La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo

This old man and the band are the tail of the procession. There goes Semana Santa 2008… we are at end of the Holy Week in La Antigua Guatemala. Just one more day!

To answer Sara’s question about where the money collected through the sale of the turns at carrying the float go? Almost one third goes to the band. I heard that the San Felipe Church brocessional Band charges Q150,000 (close to US$20,000) per procession and La Merced Church processional band about Q125,000. I imagine some of the money goes to the church who lends the saint figures for the processions. Some money goes to the organization, the creation of the scenes above the floats which are never the same and lastly for maintenance.

If you would like to see a video clip of a processional band playing, check out last year entry Weekend Procession in the Lent Season. Processional musician play sorrowful tunes is another entry where you can also see a processional band.

Literary Introspection Side Note: Much of what I am today and the decisions I made that took me to La Antigua Guatemala were inspired or influenced in part by Milan Kundera’s writings. Through the reading of several of Milan Kundera’s novels, especially Life is Elsewhere, Laughable Loves, The Farewell Party, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Immortality and Identity, I begun to question myself about life, lifestyles and what I wanted out of the day. Life is a jigsaw puzzle made up from moments (days) and where and with whom you spend those moments shapes the picture you see at the end. Honestly, I do not know if it is better to live in the ‘first world’ with a first-world salary, first-world commodities and such or to live here in the south or third world with all the complications and dangers that decision entails. I don’t know about the first/third world euphemisms either. However, I do know that a different life or lifestyle is possible outside the safety net. There are other ways to be human and to experience unusual traditions and celebrations. There is a huge difference between Spring Break, Easter, Holy Week and Semana Santa as we live it in La Antigua Guatemala for sure. To each its own. For the moment, I’m just happy to be able to take ordinary snapshots from my daily comings-and-goings and to be able to share them with YOU! I hope you enjoy them too!?

The side note is dedicated to my dear epistolary friend Carmen.

That is right, Semana Santa in Guatemala is an equal opportunity celebration. Sure, cucuruchos take the majority of the clicks of cameras and most of the video recorded, but children, women and dogs have a place in the Holy Week celebrations. Women’s float or andas are a bit smaller and carry virgins or angels most of the time.

Right about now, you may be asking yourself, what are processions anyway and what do they represent? Well processions are representations of the the last days of Jesus Christ. Processions represent the funeral march of Jesus Christ. Processions in Guatemala also represent a penitent act.

Here is the background information about La Dolorosa Procession, taken from last year entry:

La Dolorosa or The Sorrowful Mother is the biblical figure of the sorrowful mother Mary which follows Jesus in his way to his crucifixion. This act is represented by a smaller anda (long carved wooden flatbed image-carrying float [*]) —carrying the effigy of sorrowful Mother Mary and other female biblical representations— which is hauled exclusively by women who mostly dress in black or white as this is the appropriate dress code for a funeral. Jesus’ funeral.

I have honestly tried not put as many Cuaresma/Lent and Semana Santa/Holy Week photos here. But sometimes it’s impossible not published photos like today’s. Talk about the idiosyncrasy of Guatemalans, have you ever seen a more convincing set of Roman Soldiers in your life?

Processions are majestic, huge and long in La Antigua Guatemala. You can browse the Processions category to get an idea of the size of the processions in La Antigua Guatemala. There are smaller and more humble processions in the villages and small communities surrounding La Antigua Guatemala. This year, I will try to focus more in the Holy Week celebrations and processions in the villages where you can still observe the fervor, regardless of the size, for all these Catholic rituals. The photo above was taken in the village of San Pedro Las Huertas, while the procession made a pit stop or parada as they are known in Spanish. Well, I think that is the name, maybe somebody more knowledgeable in Catholic rituals can provide the actual name for the stops the processions make every so often at specific spots.

Even the alleys get dressed up with pine-needle and flower carpets for the town’s fair processions. Pine-needle element adds the value of pine scent to the whole festive occasion. Pine-needle carpets are also used for parties and special celebrations.

I could go as far as saying that the scent of pine-needle, along with the scents of tamales, ponche (fresh fruit punch), hot chocolate (not cocoa), firecrackers, new clothes and shoes (estrenos), are what makes the scent-memory of the Navidad season (Christmas). These scents, colors and its flavors are what pain Guatemalans abroad in their nostalgic moments (otherwise known as every day!).

The making of these processional carpets is such a community-forming and bonding activity since in the process participate many, if not all, of the neighbors and family members. These traditions, festive calendar dates and special celebrations mark very strongly what makes a normal human being into a hard-core Guatemalan. You break the link or access to these experiences and you only have a person that was born in Guatemala; a fact as worthless as the fact of having had a pair of boots once.

Well, with this image we wave farewell to the Guatemalan Fair series. It’s been the longest running series I have done about Guatemala yet; with sixteen photographs, descriptive captions and video clips, and I feel I barely touched the surface of the Guatemalan town fair.

Could you guys tell me if you enjoyed the series and point out where the coverage was weak or non-existent (special call to Guatemalans and long-time residents).

Update: La Antigua Guatemala is not the only place where these carpets are made. Check out Tenerife Daily Photo for a sample of their carpet-making abilities.

The People of La Antigua Guatemala and surrounding villages simply love to make processional carpets and the town fair provides the perfect excuse to make sawdust and flower carpets throughout the year; really why wait for Semana Santa (Holy Week).

Along with the processional carpets, white and yellow plastic decorations mark the route of the town’s procession. Nobody is allowed to step on the carpets before the procession.

The Royal Street Side Note: By the way, the name of this street is Calle Real (Royal street) which is the name given to the main street or avenue in small towns in rural Guatemala. This was done to mark the streets where the king and queen could walk by. It’s been 186 years since Guatemala obtained its independence from Spain in September 15, 1821; yet the streets are still called Calle Real, just in case The Kings ever show up—and they did in San Pedro Las Huertas. Check out the full coverage of the Kings of Spain visit to San Pedro Las Huertas earlier this year.

Above you can see the processional figures taking some time off from work in Nuestra Señora de los Remedios Church Ruins, near El Calvario in La Antigua Guatemala.

The Ramblimg Side Note: Why, but why do I put so much work into this site? Why do I work for nothing? Why waste on average two hours of my daily life for nothing? Why should I continue to throw away my precarious free time? Why invest my already scarce economic resources in camera equipment, sd memories and batteries for an inconsequential, worthless web site? Is this site really worthless? Is my time valueless? Why should I continue an unprofitable project like this one? Does any of you guys even care for this site anymore?

Byron Ortiz made it possible to get a real sense of Semana Santa (Holy Week) through his photos —7 of the over 100 images in his Holy Week archives—. La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo is very grateful for allowing the usage of his photos here.

Churches serve as terminals from which processions depart or arrive. Churches also serve as home-base for all the brotherhoods of cucuruchos and sisterhoods. Churches also put their best face for the Holy Week and many get a paint job and/or restoration works in the weeks prior to Semana Santa.

With this photo we wave goodbye to Semana Santa and to Holy Week’s processions. I was told the last procession, the Resurrection (Resurección) procession comes out on Easter Sunday (today) a 6 a.m. and its back in the church by 10 in the morning. But, before we say our farewells, I bring to you the photo of a procession as it nears its entrance to the cathedral. You can see Antigua Guatemala’s Cathedral in the background with a procession and its followers in the foreground. If this is your first time around here you can click the following posts to get an idea of what this place looks like during the day. It is also a good idea to click in the photo above to see thousands of candles and the all the details.

1. Antigua’s Cathedral and Volcán de Agua
2. Antigua’s Cathedral at Sunset
3. Illuminated Antigua’s Cathedral at twilight
4. Requiem for the Rain
5. Antigua Guatemala’s Cathedral
6. Taxis at Antigua’s Cathedral

You can view all the photos of churches published in the Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo by clicking the link or by browsing the Atriums & Churches category on the sidebar.

Can somebody tell me how many church buildings are in Antigua Guatemala and how many of them are is use still as churches? Hint, the information is in the guts of this site.

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / Holy Week Elements / procession / Semana Santa in Antigua

Thanks to Byron Ortiz for lending his photos of Semana Santa (Holy Week), so we can get window-view of the Holy Week Celebrations in La Antigua Guatemala.

La Dolorosa or The Sorrowful Mother is the biblical figure of sorrowful mother Mary which follows Jesus in his way to his crucifixion. This act is represented by a smaller anda (long carved wooden flatbed image-carrying float [*]) —carrying the effigy of sorrowful Mother Mary and other female biblical representations— which is hauled exclusively by women who mostly dress in black or white as this is the appropriate dress code for a funeral. Jesus’ funeral.

All this christian and catholic background information is meant to serve as means for the understanding of the religious and cultural manifestations that take place in Antigua Guatemala during Easter. So don’t worry, we will come back to a religion-free site by next Monday; stay tune!

On the other hand, please let me know what is your opinion or feelings regarding the coverage of this yearly event? Am I doing a good balance between the photographs and background information or am I over doing it? I really would appreciate your feedback.

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / Holy Week Elements / procession / Semana Santa in Antigua

Thanks to Byron Ortiz for lending his photos of Semana Santa (Holy Week), so we can get a room with a view of the Holy Week Celebrations in La Antigua Guatemala.

This week we are running a mini-series: Elements of the Holy Week Celebrations in La Antigua Guatemala and its world-famous Semana Santa.

Holy Thursday and Good Friday? Where do these names come from? Maybe from the Borat film.

Nevertheless, Good Friday is the culmination of the Holy Week Celebrations and the processions end at the Calvario Church (Calvario is the Spanish word for Calvary or Golgotha). The entrance of the Calvario Church in La Antigua Guatemala is a yellow façade with three arches, topped by three bells and three crosses —one larger than the other two— with a very large concrete cross in front. Can you see the obvious architectonic reference to Jesus’ crucifixion?

Just before we close the window to the Holy Week Celebrations, I found this fabulous, detail-rich description, spiced with insider’s information, about the whole ritual of Semana Santa by Lito Galvan. Here are a couple sample paragraphs to entice you to follow the link and read the entire piece.

A Lenten celebration spent in Guatemala is beyond doubt exhilarating. True to seasoned travelers’ tale, Holy Week or Semana Santa exceeds everyone’s wildest spiritual expectation.

The event kicks off on Palm Sunday with the blessing of the palms then starts a climactic crescendo leading to Good Friday crucifixion, retreating into a hiatus on Black Saturday - in theory, and finally bursting into a culminating finale on Easter Sunday.

The Guatemalan stunning flashes of tradition and pageantry can be observed in: (1) palm blessing and display; (2) window dressing on homes and churches; (3) spectacular street carpet decorating along the processional route; (4) and the passionate procession of grand ecclesiastical images.

… read the entire piece at

Lito Galvan’s Dressing-Up for Semana Santa - Antigua, Guatemala

It is an interesting and funny surprise to have somebody list some of the elements of the Holy Week Celebration in Antigua Guatemala two years ago, along with the most complete description of the Semana Santa I’ve seen online. Certainly, there is nothing new under the sun. I take my hat off to Lito.

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / Holy Week Elements / procession / Semana Santa in Antigua

Thanks to Byron Ortiz for lending his photos of Semana Santa (Holy Week), so we can get a better picture of the Holy Week Celebrations in La Antigua Guatemala.

This week we are running a mini-series: Elements of the Holy Week Celebrations in La Antigua Guatemala and its world-famous Semana Santa.

With the holidays of Semana Santa La Antigua Guatemala goes from a tiny peaceful, colorful colonial town to a maddening craze-driven-crowds city like New York City or Tokyo where you can barely walk.

It is not a light statement when Santiago Durham says: the whole Semana Santa is a penitent act, especially for those of us who live here. Nonetheless, it is the most spectacular yearly event in Antigua Guatemala.

By the way, the original name of the town is Santiago (Saint James) de los Caballeros de Guatemala. Soon I will have a post about the disambiguation of the La Antigua Guatemala name and the reasons for it. Stay tune!

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / Holy Week Elements / procession / Semana Santa in Antigua

I want to thank Byron Ortiz for allowing me to use his photos of Semana Santa (Holy Week), so we can better understand the Holy Week Celebrations in La Antigua Guatemala.

This week we are running a mini-series: Elements of the Holy Week Celebrations in La Antigua Guatemala and its world-famous Semana Santa.

Cucuruchos with their purple or violet cone-head dress are another prominent element of Semana Santa in Antigua Guatemala. Last week, Santiago Durham asked what its the significance of the color purple or violet in the dress and banners during Semana Santa, well it took a lot of digging to find out (I turned around and asked my office coworker), but I can now tell you the purple is worn as a sign of penitence. As a matter of fact, processions are a sign of penitence as well, heck the whole Semana Santa is a penitent act.

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / Holy Week Elements / procession / Semana Santa in Antigua

Purple cone-head “Cucuruchos” are a big attraction around Antigua Guatemala in the Lent Season. Although Cucurucho’ dresses come in many colors, bright purple or violet are the most-often seen color. But, the purple/violet color is not only present in the cone-head dresses worn by the cucurushos, it is also available in banners that dress up windows and doorways in this very catholic colonial town. Come back tomorrow to see how the windows are dressed up in purple.

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / Antigua’s Procession / Cucuruchos

Yesterday I told you I was going to have a sample of the sorrowful tunes play by the processional musicians that are an integral part of processions.

On the weekends of the Lent season or Cuaresma as it is known in Spanish, La Antigua Guatemala becomes the backdrop for smaller processions which are a preamble for the huge and massive procession of the Holy Week or Semana Santa.

For now you can enjoy a video clip that shows a procession around El Tanque de La Unión and listen to the mournful music. El Tanque de la Unión is the largest laundry public washbasin in La Antigua Guatemala.

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / Antigua’s Procession / Musicians

One characteristic which I enjoy about processions is the sorrowful tunes that are played by the mournful marching bands that follow the floats. Come back tomorrow to hear a sample piece; in the mean time I can only advance to you that they sound like the Godfather Soundtrack.

Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / Antigua’s Procession / Musicians