Sometimes it pays to be present at the right moment with the camera ready to capture a fleeting instance. Such was the case of man paying for his order of chiles rellenos. By the way, did you know that chiles rellenos are normally sold on Sundays, so it was a surprise to see the sign of Hoy Chiles Rellenos on the door on a Wednesday.

When was the last time you had Guatemalan chiles rellenos?

Tiendecitas or tienditas, little convenience stores, have to be the most popular business enterprise in Guatemala. I can not imagine living without a tiendecita in each block or several tienditas for the matter. These convenience stores are very convenience and they sell many items in small quantities. For instance, who would thought that you can go the tiendecita and purchase just one, 1, cigarette or an ounce of margarine or one egg, etc.

What’s the weirdest thing you have bought at a tiendita?

There are two means of refuge from the misery of life — music and cats. —Albert Schweitzer

You know that I am always trying to bring you first and foremost all the different art manifestations that emerge from Guatemala as soon as I detect them. Music, of course, is quite possibly my favorite if not necessary means of refuge and that’s why music is the one art manifestation that I share the most.

Today’s image is good representation of the vernacular graphic art of Guatemala and part of another documentary project which I hope to launch sometime this year: Guatemala Gráfica, a compilation of Guatemala’s vernacular graphic identity and humor. The image above is also a good introduction to the song Ya cayó el 20 (The 20 has fallen) by Sativo Warriorcandela a song inspired on the Mayan calendar which later this year, December 21, 2012, has the end of era and the beginning of another.

The song below is also a very representation of the fusion that happens in Guatemala or Guatemaya everyday, take cumbia, reggae, son, and sing in Maya, Spanish and English with the rhythm of the Garifuna of Guatemala and you get a piece that is very difficult to classify; in other words, Guatemala pura. Enjoy!

All the way from Guatemaya, 13 energies 20 nahuals, Babylon is ending, Babylon is falling, Babylon is dying… 13 moons has began…

This markings on the streets and sidewalks signal the beginning or end of the different turns of processional floats (andas) which cucuruchos (carriers) are allowed to carry before new carriers take over. Cucuruchos pay for as many turns as they can afford or the amount of penitence they feel they should exercise to the Hermandades or Cofradías (brotherhoods). The markings can be as elaborate as shown above or as simple as a red line painted on the side walk. Did you know that each can turn can cost as much as Q60/$8… follow the white rabbit to find out all about the finances of the processions.

The act of being a cucurucho and carrying the float is considered by many an experience worth living. Perhaps one day I will dress in purple and carry a few turns. If you have the opportunity, would you do it?

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

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:

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?