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Whoever came up with the idea of pairing the omnipresent bucaro fountain and a vertical garden is pure genius. Imagine a vertical garden everywhere in Antigua Guatemala where there’s a bucaro fountain. I don’t want to imagine it, I want to see it. By the way, this vertical garden is found inside the premises of La Estancia restaurant, right across from the Compañía de Jesús building complex.

A búcaro fountain is half fountain normally embedded in a wall, normally near an inside patio, but it can be anywhere. I’ve photographed búcaro fountains for a while now and there are plenty of designs in the archives of Antigua Guatemala. Here’s a short list of some of the búcaro fountains found in the archives:

1. Casa Antigüeña: The Búcaro
2. Colonial Búcaro Fountain
3. Corner Búcaro Fountain
4. What in the World is a Búcaro?
5. The búcaro inside the Burger King restaurant

Guatemala on the news Aside: The Big Picture of The Boston Globe published a photographic essay entitled Dangerous work: “The Mine” in Guatemala City where Associated Press photographer Rodrigo Abd documented how every day, dozens of residents salvage a living by scouring the massive dump for scrap metal. Facing the threat of mudslides, collapses, and disease, they can potentially earn twice the daily minimum wage. Also, closer to home, The world famous Carrera de las Charolas of La Antigua Guatemala appeared in the Framework section of Los Angeles Times, where each week Los Angeles Times compiles the very best in visual journalism.

This is wider view of the patio (courtyard really), garden and fountain shown in Skyping from the Garden published last month. As mentioned before, patios, garden and fountains are architectonic elements often in the typical Casa Antigüeña. By the way, if you want to look and learn about all the different elements often found in the Spanish colonial architecture from Antigua Guatemala, follow the white rabbit to the Casa Antigüeña series.

Esta es una vista más abierta del patio, jardín y fuente que aparecieron en Skyping from the Garden publicado el mes pasado. Como lo hemos mencionado antes, patios, jardines y fuentes son elementos arquitectónicos encontrados con frecuencia en la típica Casa Antigüeña. Por cierto, si quieren ver y aprender sobre los diferentes elementos encontrados en la arquitectura colonial española de La Antigua Guatemala, sigan la liebre hacia la serie Casa Antigüeña.

According to Foursquare, I hold more mayorships than anyone in La Antigua Guatemala, including the current elected Mayor, Dr. Vivar.

So, I believe I should be able to change the official slogan of the city from Ciudad de las perpetuas rosas (City of the perpetual roses) to Ciudad de las fuentes (City of fountains); don’t you agree? Just take a look at the Fountains and Gardens category to get a sampling of the many fountains found through out the city.

New Blog and Twitter presence of Municipalidad de La Antigua Guatemala Aside: Finally the Municipalidad de La Antigua Guatemala is sporting new presence in Twitter as well as a new website. If you are in Twitter you can follow @MunideAntigua for all the latest official buzz.

Now, the new web site found at MunicipalidadAntiguaGuatemala.com leaves much to be desired. The new web site is poorly executed, with awkward navigation, horrible animations, partially translated into Spanish menus and a poor structure all around. There is no English version of the website to better serve its foreign community. In my humble opinion, the new web site is almost as bad as the one it replaces.

Of course, the Twitter page has not even been modified to make it look like the official presence of La Antigua Guatemala Municipal government.

I believe that beyond the Twitter presence, the Municipalidad would serve better its citizens if they had a page in Facebook. If the Municipalidad intended to have a social media presence, they are lacking some of basic social media networks.

Furthermore, it’s my professional opinion that the Municipalidad de La Antigua Guatemala was poorly advised regarding its web site, its Twitter account, its new domain, et cetera.

Yes, even the new domain is the wrong choice. Instead of having a FREE or inexpensive .GOB.GT domain they have a U.S. commercial domain. Instead of having something simple as AntiguaGuatemala.gob.gt they have this cumbersome municipalidadantiguaguatemala.com business domain.

Nevertheless, I welcome the new steps the Municipalidad is taken to have a better web presence and communication with its citizens and the world. I just hope next time they hire someone with sufficient experience and knowledge to give them the website and presence that will benefit its citizens the most.

I believe this is the third or fourth time I shown you a búcaro fountain. Can you tell us now what exactly is a búcaro fountain and how many búcaro fountain photos have been shown so far?

I can remember everything about this Antigua moment except exactly where it is. All the recent discussion about water reminded me of this place.

We had been following Holy Week Processions, walking for hours or pressed into dense crowds standing under the mid-day sun inhaling dust from parched roads and the time worn pavements. Our heads were throbbing from the heady mixture of heat, sound and an intense alchemy of perfumes rising from the street—pine needles, flowery corozo palms, fruit, sawdust, and of course incense—now forever linked in my mind, with the colour purple. Tired and our senses over-stimulated by the days intensity we stepped through a doorway and into this —an Oasis of coolness and calm. It was like plunging into a deep pool of liquid shadow, and we immediately inhaled its green watery atmosphere with a deep intake of breath. A little bird had also found its way here, drinking and splashing in the fountain with evident delight, creating a perfect image of that moment.

text and photo by Michele Woodey.

Several times people have asked to show the inside of a house from La Antigua Guatemala and I had said that I would show as many aspects of casa antigüeña (House from Antigua) if I was ever given permission. Well, we can rejoice now because we’re going to begin a tour through the inside of a casa antigüeña.

Back in June 6th, 2007 this is what I wrote:

Normally I have only shown the façade of many houses and building in La Antigua Guatemala for an obvious reason: I do not have access to the inside. Well, some of you may ask, what is on the other side of the wall? For sure there is no easy answer, but there are some common aspects of the architecture of Antigua Guatemala. Most of the time Antiguan architecture dictates to have a simple façade to the outside with only doors and windows showing, but this simplicity shown on the outside is completely abandon for the inside where you can find gardens, patios, fountains, half fountain, búcaro fountains, pergolas, cobblestone patios or ceramic tiles, metal and/or wooden doors and crates, forged-metal railings, copulas for air, light or as chimney for the kitchens or living rooms. The real beauty of house in Antigua Guatemala is in the inside. Too bad I can not show you the inside of many houses around Antigua. Nonetheless, I will show as many aspects of house when I am given permission. For now enjoy a peek at the other side of the wall.

We will begin this new casa antigüeña series with the búcaro fountain since we still have its definition fresh in our memory.