Wooden Angels, Archangels and Saints
We continue with the repetition theme. The Guatemalan Catholic iconography is rich in colors and shapes, like everything else in Guatemala. In …
Saints for Sale – Countdown to One Year Anniversary
Many artisans come to La Antigua Guatemala to sell their crafts. The streets are for anyone who wants to sell, just watch …
The Black Christ of Esquipulas was carved in Antigua
As I have mentioned before, every year, on 15th of January, thousands of pilgrims from Guatemala, the United States, Europe, Mexico and …
Catholic Decorations: Angel
Angels are, of course, the most often found catholic imagery decoration found in La Antigua Guatemala. The wooden angel above can be …
The Economics of the Holy Week
As Semana Santa, the Holy Week before Easter, approaches, the historic colonial town of Antigua sees almost daily processions. These processions include …
Quirio Cataño, Sculptor of the Black Christ of Esquipulas
Every year, On January 15th, thousands of pilgrims from Guatemala, the United States, Europe and other Central American countries flock to pay …
Guateflora: Cactus Pot
Believe it or not, the land around La Antigua Guatemala was a very ‘fertile’ arid zone before the introduction of the coffee bush as a crop in 1875. I know fertile and arid sound like two mutually exclusive words, but they were not in Guatemala before 18th century where the Nopal and Maguey cactuses were grown in plantations. I’ve even seen photographs of the nopal plantations around La Antigua Guatemala in the CIRMA Fototeca (The Photo Archives at The Center for Mesoamerican Research).