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Sure, often I bring you mundane vistas or things like signs, street stamps and whatnot. This is after all, a website that promise to deliver quotidian vistas from Antigua Guatemala every day. So there, that’s my card blanche to bring you images like today’s; a few people waiting for the bus at the cross roads with Volcán de Agua looming in the background. One more thing to notice in this humble picture is the construction materials on the soon to be a residential gated community. Construction never really stops in Antigua Guatemala.

This is what the natural drain canals for Volcán de Agua look like once the rainy season is under way and the volcano becomes a huge funnel capturing so much of the downpour. No wonder Volcán de Agua (Water Volcano) has agua part of its name. I promise I will come back to take a similar picture once we get more rain so you can see the difference.

I just love it when photographs walk or ride into my viewfinder. Better yet, when they even call on me to take their photograph. This was the case for the picture above as I was composing the shot to include the fountain to one side, the Agua volcano between the trees, enough red floor tiles and skyline when these two kids rode into my viewfinder and asked to take their photo instead. Well, I must say I comply without reframing so I was able to improve my photograph by factor of a thousand if not more. Of course, many of you already know that this is one my techniques, I compose what I believe to be an interesting frame or backdrop and then wait for someone or something alive to complete the photograph. Here are two examples of this technique: Take My Photo or Simple Rainy Season Vista and Monk in San Francisco El Grande Church.

By the way, do you know where was this photograph taken?

It’s good to see the natural drains for Volcán de Agua sort of clean since the rainy season will soon begin discharging enormous amounts of water all around Guatemala and Water Volcano is a natural formation that accumulates lots of water, thus its name, and often the excess water runs down the natural drain channels. When these drains are blocked, we end up with lahars and lots of destruction in San Miguel Escobar and Ciudad Vieja.

Honest, what’s not to like about the dry season? Clear skies, crisp and cool temperatures and the most enchanting light are the norm during the dry season. If you haven’t been to Guatemala during the dry season, you have been missing the best possible Guatemala. You’ve gotta fix that!

El Cristo Negro de Esquipulas aside: Every year, On January 15th, thousands of pilgrims from Guatemala, the United States, Europe and other Central American countries flock to pay homage to the dark wooden image of the crucified Christ, the most revered Catholic shrine in Esquipulas, the spiritual center of Central America. The image of the Black Christ dates back to March 9, 1595, when the Portuguese sculptor Quirio Cataño presented it to the mayor of the city. (source: Wikipediag.org)

Did you know that Quirio Cataño lived in Antigua Guatemala when he was commissioned the Black Christ sculpture? If not, read Quirio Cataño, Sculptor of the Black Christ of Esquipulas on the archives.

Believe it or not, in Antigua Guatemala we can sense the dry season is approaching. Take the picture above for instance, it was taken after we had some rain. In my Diarios del Móvil (Mobile Dairy) I commented that I can smell the end of the rainy season in Antigua Guatemala and some people in Facebook began asking how do I know.

Well, I believe that one important factor are the winds blowing from the north which are cold and have a different smell. The winds I believe push the clouds away and clean the sky line. Another important detail is the position of Earth around the Sun which makes for a magical light that makes everything even more enchanting. That’s how we know.

If you have never visited Antigua Guatemala during the dry season (November through April) you’re missing out the best of what Antigua Guatemala. If I was you, I would start looking for inexpensive flight tickets right away.

The colossal volcano that stands to the south of Antigua Guatemala is known at present as Volcán de Agua, but before it was known as Hunajpú (yes, there many spellings). Hunahpú is the twin brother of Ixbalanqué as told in the Popol Vuh, sort of the Mayan Bible, the two Maya hero twins. If you have not read the Popul Vuh yet, you’re missing out on a great book, sacred as the Bible for many.

The Maya Hero Twins are the central figures of a narrative included within the colonial Quiché document called Popol Vuh (Book of the People), and constituting the oldest Maya myth to have been preserved in its entirety. Called Hunahpu and Xbalanque in Quiché, the Twins have also been identified in the art of the Classic Mayas (200-900 AD). The Twin motif recurs in many native American mythologies; the Mayan Twins in particular could be considered as mythical ancestors to the Mayan ruling lineages…

… With Xibalba defeated and the arrogant gods disposed of, Hunahpu and Xbalanque had one final act to accomplish. They returned to the Xibalban ballcourt and retrieved the buried remains of their father, One Hunahpu, and attempted to rebuild him. Although his body was made whole again he was not the same, and was unable to function as he once did. The twins left their father there in the ballcourt, but before doing so told him that he would be prayed to by those who sought hope, and this eased his heart.
Then finished, the pair departed Xibalba and climbed back up to the surface of the Earth. They did not stop there, however, and continued climbing straight on up into the sky. One became the Sun, the other became the Moon. (…continue reading at Wikipedia)