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Well, believe it or not, the information about the ingredients of the magical light is available in the long and deep archives of AntiguaDailyPhoto, nearly seven years of daily entries now. Sunsets in Antigua Guatemala are very special and even more so when you watch them from roof-top cafe or bar. Sunset’s warm light falls on Antigua Guatemala’s color palette to give you such rich and wonderful spectrum that makes you wonder if these are the same walls and houses seen in the morning.

So, do you want to know what’s the magic behind the light in and around Antigua Guatemala?

Okay, there are at least several elements that work in tandem to create the magical light that you see during the sunsets of the dry season in Antigua Guatemala. These elements are: the dust blown by the cold winds from the north; the position of Earth in its orbit around the Sun gives light a special angle; the pollution created by the zafra season (zafra is the crop of sugar-cane and the making of sugar.) adds orange and red skies; last but not least, the natural limestone paints still in use in Antigua Guatemala. The lime-stone-based paints have translucent shine, similar to pearls, so that is how you get some incredible colors as light changes through the day.

La canicule terminé !

¡La canícula terminó!

The heatwave is over!

Call it what you want, but canícula even though elsewhere it is used for referring to a heatwave or the dog days, in Guatemala, or even in Central America perhaps, it’s used to mean an extended break in rainy season where we have dry days with lots heat, although the heat is not a requirement, but since we are in the Summer season, the heat is expected.

It’s the longest break of the rainy season that I have memory of, but it’s finally over and the regular heavy down pours are back. I will try my best to capture the beauty of the rainy season as well. Wish me luck.

As many of you know, I really really like the dry season because of the quality and color of its light, the cooler temperatures and because the best festivities are usually during the dry season. However, I believe that whenever you can find a glimpse of light, you can find something to photograph. In this case, I found the wonderful play of the different mountains and clouds so enchanting, with a better framing I was able to include the shirts hanging from the clothesline on the terrace, which, in my humble opinion, that’s what makes the picture interesting; don’t you agree?

We’re living the last days of the dry season and judging by the amount of clouds around the volcanoes and some of the recent rains, perhaps there will be rain during the Semana Santa (Holy Week), which is already next week. Wow, time flies now, they don’t make it like they used to.

About three years ago while doing a job with the terrible weather conditions I was able to capture this sunrise vista which is one of the few photos that saved the trip for me.

text and photo by Arturo Godoy.

Play this song before continuing:

We know now that in the early years of the twentieth century this world was being watched closely by intelligences greater than man’s, and yet as mortal as his own. We know now that as human beings busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinized and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinize the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water.

With infinite complacence people went to and fro over the earth about their little affairs, serene in the assurance of their dominion over this small, spinning fragment of solar driftwood which, by chance or design, man has inherited out of the dark mystery of Time and Space.

Yet across an immense ethereal gulf, minds that are to our minds as ours are to the beasts in the jungle, intellects vast, cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes and slowly and surely drew their plans against us.

In the ninth year of the twenty-first century came the great disillusionment. It was near the end of the first week of October. Business was better. The war scare was over. More men were back at work. Sales were picking up. On this particular evening, October 10th, CIRMA, The Center of Mesoamerican Research, estimated that at least thirty-two million people were still reading blogs instead of following short tweets in Twitter or reading profile updates in Facebook.
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For the next twenty-four hours not much change in temperature. A slight atmospheric disturbance of undetermined origin is reported over Escuintla, causing a low pressure area to move down rather rapidly over the northeastern departments, bringing a forecast of rain, accompanied by winds of light gale force. Maximum temperature 66; minimum 48.

This weather report comes to you from the INSIVUMEH, Guatemala’s National Institute of Seismology, Vulcanology, Meteorology, and Hidrology.

We take you now to the Tea Room in the Hotel Palacio de Doña Leonor in downtown Antigua Guatemala, where you’ll be entertained by the music of Astor Piazzolla and his orchestra.
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Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt our program of tango music to bring you a special bulletin from the Antigua News Tweets.

At twenty minutes before eight, central time, Professor Pascu Robredo of the Mount Finca Filadelfia Observatory, San Felipe de Jesús, La Antigua Guatemala, reports observing several explosions of incandescent gas, occurring at regular intervals over Volcán de Fuego. The spectroscope indicates the gas to be hydrogen and moving towards the city with enormous velocity.

Professor Arturo Godoy of the Observatory at Earth Lodge confirms Robredo’s observation, and describes the phenomenon as, quote, “like a jet of blue flame shot from a gun,” unquote.

We now return you to the music of Astor Piazzolla, playing for you in the Tea Room of the Hotel Palacio de Doña Leonor, situated in downtown La Antigua Guatemala.
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Ladies and gentlemen, following on the news given in our bulletin a moment ago, the INSIVUMEH has requested the large observatories of the country to keep an astronomical watch on any further disturbances occurring over Volcán de Fuego.

Due to the unusual nature of this occurrence, we have arranged an interview with a noted astronomer, Professor Manolo Romero, who will give us his views on this event. In a few moments we will take you to the Cerrito del Carmen Observatory in Guatemala City.

We return you until then to the music of Astor Piazzolla and his orchestra.
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On a date like today’s, in 1492, Two Worlds Collided and the rest is, as we say, living history! At the Revue Magazine website, you can learn Why October 12 is Not “Colón Day”.

Click the player below to listen to the original “The War of the Worlds” (October 30, 1938) radio show The Mercury Theatre on the Air as it was broadcasted. If you follow the white rabbit, you can hear and download, “The finest radio dramas of the 1930’s, The Mercury Theatre on the Air”; a show featuring the acclaimed New York drama company founded by Orson Welles and John Houseman.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

You can read the entire “The War of the Worlds” script as performed by Orson Welles here.

Original text of “The War of the Worlds” by H. G. Wells, adapted and performed by Orson Welles; fragment parody by yours truly and photo by dear friend Pascu Robredo.

Too bad MO does not come by here anymore. He would definitely appreciate a photo like today’s; full of power lines. If you don’t believe, just check his comments below any time a power-line entered the picture. MO, if you still out there in the interwebs, please come back to add your comment about the power lines.

MO says:
Great shot Rudy!! You have redeemed yourself with this shot. You have exorcised the electrical wire demons out of your camera with this superb shot. Well done.
In: Wonderful Sunset and Power Lines

MO says:
Very nice picture Rudy. I like how the left and right roof lines of the EORM building matches the natural volcano lines. I agree with John S about the darn electrical wires ruining the picture a bit.
In: Escuela Oficial Rural Mixta and the Volcanoes

MO says:
Those darn electrical wires! They they are again…getting in the way. Son tan metiches! Nisperos? Wow, all along I thought they were Misperos.
In: Nispero Tree in the Garden

MO says:
I am curious to know what’s on the left interior wall? Paintings? Wood carvings? they look like Mayan hieroglyphics. I’m 100% sure they are not electrical wires. (~:
In: Hotel Posada San Vicente Sign

Now, for sure, I would really like to know how many photos with electrical wires I have posted so far… I quite positive I could create a category for power lines. You do something often enough and eventually something good comes out of it, like in Electric Wire Grid and Volcanoes Wallpaper; don’t you agree?