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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!

Since the rainy season abruptly ended at the end of September, the cold winds from the north moved in within the first week of October thus allowing Guatemala’s kite season to begin almost an entire month earlier than normal.

Below, you can watch a short video clip which shows a kite day outside a local public school in San Pedro Las Huertas, La Antigua Guatemala.

In the nine years that I have been living around La Antigua Guatemala I had never seen so much work being done by a municipal administration as with the current City Hall government, especially around the villages which historically are always forgotten in favor of Antigua Guatemala. That’s three different mayors.

Although I did voted for Dr. Adolfo Vivar, the current Mayor, I am happy to say I am glad my vote did interfere with him getting elected. In fact, I am now sure that if my candidate had won it would had been bad for La Antigua Guatemala. I would never put mis manos al fuego (my hands on fire) for any politician, but I have no trouble admitting I casted my vote the wrong way. Neither I have issues with pointing out that someone is doing a good job or the opposite.

I have mentioned already a few times how impress I am with all the work being done by the current administration, so I felt validated in my perception when I heard Elizabeth Bell mentioned that the current mayor is the best one she’s seen in 40 plus years. Elizabeth Bell is the person behind Elizabeth Bell“>Antigua Tours and a very vocal member of the citizen watchdog group Salvemos Antigua, an organization working hard and trying to save the city.

Of course the current administration also has its detractors and be sure I will let you about them like I have done in the past with Market Marchers Manifestation, New Closing Time City Ordinances and Antigua’s New Parking Fees Explained, just to name a few articles.

Every time I see my taxes hard at work esbozo una sonrisa, I smily faintly! Wouldn’t you?

Here’s a lesson to be learned. Even though San Pedro Las Huertas was one of the villages that was hit the hardest in La Antigua Guatemala by Nature’s tropical storm Agatha, here they are building Nature-inspired floats for their annual beauty pageant. The people of San Pedro Las Huertas decided to show their appreciation for Nature and the environment by building most of their carrozas with green foliage plants, flowers, water, planet Earth, moon and the stars themes. They are not the least resentful about Nature’s recent catastrophes.

Below, I am sharing with you the rest of the photos I took; I hope you can get a feel for their beauty pageant, the atmosphere and the happy Guatemala smiles. Let me know what do your own feeling about it!
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Foot Bool with the African spelling is how the people of San Pedro Las Huertas want to let everyone know that the World Cup of Foot Ball (not the U.S. meaning) brings borders and people together.

The World Cup is now everywhere; of course that if you live a sheltered life in the U.S., you might not be aware of it. See the World Cup of Foot Ball is truly the only sport contest that can use the word World since every country in the world gets a chance to participate and win the world cup. This is also the first time I see all TOP TEN trending topics in Twitter are about just one subject, the World Cup 2010.

With these photos I am happy to report that the people of San Pedro Las Huertas are back on their feet after having survived the floods and lahars caused by the tropical storm Agatha; which hit the town only two weeks ago. Today, San Pedro Las Huertas celebrated their annual Beauty Pageant with five different carrozas, parade floats, themes. San Pedro Las Huertas is also getting ready to celebrate their annual town fair; which I covered extensively two years ago in the series Guatemalan Fair. I recommend you browse all the posts related to Guatemalan Fair to refresh or to learn how Guatemalans celebrate their Patron Saint day.

Guatemalans urgently need a break!

First we experience a short but strong jolt cause by an earthquake. Right after Pacaya volcano began erupting and spewing black volcanic sand and ash over Guatemala City, which cause the closing of the main international airport of Guatemala. People were still cleaning up the black sand and ash when we got hit by tropical storm Agatha, which behaves pretty much like a hurricane.

We urgently need a break!

Of course the tropical storm Agatha is the worst of all evils because it hit hard the entire country with a heavy downpour which caused floods and land slides in many places, including La Antigua Guatemala. Many people have lost their houses and many more have been evacuated and are now living in temporary shelters. A flood of tweets and Facebooks updates keep inundating the timelines with the hash tags #Pacaya, #AgathaGT, #CenizasGT, #ApagonGT, etc. You can look at all the photos from tropical storm Agatha that people are uploading at http://is.gd/cvbam and http://is.gd/cvbak.

Don’t you agree that we need a break from Nature’s catastrophes?
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