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I don’t want to call names or anything like that, but I must say there’s an imperialistic country the north of Guatemala where SUVs, short for So Unnecessary Vehicle I believe, are the new must-have vehicle. Of course, even the huge Hummies are not big enough even if they spend a gallon a fuel just to turn it on. Even trucks just keep getting bigger and bigger, right?

On the other hand, in the heart and cradle of the Maya civilization, trucks just keep getting smaller and more fuel-efficient. Take for instance the new moto-trucks being used for distribution of products around Antigua Guatemala, that’s a fine example of how to reduce the carbon foot print for the necessary distribution of food; don’t you agree?

Honest, I don’t want to rub it in, but in Guatemala we are recycling the stuff our neighbours from the north are simply discarding such as: old school buses, the crashed and old cars and trucks, the clothes, et cetera, etc… if you don’t believe me, browse the archives of Antigua Daily Photo; it’s all there.

The presence of these chorros; that’s what water faucets are called in Guatemala, is a sure sign that there are still houses in the villages without piped water service. Grifos is, by the way, the proper Spanish word for faucet. Llave, key, is another common word used, but in Guatemala most people understand chorro (stream or jet-stream) best.

I am surprised and at awe when I see people in Guatemala carry loads much heavier than their own weight such as in this case where this man carries a load of firewood, leña we call it here, that is a plain sight much heavier than him.

Could you carry such a load? I know I couldn’t if I my life depend on it.

Well, believe it or not, the information about the ingredients of the magical light is available in the long and deep archives of AntiguaDailyPhoto, nearly seven years of daily entries now. Sunsets in Antigua Guatemala are very special and even more so when you watch them from roof-top cafe or bar. Sunset’s warm light falls on Antigua Guatemala’s color palette to give you such rich and wonderful spectrum that makes you wonder if these are the same walls and houses seen in the morning.

So, do you want to know what’s the magic behind the light in and around Antigua Guatemala?

Okay, there are at least several elements that work in tandem to create the magical light that you see during the sunsets of the dry season in Antigua Guatemala. These elements are: the dust blown by the cold winds from the north; the position of Earth in its orbit around the Sun gives light a special angle; the pollution created by the zafra season (zafra is the crop of sugar-cane and the making of sugar.) adds orange and red skies; last but not least, the natural limestone paints still in use in Antigua Guatemala. The lime-stone-based paints have translucent shine, similar to pearls, so that is how you get some incredible colors as light changes through the day.

Unlike other catholic countries, Guatemala does not make a big deal of the arrival of the Tres Reyes Magos (Three Wise Kings) known as Epiphany in English; a Christian holiday celebrated on January 6th. Except, of course, for burning firecrackers and ringing bells of the churches right at noon, which seems to be Guatemalans’ favorite way of announcing or marking a holiday or event.

In Christian tradition the Magi (Greek: μάγοι, magoi), Three Wise Men, Three Kings or Kings from the East are said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts. They are mentioned only in the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 2) , which says that they came “from the east to Jerusalem” to worship the Christ, “born King of the Jews”. (Source: Wikipedia.org)

In other Spanish-speaking countries, Christmas gifts and presents are given on Dí­a de los Reyes and not on Christmas Eve or even Christmas. In some countries, children receive presents on both occasions, but in Guatemala Christmas Eve is the designated date for children to receive their presents.

Also, for many people, Dí­a de los Reyes marks the end of the Christmas season, although around Antigua Guatemala, many people keep their Nacimientos and Christmas decorations until February 2nd, Dí­a de la Candelaria (Candlemas), which incidentally is Groundhog Day in the United States. The day after February 2nd the Christmas lights around Antigua’s Main Plaza will be pick up and put away.

Over six years ago I pondered about the future of Guatemala and its child labor force: The future of a society is with the children and their education and preparation. What kind of future awaits for Guatemala when its children are on the streets working to survive today. What kind of education and preparation will its labor force have in ten or twenty years? I posted another photo of a child at work on May 7th, 2006 and almost every year since then.

It is very disturbing to me to see children working to survive today instead of being in school and have the minimum provided to them. By the way, child labor is ilegal in Guatemala and school is mandatory for children under 16. As you can see, neither is enforced by the governmental ministries.

Sadly, very little has changed for the less privileged children of Guatemala in the last six years.

Whenever possible is a good idea to include in the picture something of known size like a person, animal or vehicle to gauge the size of buildings or mountains or ships, etc. In this case, the man walking by the church of San Pedro Las Huertas provides a human scale for us to realize the massive size of this church.