AntiguaDailyPhoto.Com

“I have everything I ever wanted, nothing I ever really needed,” I read in Twitter.

In Guatemala is quite the opposite most of the time for most Guatemalans. Often I see Guatemalans, young and old, have so much fun with so little. Kids buy an inexpensive colorful plastic ball or natural membrane ball and have an informal foot ball match, and I mean real foot ball, not what North Americans call foot ball; a chamusca pues. Adults can spend a few hours playing cards at the park.

The image above brought back memories of a family spending quality time at the green areas of the ruins and where I wrote “the best things in life are free or nearly free as Claudia said it, “… simple times, simple pleasures, family, friends, nature… ” feel her heart with nostalgia.”

And that image triggered this comment from Claudia, a long time reader of AntiguaDailyPhoto:

“No helmets, no amber alerts, no Wiis, just a plastic ball or if lucky a real soccer ball…”

“… I feel one component that I loved of living down there was that you knew everyone and everyone knew you, or of you, do you know what I mean? You spoke to your neighbors, you knew their names, where they worked, etc. Heck, you could even have refaccion together, at night you could hang. . have some decent conversation about everything and nothing…”

Oh such is life deep on the highlands of Guatemala and just about any country of the infamous “third world.”

Slowly, but surely we progress in our own unique way.

Just before we leave Ciudad Vieja, I wanted to share with a follow up post to Having Ice Cream in Antigua Guatemala where I tried to explain that despite the crime and violence that is shown in the news, most people in our Latin America find the time and love to spend quality time with friends and family. We can not negate the violence, it’s all there in the statistics, but most of it happens in Guatemala City, sadly. Take a look at the picture above, this is not the violent country you see on the news all the time.

But don’t believe just my words, let’s hear from a group of students from Northeastern Illinois University who took an alternative Spring Break:

… This weeklong trip was a combination of cultural immersion and community service. During the first full day in Guatemala, we were given a first hand look at coffee farming, from seed to cup. Who would’ve thought that the coffee you drink in the morning starts as a pebble sized fruit similar to a cranberry…

One of the most rewarding experiences of the trip was helping Timoteo, a local craftsman, build a middle school for his community. Prior to this, middle school students in San Miguel Escobar attended classes outside of the primary school. Knowing that a small group of farmers took it upon themselves to fund and build a school for future students is inspiring. Overall, this was an experience of a lifetime and the lessons learned about community, collaboration, and sustainability will not be forgotten. Read the entire story about the Alternative Spring Break at The NEIU Independent.

In my recent incursions to Ciudad Vieja I’ve happily surprised of all the new improvements done around the town. The plazuela right in front of the Ciudad Vieja cathedral is one good example of the new works being performed by the Municipality. I also two municipal pools and improvements to the municipal stadium and children’s park. I guess that when our local governments really do work for the people and not for themselves, one gets to see a lot of progress; don’t you agree?

It had been a while since I visited Ciudad Vieja, the town about two miles from Antigua Guatemala. I was surprised to see all the changes and improvements made around Ciudad Vieja.

Ciudad Vieja is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Sacatepéquez. According to the 2002 Guatemalan Census, the municipality has a total of 25,696 people. Ciudad Vieja was the second colonial capital of the country. Many of the recent photos have been taken in Ciudad Vieja and/or in San Miguel Escobar, a community of Ciudad Vieja.

San Miguel Escobar is the modern name for the district that contains the ruins of the second colonial capital of the Guatemala region. The Spaniards founded their capital here in 1527, after their previous capital at Tecpán Guatemala became untenable. The city was destroyed by a catastrophic lahar from Volcan de Agua in 1541, and the survivors had no choice but to abandon the site. The capital was again refounded several miles away at Antigua Guatemala in 1543. (source: Wikipedia)

Make sure you pay Ciudad Vieja and San Miguel Escobar a visit next time you come to Antigua Guatemala.

It’s amazing how people outside Latin America don’t realize that despite the crime and violence that shown through the news, most people in our countries find the time and love to spend quality time with friends and family. This entry was inspired by a recent post in XelaDailyPhoto where Luna talks about Quality Time and a family is shown having fun at the park during Semana Santa.

Luna writes,
Over the Semana Santa weekend, many families retreated to Parque Central to spend quality time together in between the processions, meals and traveling. For some of the smaller members of the family, running laps and chasing doves in the sunshine is enough to ensure a good night’s sleep.

I decided to follow up with one of the favorite activities that people enjoy doing in Antigua Guatemala: Having ice cream at Parque Central. That’s always been the purpose of AntiguaDailyPhoto.com, GuatemalaDailyPhoto.com and XelaDailyPhoto.com; to show how we live and love, to demonstrate that another lifestyle is possible, to highlight where we could improve but without forgetting that we slowly but surely we progress in our own unique sort of way.

Often I have spoken about the wonderful feel-good vibe that one can sense and be part of while hanging out at the Plaza Mayor, better known simply as Parque Central, Antigua Guatemala’s Main Plaza, but I have not been able to seize the sensation in a picture until today.

If you have been to Parque Central and sat on one of the benches or just hanged there, please, share with us what vibes, feelings or sensetions have you perceived.

While most people have food for lunch, other prefer to have love. Just take a look at the two couples in the background of the picture above. By the way, this is a follow up to Lunch Hour at San Sebastián Park.

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.