As the new mayor took office on January 15th, he launched a new campaign to rescue the streets for the lent celebrations begin in February. Right now there are crews of cobblestone street workers almost everywhere and many streets are closed for repairs. Let’s hope they can meet their goal since Lent or Cuaresma in Spanish is approaching soon.
I find the singing of the indigenous people extremely haunting and touching, even though, they are singing evangelical hymns. To me this singing has another layer of pain and denouncing which is above the meaning of the words they sing; something much older and more mystical than the religious hymn brought by the European Christianity.
I haven’t seen the film yet, but the title alone is hauntingly enough, for me, to make me want to see it. Live and become could be the short answer for those searching how to make a Guatemalan from a newly adopted baby. With that in mind, I leave you a short slide show and a video clip of the activities around the Guatemalan Independence Day.
I dedicate these photos, video and sounds to all my Guatemalan readers living abroad; may these vistas bring you home for a little while.
Ferris wheels are another element of the Guatemalan fair. There is at least one Ferris wheel, but more often two or three of different sizes. The Ferris wheel is known here by these names rueda de Chicago(Chicago Wheel), rueda de la fortuna (wheel of fortune) and vuelta al mundo (around the world). Fairs are made up by all kinds of ambulant stands. Fairs are like accordions, they grow or shrink depending of the size of the community or town. All these photos belong to the San Pedro Las Huertas, a small village just outside and belonging to La Antigua Guatemala. At the end of July, La Antigua Guatemala will have its massive fair in honor of Saint James or Santiago.
In 1492 the Spaniards came to the Americas and traded their tiny mirrors and beads for all the wealth available in gold, silver and precious metals and stones. The kings of Spain at the time never visited the “new” world. In 2007, today to be precise, the Kings of Spain, Don Juan Carlos (Charles) and … Read more
Yesterday I told you I was going to have a sample of the sorrowful tunes play by the processional musicians that are an integral part of processions. On the weekends of the Lent season or Cuaresma as it is known in Spanish, La Antigua Guatemala becomes the backdrop for smaller processions which are a preamble … Read more
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
We continue the music journey at Jamtigua International Music Festival with Ranferí Aguilar and his Rain Maker show. Hacedor de Lluvia or Rain Maker could be classified as new age music created with pre-hispanic music instruments. I know this short explanation does not really explain Ranferí Aguilar’s music, so I decided to present two videos … Read more