Today is observed the Día del Ejército (Army Day holiday) in Guatemala, and tomorrow’s the Día del empleado bancario (Guatemalan Banker’s holiday); which really all it amounts to is that the banks will be closed for two days.
Here’s your Spanish word of the day: Piscina or swimming pool. I don’t know if I notice them more now, or if there are really many more swimming pools around Antigua Guatemala. The biggest problem with the pools at this height over the sea level is how cold the water is, especially for Guatemalans who … Read more
Here’s your Guatemalan Spanish word of the day: Mishito or kitty or gatito in plain Spanish. Now, the effigy next to the mishito is Maximón, worshiped by the Maya people of Guatemala. Below, an introduction to Maximón from Wikipedia. The origins of his cult are not very well understood by outsiders to the different Mayan … Read more
Here’s your Guatemalan Spanish word of the day: Retén or check point. We are a bit slow to implement stuff in Antigua Guatemala. The law requiring motorcycle riders to wear helmets and vest with the license plate numbers on them was past last year, but in Antigua Guatemala they are just getting around to enforce … Read more
As I have mentioned before, it is impossible to think of the Guatemalan, Mexican and Mesoamerican diet without maize. From the Popul Vuh (Popol Wuj in modern spelling), the Mayan equivalent of the Bible, which states that humans were literally created from maize, to Miguel Ángel Asturias‘ novel Hombres de maíz (Men of Maize) which … Read more
To capture the amazing sky on the first sunrise of Summer in Antigua Guatemala, a super wide-angle lens, 10-22mm, was employed and set it at f3.5 for 1/100 of a second with an ISO of 100 and the help of a polarizing filter. This picture was taken before 6am, literally at sunrise and within an … Read more
This past Sunday it seemed as every village and town around Antigua Guatemala was celebrating its patron saint day. Well San Juan del Obispo and San Pedro de las Huertas were, but all other towns were celebrating Corpus Christi and confirmations. Here we see a few Maya Kaqchikel girls waiting for the confirmation mass just … Read more
A quick visit this Sunday to Santa María de Jesús, the municipality south of Antigua Guatemala and the highest community on the skirt of Volcán de Agua was very gratifying due to the friendliness of the people living there, especially so the Maya Kaqchikel, who are the majority. I say it was quick because it … Read more
Here’s your Guatemalan Spanish word of the day: “Montaña rusa” or roller coaster, although it literally means Russian Mountain. Even though the Fiestas de Santiago, Antigua Guatemala’s town fair festivities are held on July 25, the mechanical games and booths are build ahead of time. The Antigua Guatemala’s Saint James festivities are held through out … Read more
As I explained yesterday, I began the tree silhouette series even before I was even aware I was doing it. Sometimes it happens that way. Today’s picture of the silhouette of a tree a parque central was captured with the help of an 8mm fish eye lens. Often times the distortion of the fish eye … Read more
One of the things I enjoy the most about street photography is the strange things one gets to photograph. I hadn’t noticed that I am collecting tree silhouettes photographs during my photo walks. For instance, on a recent post about commuting to work, the most prominent element is a dead tree silhouette. I guess sometimes … Read more
Indian food is the latest trend in Antigua Guatemala. There are at least five or maybe six restaurants of Indian food in Antigua Guatemala. Most of them are pretty expensive, but there is one that offers Indian food at Guatemalan prices. If I recall correctly, this plate of Indian rice with chicken and naan bread … Read more
Here’s your Spanish word of the day: Catastro or Cadastre in English. Cadastre is a land registry. La Antigua Guatemala and the Departamento of Sacatepéquez are undergoing a cadastral survey by the Registro de Información Catastral, or RIC for short as part of a larger effort to build a comprehensive cadastral map or land and … Read more
In Guatemala today we celebrate Día del padre or Father’s Day. Can you believe that we still observe holidays and celebrations on the date they were created. Mother’s Day on May 10, Father’s Day on June 17, Santiago de los Caballeros on July 25 (Saint James), et cetera. As I have declared before, in Guatemala … Read more
Or rather from Santiago de Compostela to Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala reads the plaque of this monument donated by Spain to symbolize the encounter of the sides of the Atlantic ocean. By the way, this monument was located at the Parque de La Unión prior to its renovations and from there it had … Read more