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
I have talked about the recycling done in La Antigua Guatemala before with Haves and Have-Nots, Public Enemy Number 1, Guatemalan-style Salt and Pepper Shakers, Chicken Buses are The Second Life of School Buses, and Antigua’s Biodiesel Project (just to name a few). It never ceases to amaze me the creativity and ingenuity of Guatemalans … Read more
The wonderful celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the National Council for the Protection of Antigua was held on Nov 20th at Capuchinas ruins. The evening began with warm words on behalf of different members of the Council. They covered the history of the Council and also included words for the future.
Unfortunately I arrived late to listen to all the words, but you could see the smiles on many people that were present. Everyone payed attention, and of course, how couldn’t you, Antigua is what it is because there is people that truly care to keep this City as it is.
And, as if words were not enough, the Procurador de Derechos Humanos and other public figures were present. The words of Dr. Sergio Fernando Morales provided an even more warming atmosphere, talking about our challenges, our opportunities and of course our future as Guatemalans.
The Orquesta Sin Fronteras amused the night even more. People were hypnotized, as I simply tried to focus on working my camara to capture the moments. It was amazing, great music, great choreography, all combined with great lights.
The evening was just perfect, it was a tribute to Antigua itself, by people that just love it.
Believe it or not, in La Antigua Guatemala people still take their shoes for repairs, quite often extending the life of shoes by a factor of three. Even more unbelievable is the fact that you can have your shoes tailored-made to the specific shape and size of your feet. Now for bonus points, can you … Read more
One of the things I look forward to most when venturing out on a little jaunt outside of La Antigua is elote. There is a strip along the road that heads to Chimaltenango that is lined with Maya women fanning their grilled corn, waving drivers to stop for a quick roadside treat. You can find … Read more
The two most important towns that have giant kite flying on Todos los santos, All Saints’ Day and Día de los difuntos, Day of the Dead, are Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepéquez. However, both days are celebrated throughout Guatemala by going to the cemetery to remember the dead, to take flowers, to clean and paint the … Read more
Shoot! I forgot to mention I also recorded some videos. I am sorry, it looks like we have enough Día de los difuntos Día de Todos los Santos, Day of the Dead All Saints’ Day material for the entire week. Today you can appreciate the size of a kite and see how the kites are … Read more
What can I say, today was a day with lots of ups and downs. I am too tired tonight to give all the details; suffice it to say that our car broke down on the way to pick the fiambre (nothing major) and had to carry the fiambre and the car on a tow truck; … Read more
If there were an unofficial anthem for Guatemala, that would be El Grito. Most Guatemalan grow hearing El Grito and even dancing the “son” in school events. Here’s a question for the Guatemalans living abroad, when was the last time you heard El Grito and what kind thoughts crossed your mind? Here’s yet another dose … Read more
These caramelized apples are a good example of the syncretism found in the Guatemalan gastronomy.
As Pascu mentioned yesterday, “I find Guatemalan cuisine unique: the blend of three cultures, each completely different. Mayan heritage brings the slow cooking stew style with thick sauces. African, the taste for deep fry food. Finally Spanish culture brought the oven, baked delicacies: bread, dough, roast, “dulces”… local fruits and vegetables mixed with 3 european basic ingredients: milk, sugar and eggs.”
Erin also added a few ingredients to stew, “It is important to keep in mind that the lists of local ingredients and dishes were enlarged and improved in many ways, during the colonial times. I am not taking out any credit to the local indigenous ingredients and methods; I am only saying that what we now know as ethnic food is a glorious combination of our past in its purest form, the colonial times, and some contemporary additions. Anyway, whatever the background in our extensive list of dishes, all of them are a feast to the senses. What a joy!”
How funny that Erin should mention Feast of the Senses since that was precisely the name of the exhibit of Central American gastronomy in which I participated two years ago. As always, follow the white rabbit to see some of the photographs that were on display at Fiesta de los Sentidos.
On a totally unrelated subject, it just occurred to me that the United States is one of the largest Spanish-speaking countries since it has one of the largest populations of Spanish speakers. Spanish has been spoken in the U.S. from a time before its independence; heck from before English was spoken there. And at the rate at which the Spanish-speaking population grows, faster than any other, you may have to hablar español sooner or después or move to Canada. 😉 Remember that you can always come to La Antigua Guatemala to take Spanish classes in the more than 65 Spanish Schools available in this tiny colonial town.
Por favor dejar sus comentarios y preguntas abajo; hay mucho espacio abajo y esta bitácora digital es ecológicamente verde, panza verde verde verde pues.
Guatemala’s rich gastronomic heritage is “disappearing” right before our own very eyes. I try to capture and document some of it, but I am afraid I am doing it too slow.
Let me explain.
The other day I went to the tienda to buy some papalinas and I asked the girl at the counter for bag of papalinas. She looked dazed and confused and her hand kept on moving between the papalinas, plataninas and yuquitas. Finally, she admitted she did not know which was which. She solicited help to show her which was papalinas. She was about 18 years old so I inquired about her provenance; not willing to admit to myself that it was feasible for a Guatemalan teenager to not know what papalinas were.
In Guatemala, however, everyday the limits of what’s possible are pushed further out.
The tienda attendant was from a village not to far from La Antigua Guatemala.
Guatemala is certainly the land of “los desaparecidos (as).” 🙁
To counteract el olvido, here’s a dose of Sobrevivencia… A Guatemalan Mayan rock band. Enjoy and let me know if you need more doses of Sobrevivencia!
If you are planning to leave Guatemala before November 1, you will certainly miss the Giant Kites of Santiago and Sumpango. You won’t be able to see the kite runner in the cemeteries of Guatemala. However, if you are in La Antigua Guatemala, you can head over to Nim Pot to see some samples of … Read more
The “strong winds” begin making their way to Guatemala; Vientos fuertes would say Miguel Ángel Asturias. With the vientos fuertes also appear the barriletes, kites, and giant kites which help to reunite the dead with the living during the celebrations of Día de los difuntos, Day of the dead. What do you know about the … Read more
What are the aspects that make up identity and idiosyncrasy? What makes Guatemalans almost anywhere in the planet salivate at the sight of a plastic bag with sliced fresh citric fruits? Really drool if they see the lime juice, ground pepitoria (dried squash seeds) and chile powder? What nostalgic fibers and long-gone forgotten memories are … Read more
It is impossible to think of the Guatemalan, Mexican and Mesoamerican diet without maize. From the Popul Vuh (Popol Wuj in modern spelling), the Mayan equivalent of the Bible, which states that humans were literally created from maize, to Miguel Ángel Asturias‘ novel Hombres de maíz (Men of Maize) which is one of the best … Read more
