La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo

Blame it on Carmen… Yes, it was Carmen who turned me onto this catchy song which is used as the soundtrack intro to Weeds. Then, thanks to Youtube I found a Spanish version of Little Boxes by Victor Jara which goes by the name of Las Casitas del Barrio Alto; boy! what a magnificent version that is.

Anyhow, what’s got Little boxes to do with today’s entry. Well, once you listen to Little boxes or Las Casitas del Barrio Alto, you’d know it is impossible to get them out of your head. In a recent trip to México over the weekend we took the new road Carretera 14 to reach the highway that takes us to Southeast México. Carretera 14 is part of the road which will circumvent La Antigua Guatemala and some of the villages. In other words, Carretera 14 is the backbone for what will be the periférico around La Antigua Guatemala. Carretera 14 is also one the most beautiful stretches of road in Guatemala. From Carretera 14 you also get this outstanding view of the little gray boxes of Ciudad Vieja.

How can 3 kilometers (2 miles) make such a difference between a gorgeously and enchanting city like La Antigua Guatemala, full of color, and the ugly square gray boxes of Ciudad Vieja?

I am sure Malvina Reynolds would have not been inspired to write Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes made of ticky-tacky, Little boxes, little boxes, Little boxes, all the same. There’s a green one and a pink one And a blue one and a yellow one. And they’re all made out of ticky-tacky… (the whole lyrics).

Sometimes you just have to ask yourself what kind of strange brew are the Canadians brewing way up north, heh. See, first they steal our bright minds; then they take our gold and buy out our postal service; they insert strange things into our antigüeño breakfast (bacon they call it); even our money is now Canadian (it reads Canadian Bank Note on the brand-new Quetzal bills); just to name a few things. In return they send salsa-dancing-craze Spanish students and the horrible and hostile weather. Come on, this is Guatemala, a tropical country in Central America, you know, the tiny land that impedes the Caribbean Island from moving over the Pacific Ocean. So what business does it have freezing-cold-ice-capping winds in La Antigua Guatemala. See, we don’t need no stinking ice-capped mountains and volcanoes in our gorgeous temperate-always-sun-shining-eternal-spring weather. Those volcanoes you see in the background are ice-capped (see larger image).

We will most definitely need stricter migration rules for all things Canadian; don’t you think so?

The Spanish-style terra cotta roof tiles and Volcán de Agua are omnipresent throughout La Antigua Guatemala. I believe this is the second time I present a photograph which includes the rooftop, Volcán de Agua and a bird. The focus was different this time around though. I wanted to show the aging patterns and the textures formed by the Spanish-style terra cotta roof tiles. This rooftop belongs to the Compañía de Jesús building.

Elsewhere in La Antigua Guatemala, there is all kinds of Independence activities, similar to what I showed you last year. Today and tomorrow will be filled with patriotic sounds coming from the many students school bands and their parades, as well as the many Independence marathons which carry the patriotic fire in their torches back to their communities and villages. I will try to get at least some different shots of the activities, if work allows it. In the meantime, you can get a feel for the festive and noisy atmosphere we live now in La Antigua Guatemala by checking the entries below.

Related Guatemalan Independence Day activities:

• Independence Day: Flags are everywhere
• Independence Day: Come on baby, light my fire
• Independence Day: Run Lola, Run
• Independence Day: What about the Peace Accords of 1996
• Independence Day: Slideshow

Last year on May 25th, I showed you hugh stacks of wood logs to be use as fuels. Back then I told you that Guatemala’s name means land of forest (check the entry for the whole story behind the etymology). This a fact that is changing very rapidly because many people cut down the trees to use as fuel for their comal stove.

Recently while reading the National Geographic en español, I learnt that not all instances of the use of wood as fuel are bad. According the article about barbecuing; wood and charcoal do indeed pollute the atmosphere with smoke and ashes, but it is a recycled-type of energy when compared to other energy sources like gas or electricity.

In La Antigua Guatemala, wood can be used as fuel as a by-product of the coffee industry. Let me explain, if you recalled the photo about Coffee bushes and Gravileas trees, you would remember that gravileas trees (the large trees on the photo) are used as shadow trees for the coffee bushes. Well, after a while the gravileas trees get to be so big and they need to be trimmed. The trimmed branches and old trees can provide the necessary wood to be used as fuel. Now if there was a system such that the trimmed gravileas trees end with the people that still use wood as fuel, we could get somewhere; don’t get me wrong some of these wood does indeed get used, but it would be much better if all the trim from the gravileas trees was used. This would prevent the cutting down of the trees on the rolling hills. These trees provide the much-needed root system which prevents landslides.

To be honest, I am not sure this is Santo Domingo Park. It is the Santo Domingo statue and it is sort of a park, so I put two and two together. If I am mistaken I sure I will be told right away by the people that know better.

Can you name the volcano in the background and give us its height?

Tomorrow we will start a series requested by Sompopo a few times. I armed myself with lots of courage and I went inside. Stay tune!

Disclosure side note: I am not a photographer, much less a good photographer. I am a cheater; that is what I am. Let me explain. As an art director for Revue and Recrearte magazines I get to see hundreds or thousands of images and photos about many places in Guatemala, including La Antigua Guatemala. So it is easy for me to see what is photographed the most and what angles most people chose. So when I go out with my camera I try to avoid all the common angles and to stay away from the most obvious shots and the most popular photos. See I take shots like today’s with that information in the back of mind and so I come through with what may seem like an original image; well, maybe it is, at least I haven’t seen it. There you have it, I have disclosed my way of approaching photography in La Antigua Guatemala.

Too bad this is the main exit street for La Antigua Guatemala if you are going to Guatemala City, also known as 4a calle oriente. If this was the main entrance, you could see the Fire and Acatenago volcanoes right above the Spanish-tile rooftops. This is the last thing you see also as you wave goodbye to La Antigua Guatemala.

I am almost sure, some of you would rather say hasta la vista, baby.

Although this image is not as elegant and clean as the one shown in Fire and Acatenango Volcanoes Wallpaper, I thought, some of you may enjoy having it as wallpaper for your desktops over the weekend. If you do, download the image (1600×1200) Electric Wire Grid and Volcanoes Wallpaper.

I don’t know why I have a fascination for this horrible electric wire grids or webs that break up into pieces, the otherwise, gorgeous sky line around La Antigua Guatemala. Well you can at least use this visual noise as wallpapers for your computer.

Have a great weekend everyone!

The house where my wife (Esperanza), our three cats (Lolita, Camilo and Tito) and I live has windows facing south and west. We prefer the view from the windows on the west side of the house because we can only see Gravilea and Coffee trees and birds, lots of them, But I thought you might find this vista a bit boring since you can not hear the singing of the birds or smell the sweet scent of the coffee trees. So, I decided to show the window and balcony view of Volcán de Agua, Water Volcano for you. Volcán de Agua appears in many of the photographs with a south view of town. Check the Volcanoes category for more photos or the entry Fire and Acatenango Volcanoes Wallpaper where you can consult a Google satellite map of Southern Guatemala and look at the relationship of La Antigua Guatemala and its volcanoes. I know this view could also be considered uninteresting since there are not many things going on, unlike Volcán de Fuego (Fire Volcano), but we prefer it that way. Wouldn’t you?

Over 85 Daily Photo City sites are participating in the June 1st Theme Day: The View from the Bedroom Window, please use the links below to visit them.

Due to time zone differences and other factors, the theme photo may not be displayed until later if you are viewing early in the day.

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Tags: Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / arches / fountain / Compañía de Jesús building

El Calvario Church, located to the south of La Antigua Guatemala, is another famous landmark, yet it only took me 290 entries and over 350 photos to show it to you. There are many reason to the fame of La iglesia de El Calvario, but three I will mention here. First and foremost is its relevance to the processions of Holy Week in Guatemala. Being El Calvario Church the last Station of the Cross, thus the place for the culmination of the Holy Week celebrations, which lasts over 40 days long. Second is the fact that in its garden was planted the Esquisúchil tree 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.

Can you tell me the name of the volcano that can be seen in the background? Check the last two days entries for a hint (January 16th, 17th) or the photos in the Volcanoes category.

Today’s entry is number 290 so far and we will begin a countdown to post 300th. Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo has received 94,390 visits and I am going to need your help to reach the 100,000 landmark visit before or on the 300th entry. Please, send the link of this site everyday to your friends and family for the next ten days and explain to them what we are trying to achieve. I will send the best ten photos (4″x6″) of this site to the person that makes the first comment after the 100,000 visit. Pamela’s comment is number 4,384 on my last revision of the site. I thank you all for your wonderful comments and feedback so far. By the way, the Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo opened its door on May 1st, 2006.

Volcán de Fuego (”Volcano of Fire”) is an active stratovolcano in Guatemala. It is close to the city of Antigua Guatemala. It has erupted frequently since the Spanish conquest. “Fuego” is famous for being almost constantly active at a low level. Smoke issues from its top daily, but larger eruptions are rare. The last eruption occurred in 2006. The volcano is joined with Acatenango and collectively the complex is known as La Horqueta. (Source: Wikipedia)

I like the graphic, almost an illustration, feel of this photograph. Also, it lends itself as a wallpaper for your desktop PC, Mac or Linux workstation with its clean lines.

To download the image as wallpaper, all you need to do is click the photo above and you will be taken to a larger-size image that you can download. The rest depends on the operating system you use.

Since the volcanoes Agua, Fuego and Acatenango show up often in the background of many of the photos I present here, I decided to give you a satellite view of the volcanoes and their close relationship to La Antigua Guatemala. Below you will find a screen capture of Google Maps that shows the volcanoes. Click this link to go to Google Maps and zoom in even further into the volcanoes or even Antigua Guatemala.

I hope you enjoy this particular view of Southern Guatemala. Don’t forget to click on the image below to get a larger version so you can read the call outs.

This photo is for the benefit of Lessie and others who have commented about the mountains in the background in some of the recent photos. Actually, the mountain is Volcán de Agua or Water Volcano and it can be seen on many of the photos that have south perspective. Volcán de Agua towers 3,760 meters above the sea level to the South of La Antigua Guatemala.

One of these days I will get around to tell you the story behind Volcán de Agua and Volcán de Fuego, which are somehow involved with the genesis of the world. The name of the Water volcano in Maya is Hunapú.

This photo is also dedicated to all the people who are in need of a little sunshine. We are in the middle of winter now, but temperatures are around mid 20°C/70°F. To me, this is the best time of the year in Guatemala.

LD talks about the differences in public transit between Toronto and Guatemala on her entry about Problem solved?. It is a bit unfair to compare the rural bus system in Guatemala, the country, with the modern transit system of Toronto, the city, but she manages to do a very interesting comparison of not only the vehicles, but the bus rides and the people who use them. LD’s entry is a very good read and since she writes so fluently, colorfully and intelligently; it is so difficult not to come back to her blog in a regular basis.

I talked about the public transportation system in Guatemala myself, back in August 1st, 2006 and then I said that the chicken buses make for great post cards and travel chronicles, but they do not make for a safe or good transportation system. Follow this link to see an interesting shot of the a chicken bus or here to see other photos of chicken buses I taken so far. LD, shame on you, how come you did “lift off” my photos, which have a Creative Commons license for you to use as a Share Alike site.

The best time of the year to visit La Antigua Guatemala, or Central America for the matter, is now. The months of November through February are the coolest—in some places even as low as under 0° C/32° F (and even Canadians complain)—; there is no rain or very little downfall; there are all kinds cultural and traditional activities and celebrations; and the light is the best.

Here you can see the sunset on Saturday 18th at the Jamtigua International Music Festival, with Volcán de Agua (Water volcano photos) in the background, as well as Guatemala’s ever-present beer company. As the frame, I am using one of Pancho Burga’s metal sculptures made from recycled metal scraps. Here is a link to check other works by Pancho Burga.

Very Interesting Reading:
Thanks to El Blog Diablógico I learned that Xeni Jardin, BoingBoing co-editor has been trekking through Guatemala and posting her impressions on her online travel log. Not often are we so lucky to have a professional writer, journalist and blogger publish a detail-rich travelog about Guatemala and her coverage of recent events, including an earthquake. After reading a dozen or so entries on her journal, I just come to realize that my attempts at documenting life in Antigua Guatemala are at best childish and plain basic. If you really interested in getting a feeling for what is like to live in Guatemala, I recommend that you read her travel reports. I leave you with a small sampling of her recent entries:

1. Guatemala: Menchú forms indigenous political party
2. Guatemala: veladoras (video clip)
3. Guatemala: Terremoto [Ed. Earthquake]
4. Guatemala: snapshot studies in Petén
5. Guatemala: Medical aid for Mayan communities near Lake Atitlán
6. Guatemala: Film - Killer’s Paradise
7. Guatemala: Film - Estrellas de la Línea
8. Guatemala: some headlines in news here this week
9. Guatemala: thousands of women protest wave of “femicides”
10. Guatemala: Haciendo tortillas (video clip)
11. Guatemala: 15 die in marketplace fire

It is Sunday and I figure, a nice mellow and tranquil image might be the recipe for a slow day. I want to thank my friend Daniel Chang, a professional photographer, for pointing out this photo. He said, “look the sky mimics the volcano; there you have a photo for the Antigua DP.” The volcano is Volcán de Agua, which is to the South of the city.

Antigua’s backstreets, originally uploaded by rudygiron.

If you find yourself on the outskirts of Antigua, for sure you will be next to a coffee plantation. Here I am at only two blocks behind the market and you can already see a coffee parcel (on the right). Volcán de Agua, Water Volcano towers at 3,760 meters on the background and it is the only compass that you need as you walk around the city; it is to the south of the Antigua.

A visitor asked me to post a picture of Water Volcano and why is called that. Well, I promise I am going to post this week some photos about the volcanoes around Antigua and their different names and history. I have not done it yet because I need all the supporting documentation, but let me give you a teaser. Two of the three volcanoes have to do with the genesis of the universe.