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I don’t normally go by Parque San Sebastián, located on the northwest side of Antigua Guatemala, especially at lunch hour, so I was surprised to see how many people were having lunch at the park. Of course, wherever there are people eating on a public space, there will be chuchos, street dogs, waiting for whatever is thrown their way.

Normalmente no paso muy seguido por el parque San Sebastián, ubicado en el noroccidente de La Antigua Guatemala, y especial a la hora del almuerzo por lo que me sorprendió ver tanta gente almorzando en el parque. Por supuesto, dónde quiera haya gente comiendo en un lugar público, habrá chuchos esperando por cualquier bocado que se les lance.

In my never ending quest to bring you unique and different perspectives of this enchanting 500-year old colonial town which we know as Antigua Guatemala, I bring you this photograph taken by one of my co-workers at Revue Magazine and fellow photograhy enthusiast César Tián. The photo above could be the facing view of the picture shown in Almost Ready for 2012. Obviously, César knows people in higher places than I do because I have never been to the roof top of the Muni building. I’ve gotta fix that! In the mean time, let’s thank César for sharing this rooftop panoramic vista of Central Park with us. Make sure you click on top of the photo above to look at a larger image.

Photo by César Tián

Not even a week had elapsed since I shared with you the incredible vistas from La Casaca as shown on the post Having Breakfast in Antigua Guatemala when my friend Norman Avila decided to come up to the terrace and make this panoramic vista of Parque Central. We should thank Norman for sharing this unique perspective with us.

Photo by Norman Avila

Guatemala’s Channel 7 News, Noti7, was filming the year in news summary tonight at Parque Central and I was able to get a few shots. I also recorded a short video clip since some of you have asked to get sounds and moving pictures as well. For sure the video will give you a sense of the sounds and atmosphere that we’re experiencing in Antigua Guatemala.

If you spent any time on Parque Central, this will be one of the most common vistas. If you spend too much time there, you might become the buyer, especially if you look like a tourists or a foreigner. Sometimes just carrying a camera is enough to mark you as one. That’s what happens to me often, that’s why from now on I will be carrying a tiny camera that can fit in my pocket. I will update you with the results of my experiment.

There’s been live Andean music at the Plaza Mayor for several months thanks to this band who a few times a week set up a live show of classic Latin American songs and covers of popular music played with the distinctive Andean music style. Live music at the park is always a hit and everyone enjoys it. I am glad to see more free culture manifestations at the Main Plaza. Remember that every Friday at 4 p.m. you can enjoy the Municipal Band recital.

People watching at the main plaza is quite possibly the favorite pastime of locals and visitors in Antigua Guatemala. Here I was able to capture some people watching people… a sort of follow up to Watching the Watchers Watch. I am also reminded of that I wrote in Street Photography Is Like Hunting:

“Stare. It is the way to educate your eye, and more. Stare, pry, listen eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long.” —Walker Evans (source: Photo.Net)

Most of the time, digital technology is smaller, less expensive, more portable, full of instant gratification and widely available to more people. One exception is the replacement for the instant Polaroid photography. As you can see in the picture above, the park photographers in Antigua Guatemala had to find a replacement for the disappearing Polaroid film and the replacement is much more heavier, less portable since they have carry a set of batteries as big as the printer itself, and much more expensive. Nevertheless, I take my hat off to these park photographer who persisted in finding through their Guatemalan ingenuity a way to stay in business and to take food to their homes.

Next time you’re strolling around Parque Central, hire them for an instant photograph session. That’s what I call a win win situation since you’ll get a chance to see the printing show, take a snapshot with you and support the photographers and their families at the same time.

One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye. —Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

On ne voit bien qu’avec le cœur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux. —Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

It’s nice to see the patients from Obras Sociales del Hermano Pedro Hospital or the elders from Fray Rodrigo de La Cruz elderly home enjoying the magic energy found most of the time at Plaza Mayor, better known as Parque Central.

Because of its confortable temperate weather La Antigua Guatemala is also a popular destination for retiring and convalescing. It’s said that Antoine de Saint-Exupéry The Little Prince while convalescing in Antigua Guatemala and Lake Atitlán.

The Little Prince (French: ”Le Petit Prince”), first published in 1943, was voted the best book of 20th century in France, and maintains worldwide sales of over one million copies per year. It has been translated into more than 230 languages and dialects, and has sold more than 200 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling books ever published. It is the most read and also the most translated book in the French language (source Wikipedia).

Don’t you agree with me that there’s a magical energy emanating from Antigua Guatemala?

I have said it often and I even declared it as irrefutable fact: the best place to have ice cream in Antigua Guatemala has to be the Plaza Mayor (main plaza), better known as Parque Central. So, it comes as no surprise that there are seven ice cream shops within one block from parque central; maybe more. Still, if you don’t believe me ask these three happy-ice-cream-eating nuns.

One more thing, remember that the ice cream in Guatemala is unbelievably delicious because it is the real McCoy.

If you don’t know the Guatemalan artists Ricardo Arjona and Gaby Moreno this is your chance to catch them both doing a duet arrangement. They are the most famous and popular Guatemalan artists abroad. (more…)

La Antigua Guatemala is very culturally rich and enchanting town; thus it comes as no surprise that La Antigua Guatemala is the premier touristic destination in Central America. Antigua Guatemala has evolved into a cosmopolitan city to accommodate travelers and tourists who choose to spend some time in this 500-year old Spanish Colonial Town embedded between coffee plantations, flower farms and volcanoes in the highlands of Northern Central America.

So far most of the visitors have come from North America and Europe. However, it is quite common to see Asian tourists stroll around town; and when I mean Asians, I mean the entire continent.

In the words of Jeannine who recently commented about Antigua Guatemala:

…it feels sooo good to know that I’ll be back in one of my favorite cities in the world !! ( though for me it’s more like a nice little village actually, cause people are so kind and open, everyone says hello, you can always find strangers to chat with in Parque Central and when you’re there for two weeks, you always seem to meet the same people all over town almost every day. I so love Antigua and reading your blog every day makes the time till the next vacation shorter ;o) !

How about you, do you feel welcome when you’re in La Antigua Guatemala?

Believe it or not, in Antigua Guatemala we can sense the dry season is approaching. Take the picture above for instance, it was taken after we had some rain. In my Diarios del Móvil (Mobile Dairy) I commented that I can smell the end of the rainy season in Antigua Guatemala and some people in Facebook began asking how do I know.

Well, I believe that one important factor are the winds blowing from the north which are cold and have a different smell. The winds I believe push the clouds away and clean the sky line. Another important detail is the position of Earth around the Sun which makes for a magical light that makes everything even more enchanting. That’s how we know.

If you have never visited Antigua Guatemala during the dry season (November through April) you’re missing out the best of what Antigua Guatemala. If I was you, I would start looking for inexpensive flight tickets right away.

It’s your turn to write the caption. The most original caption will win this photo as a post card. Good luck!

This past weekend the municipal government promoted the work of the artisans from the villages around Antigua Guatemala through handicraft fair at the Plaza Mayor and what better sound track than to have live marimba music.

That’s why the Kaqchikel Marimba played at the Main Plaza; normally they are found at Calle del Arco on the weekends. I was walking by while they were taking a break and ask if I could take there portrait; they said NO and then they laughed. I guess they are so used to having their picture taken that they were surprised that someone actually asked permission.

Here’s a sampling of their live performance at Calle del Arco. Enjoy!

This plaza located in colonial La Candelaria, on the road that takes you to Cerro de la Cruz is the most recent park that I am aware of. To be honest, I am not sure if there was a plaza here before and it was just renovated or if it’s a brand new park.

Does anybody know?