The entire property of Espacioce! or the Centro de Cooperación de la Formación Española is impressive. Yet, many never venture beyond the ruins outside to discover the impressive rows of arches that enclose a grand expanse of manicured lawn inside the Compañía de Jesús building. The first courtyard is centered around a typical Antigueño fountain … Read more
To be honest, I’m not a huge meat eater. Yet, I’m not a vegetarian either. I will splurge every once in a while on a “meat feast” and one of my favorite places to go is a little known restaurant perched on the side of the road on the way to Lake Atitlán. La Colina … 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
Tuesday the 13th, a day of much superstition, was the day of the a fundraising event at JP’s Rumbar for the non-government organization Niños de Guatemala. Perhaps, many people thought of it as a very unlucky day, yet, no one that attended the activity thought so. It was crowded! La Raíz played, candles lit the … Read more
Play this song before continuing: We know now that in the early years of the twentieth century this world was being watched closely by intelligences greater than man’s, and yet as mortal as his own. We know now that as human beings busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinized and studied, perhaps almost … Read more
Photographing green is an obsession for me. There is something about the way green looks when it’s captured by camera. I will always invariably shoot all things green. I captured this “palm umbrella” while I was at Panza Verde for Yoga class early Monday morning. I think the blurred white cupola and the rich, blue … Read more
Okay, so I’m going to need some help with this one. I know Rudy has an abundant sign collection and I thought that this might make a good addition. I really like the stark contrasts between light and dark, and black and white in the photo. And, it’s tried, tested and proven: red always draws … Read more
The whimsical, timeless allure of La Antigua’s colonial architecture, peacefully protected ruins and cobbled streets is a common theme of which I’ll never tire. This door, this “portal to an ancient world” fills my imagination. I envision erect Don’s and Doña’s of years past, prevailing over a newly established colony under the looming shadows of … Read more
From the self-portrait above it’s obvious I was in quite the “alternative art” mood. But, being at my third art exposition for the night, I couldn’t help it. Saturday was a whirlwind of creative stimulation. First, the “Laberinto de Miradas. Colectivos Fotográficos en Iberoamérca” exposition at the Centro Cultural de España. Next, the grand opening … Read more
The warning came from behind: “Please, we’re really not supposed to be taking photos of the art here.” I had just snapped this picture when I spun around to see who was trying to tell ME not to take photos. 😉 “Hi, I’m Bill Ipsan and I’d prefer if the artwork was not photographed.” Ah, … Read more
Sometimes I forget that I should simply disconnect from the Internet and go outside. This time Rudy Girón took me out, and there was a rainbow posing just for us. This reminded me that, while out, sometimes I should stop, watch and observe. Walking around La Antigua Guatemala is amazing and I’ve heard that some … Read more
There is something about how the sun rises and sets that gets people marveled, or in some kind of magical admiration to what nature shows us. On this past Tuesday I was about to meet some friends, and I began seeing what promised to be a beautiful sunset. Someone on the street said, it is … Read more
After having lived for more than three months now in La Antigua Guatemala, I’ve only been a little around its surroundings. So at some point I was in San Juan del Obispo, San Pedro Las Huertas, and so on, but this past weekend I had the opportunity to go to the Earth Lodge, located in … Read more
This is just one of those rare shots you get when the opportunity strikes. I was scrolling through my email when my roommate suddenly burst out laughing. I looked up to find the house cat, “Gringo,” cruelly toying with its newfound prey… a lagartija, or lizard. The cat had wounded the pour creature and was … Read more
There are so many things that could be said about this photograph of two men, both in soldiers uniforms, even if one of them belongs to another age, another era, another place. But in a sense both of them are playing roles—today’s soldier playing one that may seem incongruous, suprising or even paradoxical, especially to … Read more