So far in these milpa fields I have found beans, squash, red onions, fruit trees, and flowers. However, as explained before, in a milpa field there a dozen crops at once: maize, avocados, multiple kinds of squash, chiles (hot pepper chilli), beans, tomatoes, tomatillos, camotes (sweet potatoes), jicama (a tuber also known as sengkwang, yam … Read more
According to Don Alejandro, campesinos walk about a mile or two each day around 6am to 7am to work on their milpas. They do this from April through December. If you have a mule or donkey, the loads are a little easier, but if you are not, you have to carry heave loads up and … Read more
One of the favourite activities Guatemalans enjoy to do on the weekends are these soccer matches. Most matches happen on Saturday afternoon and Sundays all day since many Guatemalans usually work on Saturday mornings. Soon though, most Guatemalans will be glued to their television sets since the real and true FOOT BALL WORLD CUP will … Read more
One of the benefits of having a Banana Republic (not the clothing store, but the real thing!) is the tremendous amount of recipes available with plantains that became an integral part of the Guatemalan gastronomy. Bananas, including plantains, are native to Africa. Yet it is the Central American republics, more specifically Guatemala the tiny third-world … Read more
I came across this tree house while scouting through the alleys of the village of San Pedro Las Huertas, Antigua Guatemala. What I found interesting was that the house made from lepa logs (lehpah me thinks). Lepa is the word we use in Guatemala for “slab wood,” the cut-off edge from when they are cutting … Read more
As I explained back in September 2011, I am seeing more Mormons in and around Antigua Guatemala than usual. Now the interesting part is that instead of just men, now you can see a lot women missionaries. According to commenter Fulano, “The Mormon church (officially called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) actually … Read more
Here I was able to capture the three of the four most popular means of transportation around Antigua Guatemala. Walking and cycling, I believe, are the most healthy and ecological means of transportation. La camioneta, on the other hand, is quite possibly the most contaminating, yet the only public mass transit option for now. Honestly, … Read more
As I have mentioned before, it doesn’t matter what day of the week one stops by the public washbasins, lavaderos around Antigua Guatemala, one will always find the ladies doing the laundry either their own or somebody else’s. I have chatted with several of these women and I’ve asked what were some of the reasons … Read more
Did you know that Guatemala once had both an English and Spanish-speaking Black community? The latter group, known as Garifuna, arrived from Nigeria by way of St. Vincent, where they blended with Carib Indians beginning in 1635 before migrating to Guatemala. By contrast, the former group was brought to the country to work the fields … Read more
Another goal that I have set for myself for this new year is to make panoramic photographs all the plazas [main squares] of the villages of Antigua Guatemala and surrounding communities and municipalities along the tiny planets that I have already began. With these two new photographic approaches as well as with the on-going series … Read more
I was able to capture a portrait of this old man taking the sun next to the San Pedro monument in San Pedro Las Huertas. Since the statue has no plaque and I am not at all knowledgable about saint effigies, I had to ask who the sculpture represented and he was kind enough to … Read more
I am glad to see more tours around the villages of Antigua Guatemala where visitors get a change to observe and experience the #RealGuatemala. Often I declare that La Antigua Guatemala is not Guatemala. I claim such a counter-information based of the fact that La Antigua Guatemala is not the real world and as such … Read more
On the last week before Christmas one can find festive decorations everywhere, including the streets of many of the villages around Antigua Guatemala.
I really like to see well taken care of horse riding through the streets of Antigua Guatemala and surrounding villages. That’s why I ask the following: Who wants to trade their vehicle with lots of horse-power for a week for just one horse of power. This horse of power, of course.
Believe or not, there are some benefits to the rainy season in Guatemala. For one, because the rainy season engulfs the hot weather of Spring, Summer and Autumn, our Summer is actually very comfortable to the point that most Guatemalans actually call it Winter. The rainy season also brings all the necessary water for everything … Read more