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The other day on my way to the office I came across these interesting signs. The sign that pulled me in was the Facebook, Twitter and Youtube sheet glued to a near-by post as way of saying we provide internet access service. Nowadays, I guess, most people who need internet access will probably do it to check or update Facebook or Twitter, but Youtube? That was interesting. So, I began looking for the place that provided internet access because the post was in the middle of the road, near El Calvario church, and that’s when I found the zaguán business across the street selling chocobananos, chochofresas, chocomelones, chocopiñas, internet access and bathroom services. This one is going directly to the Only in LAG category.

Do you want to know what is a zaguán business? follow the white rabbit for the answer.

Tax evaders in Guatemala take the risk of having their business shut down temporarily and have a sign like the above posted on their main entrance. To be able to open again a business has to pay back the taxes evaded and a fine to the Superintendencia de Administración Tributaria (SAT); this is the tax collecting agency in Guatemala. In the mean time, the business is marked with these shameful posters which basically are designed to embarrassed the owners and managers of said company.

What do you think of this procedure and posters?

This is how maps looked like in colonial times. Can you see the reference to Cerro de la Cruz? You may have to click the image above to get a larger version.

Thanksgiving is yet another holiday from the U.S. that is celebrated in Antigua Guatemala, especially by the local expat residents living in town. Because of this, often you find restaurants that cater to those who do not want to go through the ordeal of cooking the turkey and Thanksgiving dinner. Other expats just celebrate the Thanksgiving in Antigua Guatemala with family and friends. So, if you’re in La Antigua Guatemala now and want to have a Thanksgiving dinner, just look for one of the many restaurants that have just what you’re looking for.

Everywhere, the times they are a-changin’

Libertad, Expresión, Conciencia the wall declares. Liberty, Freedom of Expression and Conscience could be the rough translation of this message on the wall.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who
That it’s namin’.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There’s a battle outside
And it is ragin’.
It’ll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’.
.
.
.
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin’.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’.

—Bob Dylan

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Pastis (pronounced in UK: /ˈpæstɪs/, US: /pæˈstiːs/) is an anise-flavored liqueur and apéritif from France, typically containing 40–45% alcohol by volume, although alcohol-free varieties exist.

Pastis was first commercialized by Paul Ricard in 1932 and enjoys substantial popularity in France, especially in the southern regions of the country.[1] Pastis emerged some 17 years following the ban on absinthe, during a time when the French nation was still apprehensive of high-proof anise drinks in the wake of the absinthe debacle. The popularity of pastis may be attributable to a penchant for anise drinks that was cultivated by absinthe decades earlier, but is also part of an old tradition of Mediterranean anise liquors that includes sambuca, ouzo, arak, rakı, and mastic…. Continue reading at Wikipedia

Yes, you can find a place of pastis in cosmopolitan Antigua Guatemala. Also, one can also find absinthe at another venue. Do you know where to get pastis in La Antigua?

It seems like most churches and buildings in La Antigua Guatemala have a sign similar to the one above. Another such sign was published a few months ago as Real Casa de la Moneda (Royal Minting House), now the offices for the SAT, short for Superintendencia de Administración Tributaria, which is the Guatemalan equivalent of IRS.

If you read both signs, you can see that both signs have terremotos (earthquakes) as part of their history.

By the way, I have come across a book which has some chronicles and anecdotes of the mayor earthquakes that affected and finally destroyed the Central American capital of Santiago de Guatemala, nowadays La Antigua Guatemala between 1541 and 1773. They are chilling stories of fear and destruction. Would you like to post some of them?

… as seen at Héctor’s restaurant, which by the way turned 4 years old this week. Congratulations Héctor for this extraordinary achievement and for four years of wonderful, delicious cuisine. Hey Héctor, don’t you think it’s about time you name your restaurant or should we continue calling it Dónde Héctor or El Sin Nombre?

These are some of the gourmet dishes from Héctor’s that I have highlighted before in AntiguaDailyPhoto.

Needless to say Héctor’s restaurant is one of my favorite dining spots in La Antigua Guatemala. Here’s Héctor’s business card for those wondering where is the restaurant located: (more…)

Flying through the air you can see all through the valley at Antigua Canopy Tours which is located at Finca Filadelfia. Seven zip-lines, and the longest being 715 ft on the Cannon tour. The view is breath taking. It is a great way to experience the vast scenery.

If you want see everything that is available at Antigua Canopy Tours, please, read all the posts published about the subject by Laura McNamara in AntiguaDailyPhoto.com. There are over 12 posts covering the Antigua Canopy Tours from every possible angle.

What is your favorite viewing spot of the Antigua Guatemala area?

text and photo by Zach Olson.

This sign can be found in the hallway of the SAT building in La Antigua Guatemala. By the way, SAT is the Guatemalan equivalent of IRS. SAT stands for Superintendencia de Administración Tributaria. Honest, I didn’t know the SAT offices were part of the Casa de la Moneda complex.

Don’t you wish all houses and buildings had a sign like this one that highlighted the major events of the site?

This is a follow up to the Pearls and Pans and Don’t Put All Your Eggs In One Basket posts where I mentioned that “the wisdom of idioms do not escape the Guatemalan typical small business owner. That’s why it’s commonplace to find a zaguán shop selling disparate items. For a long time I’ve been wanting to show this with just one image; I believe today’s photo works, don’t you think so?” So, Las Conchas Jewelry and Bistro is the high end equivalente of the zaguán business where you have two disparate business under one roof. And this is quite common in La Antigua Guatemala and the rest of the country.

Is this practice commonplace where you live?

I found this colorful sign at the entrance of El Jaulón building, just one block east of Parque Central. I am sure those who have visited Lake Atitlán would be familiar with the Circus Bar. I am happy to report that now we have Circus Bar in Guatemala City and in Antigua Guatemala.

My best wishes for the upcoming weekend…

Encontré ese colorido rótulo en la entrada de El Jaulón, el edificio que queda a una cuadra al oriente de la Plaza Mayor. Estoy seguro que aquellos que han visitado el Lago de Atitlán estarán familiarizados con el Circus Bar, un lugar emblemático de Panajachel. Ahora ya tenemos Circus Bar en la Ciudad de Guatemala y en La Antigua Guatemala.

Mis mejores deseos para el fin de semana…

Since my handle in the English language is not so good, I would like to request for you guys to help me understand what’s the difference between a photograph and an image? I’ll welcome all the answers and suggestions.

Thanks!

¡No pongas todos los huevos en una canasta!

Oh the wisdom of idioms do not escape the Guatemalan typical small business owner. That’s why it’s commonplace to find a zaguán shop selling disparate items. For a long time I’ve been wanting to show this with just one image; I believe today’s photo works, don’t you think so?

La sabiduría de los modismos y dichos no se le escapa al típico empresario guatemalteco. Es por esta razón que a menudo uno encuentra un zaguán vendiendo artículos desiguales. Desde hace tiempo he querido mostrar esto con una sola imagen; creo la foto de hoy funciona, ¿qué opinás vos?

This sign is posted inside El Calvario Church, in the garden to right where the Esquisúchil tree was planted in 1657 by the Holy Saint Hermano Pedro de San José de Betancourt, Central America’s only Saint. The Esquisúchil tree has aromatic flowers and it is believed to have curative powers. This specific tree at El Calvario Church was declared Cultural Patrimony of the Nation in 2004 (Source: Prensa Libre). Last but not least is its exquisite architecture and mustard-yellow color. Here are the technical specifications of the Esquishuchil tree.