Sunday stroll with the family

You may remember this red wall from the Pick your color #1 entry. These are some of adjectives our visitors use for this wall: It’s warm and an old color, red is more passionate—alive, red is like blood, rojo sangre de toro, et-cetera (you can read all the comments by clicking the link Pick your … Read more

Historic Mother’s Day in Guatemala

First of all, I want to wish a Happy Guatemalan Mother’s Day to all the moms in my family and the world, and especially so to my very own dear mother. I love you mom! This afternoon, my motherland was given the best gift ever; a taste of justice, and not just any justice, but … Read more

Drummer and Chirimilla Flute Player in Antigua Guatemala

Drummer and Chirimilla Flute Player in Antigua Guatemala by Rudy Giron

The haunting Mayan sounds of the chirimilla flute and drums can still be heard at most religious and public events. Unfortunately, while talking with the musicians, I learned that one the chirimilla flute retires no one in his family or descendants will continue his legacy. I believe this is repeating with many indigenous Mayan families … Read more

Virgen de Guadalupe Celebrations in Antigua Guatemala

In La Antigua Guatemala, religious celebrations draw together all kinds of heterogeneous people and the feast day of Virgen de Guadalupe is no exception. On December 12 celebrations of La Virgen de Guadalupe, Our Lady of Guadalupe, you can find gringa moms, indigenous mamás, ladino madres and white mamás all taking their children dressed with … Read more

Pick Your Poison

Just how daring are you? There are two zipline circuits offered by Antigua Canopy Tours. The first is Forest Express: six distinct zipline “flights” that send you plunging from platforms into tunnels of canopy foliage in spurts that last anywhere from 50 up to 220 meters in length. Each track is positioned at varying heights, … Read more

Reuniting the Living with the Dead

Ignacio Ochoa has published a recent article about the history of kite making in Santiago Sacatepéquez under the name of Messenges in the Wind. Below the first paragraph of this wonderful article: On November 1 and 2, a powerful force stirs in all the towns of Guatemala. Traditional markets are filled with flowers of sempa … Read more

Virgin of Guadalupe Celebrations in La Antigua Guatemala

In La Antigua Guatemala, religious celebrations draw together all kinds of heterogeneous people and the feast day of Virgin of Guadalupe is no exception. In the day of La Virgen de Guadalupe, Our Lady of Guadalupe, you can find gringa mamas, indigenous mamas, ladino mamas and white mamas all taking their children dressed with indigenous clothes to visit the altar of La Virgen Morena. In many cases you have grandmas and the whole family taking part of the visit to Virgin of Guadalupe inside Iglesia de la Merced.