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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