Month: December 2010

AntiguaDailyPhoto’s Top 12 of 2010

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12. Colorful Guatemalan Balls, 11. Cathedral Spot Lights Zooming, 10. Sunday Mornings Begin with Coffee and Online Newspapers, 09. The Ages of Coffee, 08. Vive tu vida y deja vivir, 07. Antigua’s Bright Red, 06. Antigua Fragments, 05. Typical Guatemalan Breakfast, 04. A Colonial Church Within My Fingers, 03. The Cucurucho and The Photographer, 02. … Read more

Meet Pinar Istek from XelaDailyPhoto

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Meet Pinar Istek, the photojournalist behind XelaDailyPhoto.com with her omnipresent Cabro beer; her favorite from Guatemala she claims in An irresistible fact from Xela. It was at this meeting that the idea to create a DailyPhoto for Xelajú was conceived. I am very grateful for the fabulous work being produced by Pinar Istek, Josh Bachman … Read more

Colonial-style Marketing Gimmicks

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Casa Escobar resturant is known for having people dress up like colonial-times Spaniards to cry out the specials and menu options to passers-by pedestrian. Sometimes the “Spaniards” pass out flyers at the main entrance of La Antigua Guatemala. In the picture above, the Spaniards were announcing the end of the year party at Calle del … Read more

Guatemalan Cotton Candy

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Algodones are another very popular Christmas comfort candy found in town fair, church atriums and around plazas and parks. Algodón is the word we use in Guatemala for cotton candy or candyfloss; algodones in plural. Since I was wondering for how long cotton candy has been a tradition in the Guatemalan fairgrounds I did a … Read more

The Giant Guatemalan Tamales from Oriente

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Believe it or not, not all the Guatemalan tamales are created equal. Some tamales are bigger than others. This is a self-evident truth; don’t you agree? In Guatemala alone, there must be 100 different kinds of tamales if not more. Tamales are an ancient American food, made throughout the continent for over 5000 years. How … Read more

Guatemalan Christmas Kitsch

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The market in Antigua was a bit mad last night. There’s a whole little enclave of Xmas kitsch at the rear that I’ve never witnessed before: flashing lights, coloured sawdust, statues of magi bearing frankincense, ovejas de tusa, pine needles etc. Of course I’d left my camera behind. Might go back this evening after picking … Read more

Guatemala Is A Pyromaniac’s Hell

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Guatemalan Fireworks Booth

Guatemala’s a pyromaniac hell or paradise, what is it?

I remember reading earlier this year a tweet from Xeni Jardin, one of BoingBoing’s editors, that she was not impressed with the 4th of July fireworks display in unknown city in the U.S. because after having witnessed the non-stop burning of firecrackers, fireworks and every piece of a pyromaniac’s fetish in Central America she was spoiled.

I say that you have live it to believe Xeni’s declaration. In the meantime, I share with you two video clips of the fireworks burnt in one section of Guatemala. Remember, to get an idea of the magnitude of the burning of the fireworks, you have to multiply by 360° in every street of every colonia, village, town and city in Guatemala. So, if you decide to witness the burning of firecrackers and fireworks in Guatemala, make sure you bring earplugs; these are not included. 😉

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Feliz Noche Buena

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Feliz Noche Buena by Rudy Giron

Merry Christmas Eve!

In Guatemala, Christmas Eve is as important as Christmas. People stay up all night waiting for midnight to have tamales with the family and to open up their presents underneath the Christmas tree. People also burn many different types of firecrackers and fireworks. Kids run around the neighborhood given hugs and wishing a Merry Christmas. Right at midnight people burn so many firecrackers and fireworks that you might think it is the third world war.

Also, by midnight baby Jesus is placed in the nacimiento (Nativity scene) and religious people go to church for the Christmas mass service.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and I thank you for visiting AntiguaDailyPhoto and for your wonderful feedback and comments thus far.

My friend Christian “@cvander” shared this video of marimba Christmas music medley: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & Jingle Bells. Enjoy!

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Poinsettias Everywhere

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In Guatemala poinsettias are known as Flor de Pascua, Flor de Noche Buena or simply Pascuas. Poinsettias are native to Guatemala and Mesoamerica and in general can be found in the wild or in gardens as undocumented aliens. Poinsettias or Flor de Pascua are in full bloom in The Land of the Eternal Spring for … Read more

Scenes From The Upcoming Film “Polvo”

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There’s never a dull moment in La Antigua Guatemala. Let me explain. The other day as I am driving back home, I stop because I heard a commotion, similar to a riot, except I knew it was not real because I saw the telescopic mic way up high. Also, there were police and firemen on … Read more

Colorful Guatemalan Balls And Full Lunar Eclipse

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Colorful Guatemalan Balls by Rudy Girón

These plastic balls are the most popular and thus the most often seen balls in Guatemala. They are very inexpensive and very disposable, sometimes only lasting one chamusca game. Chamusca is the Guatemalan-Spanish word for an informal football match. Often, all you need is a few friends, a dirt field and a colorful fútbol ball to build life-long relationships. Of course, these plastic balls are very dear to us since they are part of what defines us; they are part of our treasured memories.

As a photographer I was very excited when I saw these colorful balls hanging from the ceiling a shop recently. You know how much a love color and repetition.

I also love ephemerides and this morning we had the opportunity to witness one ephemerides which only happen every 486 years. That’s is a full Moon eclipse during the Winter solstice, which makes the longest night of the year even darker during the duration of the eclipse. I took some photos of the eclipse, but I did not stay out for the duration of it. However, my dear friend Nelo did and he’s sharing his photos of the full Moon eclipse sequence as seen from La Antigua Guatemala.

So here I am sharing a slide show about another ball, a different kind of round ball, one we can all identify with: The Moon.

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Behind the scenes of a commercial shooting

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Behind the scenes of a commercial filming 1 by Rudy Girón

Just yesterday I was mentioning how La Antigua Guatemala is often used as a backdrop for films, concerts, paintings, photos, festivals, religious rituals, and weddings. I forgot to mentioned that is often used a commercial studio set as well.

These pictures and video clip were taken during the shooting a national brand of popsicles at one of the corners of la Plaza Mayor (Main Plaza) during a chilly and windy morning. I felt sorry for the kids who were only wearing light t-shirts while I was wearing a warm jacket; the kids, however, were only interested in the popsicles and doing as many takes as possible since only then they got a chance to lick the popsicles.

Behind the scenes of a commercial filming 2 by Rudy Girón Behind the scenes of a commercial filming 3

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Antigua’s Wedding Season Is Here

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The dry season could also be called the wedding season since it is the time of the year when La Antigua Guatemala becomes a wonderful wedding destination. During the dry season often, very often, you see couples, locals and foreigners, getting married in one of the churches. As I have mentioned before, La Antigua Guatemala … Read more

New Look of Palacio de Los Capitanes

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After two and half years and Q16 millions/$2 millions spent in renovations Palacio de Los Capitanes has finally opened again. The new façade is painted with yellow and white paint. According to an article in Prensa Libre, CNPAG, the entity in charge of restoring and protecting La Antigua Guatemala, also removed 15 tons of extra … Read more

Black Pupusas Now Available in Antigua

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Pupusas are better known in Guatemala as tortilla con chicharrón or tortilla con queso, et cetera. I called them Mayan pizzas. Pupusas is a name inherited from El Salvador to a dish which can be found in the Southeast Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and quite possibly all the countries in Central America under various … Read more