Let the nine days of posadas navideñas begin. Since this morning, December 15th, there have been sightings of Joseph and Mary’s quest for shelter around the streets of Antigua Guatemala. María and José have been walking around Antigua Guatemala, knocking on people’s doors to ask for posada. Our eye-witness photo-reporter has been able to gather … Read more
The Christmas season in Antigua Guatemala begins with a cleansing pyromaniac ritual by burning the devil which represent all the negative feelings and vibes. As it happens every year, the creators of the Quema del Diablo, Burning of the Devil, in Barrio La Conception, take advantage of the burning by also making a political statement … Read more
This week will have a mini series on Nacimientos, Nativity scenes, a Guatemalan tradition that goes hand in hand with Posadas, the enactment of the search for shelter of Joseph and Mary right before Christmas.
As part of the First Antigua Estelar Festival we were treated to a night of music recital, theater, plays, astrology talks, body painting, light painting and telescopes to see the stars at Parque Central and Calle del Arco. The cello recital in front of Real Palacio de los Capitanes was one of my favorites. November … Read more
It is quite common in Mesoamerica to bring live music to the graveyards to serenade the dead loved ones. That’s exactly why this small Mayan mariachi band is walking through the graveyard; they were hired to play sorrowful music related to death. Of course, the music is also heartfelt by the living around the tombstone.
After spending a week at the emergency room of the IGSS hospital, the Devil is back a few broken bones, but ready for the Quema del Diablo this December 7th. He was vandalized by a couple unknown hombres malos the night of November 29th and was taken to the emergency room right away. Not in … Read more
I came across celebrations for “Día Internacional de los Pueblos Indígenas” in and around Antigua Guatemala. Here’s a peak view of one of the activities for Native Peoples International Day in San Pedro Las Huertas. There was also a Festival del Maíz or Maize Festival.
Last Tuesday the renown quintet QuinTango and Sonidos Para La Vida, an organisation with young musicians, offered a free concert at the atrium of Iglesia La Merced. QuinTango is a classical musical quintet that performs and promotes tango music all over the world. There’s a video below that explains more about them and shows some … Read more
This past Thursday Casa Popenoe, immortalised by Louis Adamic in his book “The House in Antigua”, treated several dozen guests to two talks about Wilson Popenoe and an exhibit of avocado paintings by Irma de Luján as part of The Avocado Festival. The conference “Convirtiéndose en Wilson Popenoe: ¿cómo la expedición a Guatemala dio forma … Read more
El hombre propone, Dios dispone y El Diablo lo descompone. What better way to caption these portraits of strangers at the Burning of the Devil festivity in La Antigua Guatemalan than with this famous saying that roughly translates as “Man proposes, God disposes, and the Devil counterposes.” Let me explain. See a Russian couple and … Read more
At lunch time one can find stands of food vendors pop up at street corners or around parks in Antigua Guatemala. These street food vendors usually cater to other vendors working on the streets. The daily menu can go from Q10/$1.25 to Q25/$3 depending in what one orders. Most lunches sell for around Q15/$2 and … Read more
This devilish woman from Ciudad Vieja had just finish her participation in the dance-drama called “Danza de la legión de los 24 diablos” or “Dance of the legion of 24 Devils” during the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception celebrations in Ciudad Vieja, the town located about 3 miles south-west from Antigua Guatemala, this past Monday, … Read more
If tortillerías serve freshly made tortillas los tres tiempos, three times a day, panaderías, bakeries, offer freshly made bread twice a day, in the morning and in the afternoon. The typical hours for panaderías are 6am to 9am and 4pm to 8pm. I guess in Guatemala we like our tortillas and bread as freshly made … Read more
In Guatemala, Maximón is celebrated on October 28 by those who worship the Maya saint, also known as San Simón. Today, I am sharing with you the Maximón effigy found at the Cerro San Cristóbal restaurant in the village of San Cristóbal El Alto, a great new venue with amazing views of the Panchoy Valley. … Read more
I believe that the tienda or tiendita, the typical convenience store, is another Guatemalan institution. What’s the item you must often buy at your favourite tienda in Guatemala?