Back on Ash Wednesday, February 21st, 2007, I said that in the Catholic Realm the Holy Week celebration had begun with Ash Wednesday. Around Antigua, this means the commencement of all kinds of religious rituals like processions. Above you see a children’s procession caught by my viewfinder on Saturday 17th. For many people not used … Read more
One of the things I like best about La Antigua Guatemala is its location. One hour or less from Guatemala City and the Pacific Ocean, about two hours or less from the most beautiful lake in the world: Lake Atitlán (according to Alexander von Humboldt). A little under three hours from Quetzaltenango or Xela like … Read more
I had said it before, La Antigua Guatemala is tiny town —barely a 10×10 block grid— yet it manages to host well over 65 Spanish-language schools. As a matter of fact, Guatemala is a popular destination for those willing to learn Spanish, even though Guatemala’s Spanish is an old flavor and many words are only … Read more
One of the best things to do in La Antigua Guatemala is to enjoy the sunsets at the parks or in a bar. Here you see some Spanish-language students, I supposed, taking a break from classes and warming up with the sunshine of the late afternoon at the park right across the Escuela de Cristo … Read more
Normally, I try to publish clean, with almost no visual noise, photographs as in Shadow Casting Lamp, the wallpaper series, Palo de Izote Tree and Arches reflected on Tanque de la Unión. This is an extremely difficult task when you live in a part of the world which is very noisy, both visual and audio; … Read more
I have posted many photos of bicycles in and around Antigua Guatemala and I even said that bicycles are among the most-widely used vehicles in La Antigua Guatemala. It is only logical that many bicycle repair shops exist to fix them. Here is a glance at a tidy and messy bike repair shop. Come back … Read more
Here is a better shot showing how the Guatemalan textiles literally carpet the garden around the fountain (fuente in Spanish) at La Fuente. I had to underexposed the fountain and the people in the background to get a better view of the colors and textures of the textiles in the foreground. As always, if you … Read more
On the weekends the center garden around the fountain in La Fuente strip mall and restaurant is carpeted by Guatemalan textiles on sale; awesome stuff, by the way. La Fuente is one my favorite places to have lunch and meet with people. You can recall the entry about Six Degrees of Separation at La Fuente … Read more
Architecture arose from man’s necessity to shelter from the environment. First, he used the caves where he left registered scenes from his daily life, to then build, with the materials found in nature, his home. As humankind organized socially and the jobs became specialties, the first masons appeared and transformed the natural materials such stone and wood, and invented others like adobes and bricks from clay. (fragment from La mano de obra en la arquitectura from JM Magaña in Recrearte Magazine, page 8, available in Spanish as a PDF download)
Even though most, if not all, of the quick photo labs are digital now in La Antigua Guatemala, the old and traditional photo studios still remain open. How long will they stay open, I don’t know. I saw how in less than 18 months all the quick photo lab went digital and how the Guatemalan … Read more
Nowhere is Guatemala’s syncretism more evident than in its food. Here you have a sampler of what is considered authentic traditional Guatemalan dishes, yet you can see Chinese fried rice and chow mein, French roll sandwiches fill with Spanish-style pierna (leg), Russian potato salad, buche and tomato salad, revolcado Guatemalan curry, Guatemalan tacos (fried flautas), … Read more
Wood is a very popular material for handicrafts made by the artisans around Antigua Guatemala. Last year on May 25th I told you about the meaning of the name of this country: The name Guatemala derives from the word Goathemala which was given by the Spanish conquistadors and it derives from Quauhtlemallan a word from … Read more
The crosses are everywhere around Antigua Guatemala even though one may become blind to them after a while. This black cross was capture in the Fair of Artisans from around Antigua. As a matter of fact, all the recent folk-art photos where taken there, including Don’t get burn! and Close-up View of Guatemalan Textiles. There … Read more
Sometimes when you start a series you don’t know where to begin. I have colors, rich saturated colors for you. But, I will start slow; raising the intensity as we progress; kind of like rising the volume. Which remains me of another photo with lost of colors: Pump up the color. In the Daily Photo … Read more
The informal economy is the basis for making a living for most Guatemalans. That is why you have shoe-shining boys, orchids sellers, furniture sellers, textiles sellers, handicrafts sellers, vehicle watchers, ice cream handcarts sellers, market merchants and a very long et-cetera. As matter of fact, Guatemala’s SAT, IRS equivalent, has a tough time collecting the … Read more