First of all, I wish a very happy Central American Independence Day to all the loyal readers out there! Above we can appreciate the coat of arms on the Nicaraguan flag. This is the flag the most resembles the flag of La Federación del Centro, United States of Central America, a union formed on July … Read more
Patín is the pre-Columbian Mayan food to go. The recipe is quite simple, a cooked tomato and chile sauce smashed over a volcanic stone base and pestle, mixed with smoked and salted fish [tiny (Poeciliopsis gracilis) or small], smoked beef, shrimp, scrambled eggs, pacaya palms or herbs wrapped with “maxan” leaves (Calathea insignis). In the … Read more
Okay, here’s just more marimba picture. I know, I know, I said I had enough about the marimba, but I felt necessary to share this image of what the origins of the marimba looked like. Oftentimes I talked about history of Guatemala and rarely ever go beyond 1491, but I have to tell you this … Read more
I found this emblem inside the Municipal palace in Antigua Guatemala. This was the emblem for the Central American Federation, sort of the United States of Central America, for which Guatemala City was the capital and government seat. This Central American Federation was basically the independent land formerly known as Reyno de Guatemala for which … Read more
Today was the last class of the history of Antigua Guatemala certificate backed by the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, USAC. I can say I feel very fortunate to have been able to attend these lectures by the most renown Guatemalan historians. Also, I can honestly say I have a deeper understanding of why … Read more
Sólo amamos lo que conocemos (we only love what we really know) is the slogan of the advanced course from Universidad de San Carlos, USAC, being taught at Iglesia Capuchinas in Antigua Guatemala for six Thursdays every two weeks. I decided to take this diplomate in history of Antigua Guatemala so I can add more … Read more
First of all, I should mention that this picture was very difficult to capture since cameras can only expose the sky or the corridor, but not both at the same time, so in this case we use a photographic technique known as high dynamic range imaging (HDRI or HDR) which is a set of methods … Read more
Last night was the night. Thor, the hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility decided to pay a visit to the Maya Hero Twins Hunajpu and Ixbalanque who are the central figures of a narrative included within the colonial K’iche’ document called … Read more
On October 20, Guatemala celebrates its Día de la Revolución (Revolution’s Day) and everybody gets the day off as it is a national holiday. Well, almost everybody, I am going to be working. 🙁 Guatemala always manages to be at the cross roads of historic events. Let me share with you two such instances. First, … Read more
As almost every first of the month, AntiguaDailyPhoto is joining the City Daily Photo community in the orchestrated global effort to show you “wood” as a theme day. I opted to show you Maximón effigies made from wood, now holly wood really since Maximón is worshiped by the Maya people of Guatemala. Below, an introduction … Read more
The 2009 rainy season that officially began on April 24 is now over. Nevertheless, before the end, we received 1″ (over 25 mm) of rain between Fridays and Saturday. These last rains were caused by the Hurricane Ida. Hurricane is one of the few Mayan words that have made it into the global scene. In … Read more
So, what kind activities are done in Guatemala to celebrate Independence Day? Most people in Guatemala often say that Guatemalans are not very “patriotic” and immediately mention how patriotic the Mexicans really are: “that’s really patriotism!” Having said that, you can begin to see the first glances of Independence Day activities back in July, or … Read more
The Panchoy Valley, where La Antigua Guatemala is located, used to be a lake at the time the Conquistadores arrived and when they founded the second Santiago de Guatemala in the Almolonga Valley, now Ciudad Vieja which is about two miles from Antigua. Then the Panchoy Lake basin was fed by the Pensativo River. The … Read more
Every year, On January 15th, thousands of pilgrims from Guatemala, the United States, Europe and other Central American countries flock to pay homage to the dark wooden image of the crucified Christ, the most revered Catholic shrine in Esquipulas, the spiritual center of Central America. The image of the Black Christ dates back to March … Read more
Today is theme day for the City Daily Photo community around the world; 840 daily city web sites thus far. For the first theme day of the year, there are 151 cities participating with their best photo of 2008. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants I don’t remember if subscribe to participate in … Read more