“Walijoq caewaj!” she yelled over and over in Quiche. Wake up, my love. Wake up, my love. This is the story of Manuel Jaminez Xum, a Mayan day laborer, and his unfortunate encounter with Los Angeles Police officers. This is story that I am glad Los Angeles Times has decided to follow through with in-depth … Read more
Saturday, September 25, 2010 was the successful inauguration of the photo exhibition “Con sabor y aroma a café” by the members of the Club Fotográfico de Antigua. This is the second photo exhibit by Antigua’s Photo Club in less than a year. The first exhibition was held las November 2009 at Las Capuchinas ruins. In … Read more
Today I was driving around Antigua Guatemala’s Central Park and I was not allowed to continue towards the Palacio del Ayuntamiento (Municipal building) because the Tuk Tuk taxis had taken the entire street to park their units. As soon as I found parking, I grabbed my camera and decided to take some repetition shots (you … Read more
Guatemala’s largest photo festival Foto▸30 was inaugurated tonight in La Antigua Guatemala with two photo exhibits: Tribu and Que los muertos hablan.
Foto▸30 is celebrating its 8th anniversary with 30 photo exhibits held through out Guatemala. If you like photography, this is your opportunity to indulge in the universe of the Guatemalan imagery. Don’t miss it, all the events are free!
Here’s a slide show to give you an overview of the Inauguration at espacioce! in the Compañía de Jesús building in La Antigua Guatemala.
This has to be the rainiest year ever in my entire life. I had never ever seen so much rainfall. After several consecutive days of non-stop rain I posted this in Twitter: @rudygiron: Éste es el año más lluvioso de toda mi vida y sinceramente ya me tiene harto y deprimido. @rudygiron: This has to … Read more
In the nine years that I have been living around La Antigua Guatemala I had never seen so much work being done by a municipal administration as with the current City Hall government, especially around the villages which historically are always forgotten in favor of Antigua Guatemala. That’s three different mayors. Although I did voted … Read more
What is the most resilient parasite? Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm? An idea. Resilient… highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it’s almost impossible to eradicate. An idea that is fully formed – fully understood – that sticks; right in there somewhere. (source: Inception quotes at IMDb) The scientific study … Read more
Immigrants remittances are shaping the landscape of Mesoamerica with houses and constructions built upon the dreams and hard work of people in search of a better life for their families. Why are so many people from Central America looking for a better life somewhere else? Is life elsewhere? What are some of the causes for … Read more
Not too long ago I visited the exhibit Arquitectura de Remesas, an anthropological, architectonic and photographic study of how immigrants remittances are shaping the landscape in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Of course, many people think immigrants are criminals and/or illegal aliens without realizing that immigrants are just people with dreams of a better life, … Read more
Today while doing some banking mandados, errands, out of curiosity I ask if they already had the brand new Q200 bill (200 quetzals is about US$25). The bank teller told they only had one to show people what the new bill look like and asked me if I would like to see it? Sure, I … Read more
According to Foursquare, I hold more mayorships than anyone in La Antigua Guatemala, including the current elected Mayor, Dr. Vivar. 😉 So, I believe I should be able to change the official slogan of the city from Ciudad de las perpetuas rosas (City of the perpetual roses) to Ciudad de las fuentes (City of fountains); … Read more
We are so lucky in Guatemala to have an abundant supply of fresh and colorful vegetables all year long. This colorful side dish, for instance, can be had any time of the year for a few quetzales.
Three simple shots of fountains found inside the patios of Casa Santo Domingo. In the picture above I decided to freeze the water in mid air to show the distinct drops. In the pictures below I went to opposite way and smooth the flow of water to show its movement. I played with running water … Read more
These are the most common license plates in La Antigua Guatemala right now. I could go as far as saying that there are more Salvadoreans license plates than Guatemalans. Why are Salvadoreans are flocking to Antigua Guatemala, I hear you ask? Two reasons. One, Salvadoreans are enjoying the time off because of the San Salvador … Read more
In short, the protesters, most of them vendors from the municipal marker, were demanding to throw away the plans to move the bus terminal away from el mercado, market. They were also demanding fair and just treatment towards the poor and the worker from the mayor and municipal council. I recorded several videos which I will link below in case you want a watch the clips of a Guatemala manifestation. Further down, there’s a slideshow with enough photos to give you taste of it all.
As I was about to turn right on 3a calle oriente, on my way to Parque Central, I noticed a large colorful crowd and before anybody knew it, the protesters had canceled out the entrance and exit of La Antigua Guatemala be their sheer numbers. I parked, grabbed the camera and iPhone and decided I was going to do my best to document this manifestation. I shot about a hundred photographs and a few videos. Some of the photos and updates when online in real time to Twitter, Facebook and videos to Qik. Believe it or not, I am getting good at this.
Without further ado, here are the videos recorded and uploaded in real time.
