AntiguaDailyPhoto.Com

Today AntiguaDailyPhoto.com is celebrating its sixth anniversary. Also, the CityDailyPhoto community around the world is having the monthly theme day which is Bakeries. As many of you know, I try to participate as often as I can on the monthly theme days. The picture above was taken at the Santa Clara bakery, just south of the Santa Clara convent ruins. The Panadería Santa Clara has some of the best bread available in Antigua Guatemala.

Feed me, the letter slot says!

The first time I requested post cards was an experiment entitled Postscript; a test we ran back in 2007 when we wanted to test how efficient was the regular Guatemalan Postal Service.

We were delighted by the kind words and to see postal stamps from many cities and countries. So, if you appreciate the work we do at AntiguaDailyPhoto and want to show it or simply participate in testing the snail mail system AGAIN, please, send a post card or letter from wherever you find yourself now to the address below:

RUDY GIRON
P.O. BOX 139 EL CORREO
LA ANTIGUA GUATEMALA, C.P. 03001
GUATEMALA, C.A.

For the sixth anniversary (2192 consecutive daily updates) I am happy to report that the AntiguaDailyPhoto concept continues expanding in Quetzaltenago, the city in the highlands (Los Altos we call it), with its XelaDailyPhoto and to Guatemala City and the rest of the country with GuatemalaDailyPhoto. To me there is no greater satisfaction than to be able to share with others, to lend a hand and to provide all the interesting information I come across. Of course, none of it would be possible without the support from my wife, family and friends. A big THANK YOU for all their and your support!

To see how others in the City Daily Photo community have interpreted today’s theme please click here to view thumbnails for all participants around the globe.

Benjamin Franklin may have discovered electricity, but it was the man who invented the meter who made the money. —Earl Wilson

I agree completely with my son James when he says ‘Internet is like electricity. The latter lights up everything, while the former lights up knowledge.’ —Kerry Packer

Once again Antigua Daily Photo is participating on the theme day organized by the DailyPhoto community on the first of each month. Electricity is the theme chosen for March 2012. Take a quick tour around the world to see what photos other DailyPhoto cities around the world are posting, pun intended.

Taking the second quote above as a departing point, these are some of the things that are possible through electricity and found in the post above: electricity, fiber optic wires, phone lines, cellular tower disguised as fake trash cans and a security camera.

I just wish the city of Antigua Guatemala would opt for underground wiring for the entire town because it is less visual pollution, don’t you agree?

Of all God’s creatures, there is only one that cannot be made slave of the lash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve the man, but it would deteriorate the cat.
—Mark Twain

Once again Antigua Daily Photo is participating on the theme day organized by the DailyPhoto community on the first of each month. Animals is the theme chosen for February 2012. I took a quick look at what photos other DailyPhoto cities around the world are posting and it seems like Cats are the big winners by far; another variation is a feline photo. It’s interesting since most of the time people share photos of dogs.

For the theme day I am sharing a photo of my cat Tito who almost everyday climbs to the second floor through the garden and then cries for us to let him in; sometimes he does his routine more than once in a day. Tito has trained us well, so he was complaining that I was taking too long to open the door. I had my photographic reasons, you know.

Are you a cat or dog person?

Guatemalan music video aside: The most famous and popular singers from Guatemala Gaby Moreno and Ricardo Arjona got together to make this wonderful video which uses many locations from Guatemala as backdrop. INGUAT, Guatemala’s Tourism Institute, should be happy for this is one of the best promotional videos for Guatemala.

The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself. —Henry Miller

As every first of the month, AntiguaDailyPhoto is participating on the theme day organized by DailyPhoto community. Mystery Object was voted as the theme for October 2011.

I had a couple of mysterious objects in mind including rum distillation equipment, but, on the last minute, I came across the quote from Henry Miller about how mysterious and awesome the world can be if we pay attention to it. I chose to share these mysterious looking objects, Guatemalan decoration pieces really, made with seeds commonly found in Guatemala. I hope you like it.

Please, if you have some extra time this weekend pay a visit to the other DailyPhoto cities around the world participating and find out what my colleagues have chosen for the theme day. Afterwards come back and let’s know what was the most mysterious object you found.

As every first of the month, AntiguaDailyPhoto is participating on the DailyPhoto community theme day. Perspective was voted as the theme for September 2011.

I had a couple of perspective options, but, on the last minute I decided for this panoramic over view of 3a avenida taken from Cerro de la Cruz (Cross Hill). I hope you like it.

Please, pay a visit to the other DailyPhoto cities participating around the world and find out what they chose for the theme day.

Just yesterday, Zach was asking what is your favorite viewing spot of the Antigua Guatemala area? Well, I don’t have just one. Obviously I like the views from Cerro de la Cruz, Finca Filadelfia and Santo Domingo del Cerro. Nevertheless, I finding the views from the road that takes you to El Hato village quite refreshing and unique. Today’s panoramic vista of Finca Filadelfia for instance even took by surprise the general manager of Finca Filadelfia who jokingly said I must have taken it from the air.

Anyway, once again AntiguaDailyPhoto is participating in the monthly theme day organized by the Daily Photo community which has decided to have as theme for August 1, postcard-worthy images. I believe this panoramic vista of Finca Filadelfia, a renown coffee plantation located on the outskirts of Antigua Guatemala is postcard-worthy, don’t you agree?

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

As every fist of the month, the Daily Photo community has a theme day and the color green is what was chosen for July 1, 2011. I have to admit that green is the easiest color to photograph in La Antigua Guatemala since green is the color of the official flag; green bellies (panzas verdes) is the official nickname for antigüeños; green is also the color of the avocados and guacamol (avocado sauce); green is the most prominent color in the gardens and in all the mountains surrounding the colonial town. Every where you, green is there. I chose this photo because it has some unusual green chairs around the patio dining area and vegetation of the garden and wall.

By the way, green is also the theme for this AntiguaDailyPhoto, inspired by the green-white-green official flag of Sacatepéquez and La Antigua Guatemala.

Follow the white rabbit to see what is green in other cities around the world!

La Antigua Guatemala is one of the areas undergoing more development per square inch than any other city in the Guatemala according to Elizabeth Bell in the article What is the extent of urban planning in La Antigua? published in the June issue of Revue Magazine.

So, it comes as no surprise that sites under construction are quite common in La Antigua Guatemala. Follow the white rabbit to see what is under construction in other cities around the world!

La Antigua Guatemala es una de las áreas con más desarrollo urbano por centímetro cuadrado que cualquier otra ciudad en Guatemala de acuerdo a Elizabeth Bell en su artículo «What is the extent of urban planning in La Antigua?» publicado en la edición de junio de la revista Revue. Por lo tanto, es muy común ver sitio en construcción en y alrededor de La Antigua Guatemala. Si quieren ver que está en construcción en otras ciudades alrededor del mundo sigan a la liebre blanca.

Today AntiguaDailyPhoto.com is celebrating its fifth anniversary. Also, the CityDailyPhoto community around the world is having the monthly theme day which is Mailbox. So I thought it would be a good idea to participate in the theme day and at the same time request a post card or letter mailed from your home town.

Feed me, the letter slot says!

This is a follow up experiment to the Postscript test we ran back in 2007, when we wanted to test how efficient was the regular Guatemalan Postal Service. To our surprise we receive several dozen post cards and letter from many cities around the world. The first post cards arrive within 10 days and the last one we received was about six months later.

We were delighted by the kind words and to see postal stamps from many cities and countries. So, if you appreciate the work we do at AntiguaDailyPhoto and want to show it or simply participate in testing the snail mail system, please, send a post card or letter from wherever you find yourself now to the address below:

RUDY GIRON
P.O. BOX 139 EL CORREO
LA ANTIGUA GUATEMALA, C.P. 03001
GUATEMALA, C.A.

For the fifth anniversary (1,827 consecutive days) I am happy to report that the AntiguaDailyPhoto concept has expanded to Quetzaltenago, the city in the highlands (Los Altos we call it), with its XelaDailyPhoto and to Guatemala City and the rest of the country with GuatemalaDailyPhoto. To me there is no greater satisfaction than to be able to help others, to lend a hand and to provide all the support necessary to my fellow daily photo colleagues. Of course, none of it would be possible without the support from my wife, family and friends. A big THANK YOU for all their and your support!

Previous anniversaries Aside: Below, I share with you the music of Ishto Jueves, a Guatemalan musician I got the chance to meet and hear recently. Further down, summaries of my thoughts and feelings from the previous anniversaries. Enjoy!

On the first anniversary of AntiguaDailyPhoto I shared my goals with you:

My idea was to show the good, the bad and the ugly of this colonial town. I did not want to make a touristic site for the most popular touristic destination in Central America. La Antigua Guatemala is photogenic, so my goal has been a bit difficult. But I have tried to show other aspects of life which I did not see cover in other sites. Also, I wanted to ‘own’ a venue for practicing my inadequate written English and amateur photographic skills. Three hundred and seventy-six posts later I have improved neither; it’s so pathetic. On the other hand, I have gained a great deal of knowledge about this town and many good friends (even if they don’t see eye-to-eye on the issues we talked about here). What can I say, they’re are all wrong!

On the second anniversary of AntiguaDailyPhoto I reflected upon the concept of milestones:

Every time humans arrive at a milestone, we tend to review what we have traveled thus far. Two years of consecutive blogging is not much or even important in the big scale of things. Nonetheless, it is a big achievement for me since I have never done anything like this before. I am very happy to have reached this time mark and to have helped others in the process. I thank all my regular visitors for your support, comments, feedback and donations.

On the third anniversary of AntiguaDailyPhoto, I came to the conclusion that I was too wordy and nobody cares for long entries anymore or so I thought.

On the third year, AntiguaDailyPhoto became polyphonic with new guest author contributions which enriched and enhanced the blogumentary. Each guest author brought wonderful new perspective, photography and style. I was honored to have been given their trust. Also, I was happy to have opened the doors of AntiguaDailyPhoto to guest contributors.

For the fourth anniversary I ask again the following questions:

what does AntiguaDailyPhoto mean to you? What kind of themes you care about? Do you prefer entries with lots of information or just the picture and a brief caption? Do you care for music, videos and maps that accompany the photos and information? Have you had enough food images? Should I leave out all the controversial and politics out? Should I focus more or less on the people, landscape, animals, idiosyncrasies of Guatemalans? What else should I be asking?

To see how others in the City Daily Photo community have interpreted today’s theme please click here to view thumbnails for all participants around the globe.

This is the main entrance/exit for La Antigua Guatemala. A couple hundred meters ahead the road ends and the cobblestone streets begin. We can say this is the edge of La Antigua Guatemala. If you take this road in the opposite direction in about an hour you reach Guatemala City.

Since I just mentioned Guatemala City let me share with you a little secret: now we have a GuatemalaDailyPhoto.com which began today, April 1, 2011. From now on you can check AntiguaDailyPhoto.com, XelaDailyPhoto.com and GuatemalaDailyPhoto.com to get three different and unique realities for Guatemala. Enjoy!

To see how others in the City Daily Photo community have interpreted today’s theme please click here to view thumbnails for all participants around the globe.

It’s been a while since AntiguaDailyPhoto participates in the Theme day of the City Daily Photo community; since the theme bright colors on August 1, 2010 to be exact. I could not pass up on this month theme though since they have orchestrated to show the favorite part of town from 123 cities around the world.

My favorite part of town is without a doubt the Plaza Mayor, better known as Parque Central as it is evident by simply browsing the Parks category. Most of the entries in the Park category were taken at the Main Plaza of La Antigua Guatemala. I enjoy spending time at the Plaza Mayor, just sitting on a bench watching the world go by or hearing the murmurs of the fountains. Also, I take pleasure in registering all the different colors from the ever blooming flowers and plants found in Parque Central. Furthermore, I can not find a better place to have my shoes shined while having a delicious ice cream from Sarita or Pops.

Since just a few days ago I shared with you an overview of Parque Central after the rain I knew I had to come up with a totally different perspective for my favorite part of town. I believe I have done a good job, if I may say so.

Can you describe what area of the park is shown above and from where was this picture taken?

To see how others in the City Daily Photo community have interpreted today’s theme please click here to view thumbnails for all participants around the globe.

August 1 marks the opportunity to participate in the theme day of the City Daily Photo community around the world and this month’s theme is Bright colours.

La Antigua Guatemala is painted with rich, bright colors so this could have been a simple click. However, I decided I was going to participate with a more challenging image; something that wasn’t so obvious but at the same time it there couldn’t be any doubt about its merits. After a visit to Casa Santo Domingo, Antigua Guatemala’s five-star hotel and museum, I narrowed my selection to two images: a Guacamaya’s Bright Colours, which I posted yesterday and today’s bright red rose petals.

The reason I chose the close-up of bright red rose petals over the macaws brilliant colors is simple; The slogan for La Antigua Guatemala is the City of the Perpetual Roses.

This image is also going to be part of my Antigua Abstracta series, which is my attempt to capture the essence of La Antigua Guatemala by just showing fragments, extreme close-up, and abstract imagery often found around town. If you have the time, please take a peak at the images and let me know what you think of Antigua Abstracta.

To see how others in the City Daily Photo community have interpreted today’s theme please click here to view thumbnails for all participants around the globe.

Like every first of the month, today is theme day for City Daily Photo community around the world and this month’s theme is Reflections.

I decided that instead of participating with an image similar to my classic Upside Down Arches reflection or Arches Reflected on Tanque de la Unión [my photo with most copyright violations ] which involved water, I was going to show you a landmark building from La Antigua Guatemala reflected somehow. Well, here it is the Cathedral of Antigua Guatemala reflected on the window of a Volkswagen Beetle. I hope you like it!

To see how others in the City Daily Photo community have interpreted today’s theme please click here to view thumbnails for all participants around the planet.

What kind of business do you think corresponds to El Cofre sign?

Like every first of the month, today is theme day for City Daily Photo community around the world and this month’s theme is Funny signs. El Cofre sign is not necessarily funny, let’s just call it not a serious sign.

To see how others in the City Daily Photo community have interpreted today’s theme please click here to view thumbnails for all participants around the planet.

The making of sawdust carpets, alfombras de aserrín, with its vivid colors and eye-catching patterns are among the most prominent elements of the Holy Week celebrations.

The making of carpets from sawdust, pine-needles, flowers, vegetables is a community-forming tradition. People get together by block or near-by neighbors to create the carpets on which the processions will pass by. Sometimes the making of the carpets is done at night, all night so they are ready for next day’s procession. The colorful processional carpet elaboration process involves the whole family, close friends, the neighborhood and the entire community. It does not matter if it’s just grandma throwing some corozo (corozo palms) and dried purple flowers to elaborate a humble alfombra in front of her home or it is a team of members of the cuadra (the block), or if a son lends a hand to a dad to put the final touches on the brightly-colored sawdust carpet, the devotion and the do-good spirit are present everywhere you look. This is the week of the year when Guatemalans stand as one people!

Also, since Gringos are now an integral part of La Antigua Guatemala and therefore many of them participate of the preparations of the world famous alfombras de Semana Santa (Holy Week carpets) made from colorful sawdust, flowers, fruits, and anything the imagination allows.

Like many firsts of the month, AntiguaDailyPhoto is participating in the theme day of the City Daily Photo community around the world. To see how others in the City Daily Photo community have interpreted today’s theme please click here to view thumbnails for all participants around the planet.

P.S. in 30 days AntiguaDailyPhoto will be four years old. What should we do? My first thought is that’s enough… I should go on and do something else.