and lush surroundings. Finally, for some people all three reasons make perfect sense. Besides, all the villages belonging the La Antigua Guatemala are so near as to be 5 to 10 minutes away from Antigua. Nowadays, with Satellite TV, Direct TV, cellular telephones, and wireless internet access you can have it all.

With certainty I can declare that the lifestyle one can have in La Antigua Guatemala and its surroundings is among the very best available in Guatemala and the world. That is if you don’t mind the loud firecrackers, the processions, the church bells, the horrible city services, the common crime, the copious rainy season, and so on.

Post cards request update: Two new post cards were found in my post office box on Monday. Susie sent her post card from Iowa on October 9 and it only took three days to arrive in Guatemala City. Becky sent a post card of the Heublein Tower in Simsbury, Connecticut on October 2 and it was received by the postal service in Guatemala on October 9, but it did not make its way down to La Antigua until Monday 22nd. Please keep them coming! If you don’t know what I am talking about, please do read the entry Postscript.