Anyone who has spent Christmas and/or New Year in Guatemala can agree Guatemalans are bunch of pyromaniacs. Even Boing Boing editor Xeni Jardin had this to say to a guy asking why she wasn’t paying attention to the fireworks on 4th of July in the U.S. Xeni Jardin: Guy in café last night: Why aren’t … Read more
Since the night of December 15, there have been sightings of Joseph and Mary’s quest for shelter around the streets of La Antigua Guatemala. María and José are walking around Antigua Guatemala, knocking on people’s doors to ask for posada. Our eye witness reporter has been able to gather the following information regarding the quest … Read more
The other day I had the opportunity to make a couple of photos of the Nativity scene enactment or Nacimiento as people call them in Antigua Guatemala. If you don’t know what Nacimientos are, read on what I published at Nacimiento Shrine Niche at Capilla de Belén. By the way, the girl in the middle … Read more
With the Feast for the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, antigüeños begin putting up their Nacimientos (Nativity Scenes); a tradition that was brought to Guatemala by Santo Hermano Pedro de Betancourt and then spread to the rest of America (the continent). One important aspect of nacimientos is that baby Jesus should be … Read more
Cucurrucucú, cucurrucucú, Cucurrucucú, cucurrucucú, cucurrucucú, paloma, ya no le llores… Here are the lyrics for “Cucurrucucú paloma” in Spanish. Enjoy the English translation for this famous song below. Dicen que por las noches no más se le iba en puro llorar; dicen que no comía, no más se le iba en puro tomar. Juran que … Read more
On December 7 at 6pm the burning the devil and the bad spirits in a cleansing ceremony through the purifying power of fire is held in Guatemala. La Antigua Guatemala is one of the few places where you can get together with hundreds of people to burn the devil. The origins of the Quema del … Read more
At the end of the rainy season one begins to see this tissue paper kites being sold in tienditas, small town convenience stores, the mercado (market) or even on the streets. If you don’t know the symbolism of the kites around Día de Muertos, go search the archives. 😉 #GUATEGRAMS photo exhibit in NYC aside: … Read more
Yesterday I read in on one of the social media networks that Guatemala is a country aspiring to enter the 21st Century, but with so many things still pending from the 19th Century. That is so true, I know it now after taking my History of Antigua Guatemala USAC’s certificate program. My question was how … Read more
I believe that processions and parades are the most popular public manifestations of antigüeños. It’s almost impossible to conceive Antigua Guatemala without a parade or procession almost every week. Here, for instance, I encountered an interesting student parade celebrating the anniversary of their school. From what I was able to determine, each classroom picked a … Read more
I was privileged to have the opportunity to show some of daily life stamps I have recorded with my camera to a group of friends, loyal readers, followers and people interested in photography on the inauguration of my solo photo exposition #Guategrams on August 3rd. Most of the daily life images have been either published … Read more
Photo for Life is how I translate this title. Foto x vida was a photo exhibition I attended last weekend. What I like about this photo exhibition were that photo displays and that the funds of the sale of the photos will benefit the village of Tonajuyú Buenos Aires, Chimaltenango. What surprised me was the … Read more
I was fortunate to accompany Guatemalan Architect José María Magaña Juárez, who specializes in conservation of monuments and historic centers and was Antigua Guatemala Conservator from 1979 through 1986, and other architecture enthusiasts through a architecture walk through the three different periods Magaña has been able to identify: Renaissance, Transition and Baroque. According to Architect … Read more
Who can explain to me why belly dancing is so popular in Antigua Guatemala. I have seen belly dancers in many activities and events in Antigua Guatemala, but I don’t know how something so foreign can be so embedded in the traditions of Antigüeños. What’s your take on it?
El fin es sólo el comienzo. The end is just the beginning. One of the aspects that I enjoy the most about being part of engine behind Club Fotográfico de Antigua Guatemala (CFA), Antigua’s Photo Club, is that we bring the most prominent and important photographers to Antigua Guatemala to share their experiences and knowledge. … Read more
Last Saturday was the inauguration of the photographic exhibition “Instrospectivas” (instrospectives), a sampling of the human condition. These images are not just photographs, they are people and their circumstances, a society and its circumstances the promotional banner reads. As always, if you’re in Antigua Guatemala don’t miss this important exhibit at the Compañía de Jesús … Read more