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.”

It doesn’t matter what day of the week you stop by the public washbasins, lavaderos, you will always find the ladies doing the laundry. In the past I have talked to several of the women doing the laundry and I asked what were some of the reasons for utilizing the public washbasins even though most of them have running water at home. These are some of the answers:

• Los lavaderos públicos, public washbasins are more comfortable because they are larger and the water is closer.
• At the lavaderos públicos, public washbasins I get to see and talk to my friends and neighbors.
• Los lavaderos públicos, public washbasins have plentiful of free water.
• At the lavaderos públicos, public washbasins I get to see things and people, sort of free entertainment.
• Los lavaderos públicos, public washbasins provide less distractions than being at home doing the laundry.
• At the lavaderos públicos, public washbasins the temperatures are cooler and thus more comfortable.
• Los lavaderos públicos, public washbasins are my only choice since I do not have running water at home.

As I captured this picture I was immediately transported to the Brazilian film “Domésticas” (Maids) by Fernando Meirelles, one of my favorite directors. Through the film Maids brings forth the normally invisible daily lives of group of domésticas. I recommend that you watch this film and all the other films by Fernando Meirelles. Here’s a teaser summary to get you interested in the film.

“Domésticas” is a funny, yet loving look at the daily lives of a group of Brazilian housemaids: their dreams, sorrows and joys. Based on a stage play, the movie has lots of monologues towards the watcher but, trust me, they’re never boring. The ensemble acting is very good.

This “little” film directed by Fernando Meirelles (“City of God”, “The Constant Gardener”) and Nando Olival, is witty and light-hearted enough to make you feel good for 1 ½ hour. It doesn’t try to show the housemaids as clowns, but as normal, decent human beings in their hard, overlooked profession. (source: IMDB)

Catholic churches were usually built around the main plaza of each town, normally taken the east quadrant of the plazas. There are not as many catholic churches as there are protestant churches, but they tend to be much bigger and older and built at the best possible locations. The church of San Pedro Las Huertas shown above was built in 1672. I decided to include two people in the picture to serve as scale so we can better understand how big are these churches.

This photograph was taken at one of the newest gated residential developments within the San Pedro Las Huertas, one of the villages of La Antigua Guatemala.

Slowly but surely, fincas cafetaleras, coffee plantations, are becoming gated residential communities. Well, maybe not so slow. In ten years I have seen many new gated residential communities pop up within coffee plantations and other kinds of land lots. Sometimes it feels like around Antigua Guatemala there was never a real estate crisis. For sure, the real estate prices are still high around Antigua Guatemala.

Or perhaps I am wrong, often I am, does anybody know what’s the real estate situation around Antigua Guatemala?

I never realized how much people die every day until I lived in a town where almost each death is announced by the PA system installed on the church on the main plaza. Through these announcements and the funeral processions and motorcades I have encountered I also learned that the grieving is also a communal event. When I stop to pay attention to the PA announcements often the name of the passing person is giving and the address where the mourning will be held and everyone is invited to assist.

These expressions of the strong community relationships forged through constant interactivity are often foreign to me since I have lived most of my life in big cities where often these community relationships rarely happen. I don’t know if I’m making any sense because I don’t think I have been able to seized these feelings and emotions into words. Am I?

How are deaths, funerals and mourning treated where you live? (more…)

As I said before, it is impossible to think of the Guatemalan, Mexican and Mesoamerican diet without maize. From the Popul Vuh (Popol Wuj in modern spelling), the Mayan equivalent of the Bible, which states that humans were literally created from maize, to Miguel Ángel Asturias‘ novel Hombres de maíz (Men of Maize) which is one of the best novels to understand Mesoamerica and its people. Guatemala and Mexico share the birth place of maize, which was and is the most important crop in human history. The richest diversity of maize can be found in Mesoamerica!

Many of the dishes of the Guatemalan cuisine are based on the milpa crops. The term milpa refers normally to a maize field, but it is so much more. In a milpa field there a dozen crops at once: maize, avocados, multiple kinds of squash, chiles (hot pepper chilli), beans, tomatoes, tomatillos, camotes (sweet potatoes), jicama (a tuber also known as sengkwang, yam bean, singkamas, Mexican turnip), amaranth (also called pigweeds) and mucuma (a tropical legume). “Milpa crops are nutritionally and environmentally complementary.” said Charles C. Mann in his book 1491. H. Garrison Wilkes, a maize researcher at University of Massachusetts in Boston is quoted in the same book, “The milpa is one of the most successful human inventions ever created.”

Interested gender aside: I believe that every time I have made a reference to Hombres de maíz I have used pictures of women. So, that’s why I am entitling today’s entry as women of maize.

The callejones (alleys) found in many of the villages of La Antigua Guatemala are really narrow, passageways really created, I imagine, as a result of splitting of land through the process of inherence. These alleys are really no wider than six feet at the most. I’ve been photographing many of them found in San Pedro Las Huertas. Each callejón has something unique about it and I will do my best to capture its essence.

What kind of stories do you imagine when you see a callejón like the one pictured above?

Let’s do it!

The most creative caption will win this photo as a post card mailed through post office in Antigua Guatemala. This time will close the contest after 7 captions, so get yours early on if you want to have a chance a winning. We have done this creative exercise before, take a look at the following entries for ideas and inspiration. Good luck to all participants!

• All Aboard Now
• Invent A Tour Guides Conversation
• The Cucurucho and The Photographer
• Arch-framed Women in Jocotenango
• Opposite ends of life #2

Sorry, I don’t want to give the wrong impression about carpooling in Antigua Guatemala and Guatemala in general. Yesterday, when I said there wasn’t carpooling here… I actually meant in this particular instance. Carpooling or motorcycle-pooling is as common here as anywhere else in the world. Carpooling here is done mostly for economic reasons and many people ride in group to save fuel costs. Motorcycles are often ridden by two people on their way to work or school.

What are the most common reasons for carpooling where you live?

… at least not for these campesinos who every day take their horses up to the rolling hills of Volcán de Agua to tend their crops. One of things I love about living in Antigua Guatemala is the fact that one gets to experience different eras and lifestyles juxtaposed at the same time. As I said before:

Living in La Antigua Guatemala is such a trip because you get to see and experience different eras and lifestyles all at once. Take for instance the vista of a campesino (small plot worker) with his horse heading out to work early in the morning to the rolling hills of Volcán de Agua and now imagine that just one hour later you can meet with friends for French crêpes or Bagels for a power breakfast, and meet a client at a sushi bar for lunch and assist to a baroque music recital at night. Of course you keep track of all of this with your iPhone 4S or Galaxy Nexus Android-powered phone while keeping an online photographic dairy.

What better way to start the new year than with a brand new clay comal to cook the best tasting tortillas. A comal like the ones shown above will set you back Q30/$2.75 if I recall correctly. Sadly, clay comales are disappearing as most tortillerías now are using metal comales with gas instead of leña (logs) which was used with the traditional terra-cotta comal. On the post Making Guatemalan Tortillas you can see the new comal being used in many tortillerías versus the traditional comal as shown on the post How to make the perfect Guatemalan Tortilla.

If you have had the opportunity to try tortillas made with each kind of comal, which one do your prefer? Do you think there’s a difference in the taste?

In the Guatemala one can find football matches on the weekends at almost every field in the country. La Antigua Guatemala is not an exception. The photo above was taken at one of the football fields in San Pedro Las Huertas.

Bike riding is among the best ways to get to see all of Antigua Guatemala and its villages. For a long time I wanted to photograph tourists bike riding since they always seemed to have a big smile on their faces, but for one reason or another I never got the chance or a good shot. Interesting enough, this photo was taken with the iPhone, my new carry-at-all-times camera.

Have you taken any bike rides during your visits to Guatemala?

There’s never a dull moment in La Antigua Guatemala.

Let me explain.

The other day as I am driving back home, I stop because I heard a commotion, similar to a riot, except I knew it was not real because I saw the telescopic mic way up high. Also, there were police and firemen on the scene just hanging out. It was obvious they were filming a movie. Without even thinking about, I opened my camera bag and began taking some shots.

After all, I am like Pancho Villa, “shoot first and ask questions later!” with regards to my photography style.

Only later, I asked what film was it, “se llama Polvo” I was told. Is Julio Hernández here, I asked, since I knew from a long while the name of the director. I have included references and samples of Julio Hernández Cordón’s film in AntiguaDailyPhoto. The Gasolina Aside was the first time I promoted his films here. Next was Las marimbas del infierno film aside. Polvo will be Julio Hernández Cordón third mayor film.

While they were setting up the scene above, I chatted with Julio, the director, Fernanda, the executive producer and Joaquín, an acquaintance who’s involved with this film and many other recent films. Joaquín is also responsible the cameo appearances of Laura McNamara in several Guatemalan films. Anyway, once again I was reminded how in Guatemala we only have Two Degrees of Separation. Don’t you agree?

Last but not least, don’t ever say I don’t share with you the most exclusive stuff!