Cultural

Guatemalan Nacimiento for Christmas Eve in Antigua

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Here’s a simple Nacimiento made from corn husks to celebrate Navidad. As I have described before, with the Feast for the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th, people 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 … Read more

Posada Enactment for the Elders

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Beginning on December 15, there are sightings of Joseph and Mary’s quest for shelter around the streets of La Antigua Guatemala. María and José figures are carried around Antigua Guatemala, knocking on people’s doors to ask for posada (shelter). Our eye witness reporter has been able to gather the following information regarding the quest for … Read more

Burning of the Devil in Antigua Guatemala

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La Antigua Guatemala remains as one of the few places where you can meet with hundreds of people willing to Burn the Devil and the bad spirits in a cleansing ceremony through the purifying power of fire. The idea of the La quema del diablo celebration was to get rid of the devil, the bad … Read more

Students Paying a Visit to The Antique Book Museum

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Here’s another day trip away from regular school day. Boy, when I was a kid anything to get me away from a regular school day, especially if it was for a theater play, concerto, or philharmonic recital, even visits to museums were good. So I guess a visit to a church is just as good … Read more

Paca Nation

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Because I am a politically correct person I will say that Guatemala is one of major recycling centers for things discarded in the good old U.S.A. I will say that Guatemalans give a second life to things dumped by estadounidenses (Unitedstatians) and Canadians to a lesser degree. I have talked about this “recycling” in the … Read more

Antorchas de Independencia

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As every year, on September 14, people from all over the Guatemala begin marathons to go to another part of the country to get the flame for the Independence Torch back in their communities. There are many places the have a torch where other people from other towns can light their torch to bring back … Read more

Guatemalan Alienation

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This year FOTO»30, Guatemala’s Photo September, a month full of photographic exhibits has as the encompassing theme the concept Nation. I remember what Manolo said last year when I entitled a post Perpetuating a Nation. It [Guatemala] is a country, a republic… but a nation… I am not sure. —Manolo Everyday I come across more … Read more

Aide-de-camp Models Dressed As Indigenous Women

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Can anybody help me understand why a country with a +55% population of indigenous Maya hires European-looking models to dress as Maya indigenous women? Please help me comprehend what’s wrong with our indigenous women that Guatemala’s Tourism Board hires light-skin ladinas and white women to represent our women? I need help understanding what’s wrong with … Read more

Business In A Basket

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The basket business could easily be another series about the ambulant food vendors who make a living selling all kinds food from a canasta (basket). These canastas can be used to carry and/or sell all sorts of things like tortillas, atoles (thick drinks), panes (bread), dobladas, tostadas, beef stews, fruits and vegetables, flowers, or tamales … Read more

Much Ado About Nothing

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The chicken bus barely stopped while crossing over 4a calle oriente; the main artery that becomes the exit to Guatemala City. A traffic cop was there. Furthermore, the bus pilot blasted the horns. Lastly, the bus parked in front of the Cathedral, next to the Main Plaza. Three traffic violations in less than 20 seconds. … Read more

Separation of Church and State In Antigua Guatemala

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For those who don’t know, the building that appears in the photo is La Antigua Guatemala Municipal government building, simply known as La Muni. The altar shown in the foreground was installed for the commencement of the Lent season. So, there’s your answer about any real separation between Church and State in La Antigua Guatemala. … Read more

The Germans in Guatemala 1820-1944

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In case you didn’t know, in Guatemala we had a large influx of Germans for over a century. Regina Wagner, a Guatemalan of German ancestry, takes us through a magical and mystery tour through history in her book Los Alemanes en Guatemala 1828-1944 and she explains how the Germans were brought to Guatemala through government-sponsor … Read more

XI Festival Internacional De Cultura Paiz Begins

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XI Festival Internacional De Cultura Paiz Concert by Jennifer Lara @ienilara

XI Festival Internacional De Cultura Paiz opened with a energy-charged reunion concert by the two most representative bands from Central America: the Guatemalan rock band Alux Nahual from Guatemala and Éditus, the Grammy-winning jazz group from Costa Rica at Ermita de la Santa Cruz; one of the best venues in La Antigua Guatemala for concerts.

This time the Festival Internacional De Cultura Paiz will showcase a series of cultural and educational events through the entire year as opposed to previous festival which only lasted a few weeks.

There will be plenty of events in the upcoming weeks. There are two events scheduled for Saturday: the concert Bach en la Habana by Tiempo Libre and La Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil Municipal and the exhibition El Universo de Carlos Mérida.

The concert could be heard from at least than two kilometers away from La Ermita de La Santa Cruz; I know because thats the distance that separates my house from La Ermita.

I was looking forward to photographing the inauguration concert of Festival Internacional De Cultura Paiz, but things just became really complicated at the end of the afternoon and I was unable to assist. Luckily for us, my friend Jennifer Lara attended and she was able to snapped a few shots with her iPhone. She was kind enough to share them with us. Thank you @ienilara.

Photo by Jennifer Lara.

Below you can can see the different events for February and March 2011.

XI Festival Internacional De Cultura Paiz Schudule

Here’s one of the television spots that have been promoting the festival in national television in Guatemala.

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