Colonial Washbasins from Guatemala

The venerable colonial pila from Guatemala is often in my focus, don’t you agree?

Now, if you can tell exactly how many pilas, washbasins, have appeared in AntiguaDailyPhoto since May 1, 2006, I will mail you a post card made from the washbasin photo you choose. Good luck to all players!

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6 Responses to "Colonial Washbasins from Guatemala"

Janna Rudler says:
February 1, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Rudy, the washbasin pictures are some of my favorites! As you mentioned in one of your older posts, the public washbasins serve an important social function as women gather to do their laundry & catch up on the latest news (& gossip). So many household chores, from making tamales to sewing/weaving, to washing clothes, have traditionally been social activities for women. As with a lot of modern household conveniences, having one’s own washing machine may make life easier, but society suffers when women become more isolated in their work.
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Manolo says:
February 1, 2010 at 7:22 pm
So, there have been 13 posts about “pilas” (…cual es la piiilaaa). @Janna, maybe the laundromat has become the North American version of the public tanque. Once you have the “power” (read $) to wash your clothes at home you stop relating with others at that level. Same difference, don’t you think?
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Erin Deleon-Ahumada says:
February 1, 2010 at 9:12 pm
Well, I found 13 posts showing a total of 17 photos related to 5 different places: Ciudad Vieja, Tanque La Union, Tanque San Pedro las Huertas, Mc Cafe, Don Eduardo. I think I did my homework!
By the way, thanks to this exercise I discover some photos I had missed. It turned out a good exercise!
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Rudy Girón says:
February 3, 2010 at 9:42 am
@Manolo & @Erin, thanks for coming up with how many entries and how many photos of pilas have appeared in AntiguaDailyPhoto. Please, send me your mailing address so I can mail the post cards. 😉
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Glennis says:
February 3, 2010 at 3:15 pm
Amazing that so many public wash basins should be all together, people must like washing together. Not for me, I like a bit of privacy when bathing. Interesting photo.
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Sarita says:
June 28, 2023 at 6:48 am
I just moved to Guatemala not far from Antigua. I would love to buy a vintage pila for my tiny house. I love the old ones I see with simple flowers or patterns and worn out color in the humble homes of my friends, moms, and grandmas here
Can anyone tell me the best way to purchase one?
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Colonial Washbasins from Guatemala

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