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
When is the dry weather when we need it the most in Antigua Guatemala. I mean, why did we have a full dry week right before the first solar of eclipse of the century and then the day of the eclipse clouds and rain. That’s not fair, methinks. Of course, the students of the parade … Read more
The entire world walks by the Parque Central of Antigua Guatemala. Sit by a bench like the people in La Bancada and you’re bound to see and perhaps even talk with some strange and interesting characters. Heck stay the Plaza Mayor long enough and you might even witness concerts, parades, processions and even FBI arrests. … Read more
For the Santiago Apóstol celebrations the municipal authorities decided to set up an effigy of said saint on the second story of the Palacio del Ayuntamiento. There were all kinds of parades during the morning as well marimba music concerts. I guess at municipal level, government officials do not understand the constitutional mandate about the … Read more
How about a satirical parade about a procession? As I said before, in Antigua Guatemala the two most popular form of manifestation are parades and processions. Today I give both for the price of one with the first ever farcical parade in Antigua Guatemala organized by the students of Guatemala’s only public national university better … Read more
There’s so much to see and enjoy during the weekends in La Antigua Guatemala in December. From recitals, to processions, to posada parades, to town fairs or simply take a photo walk. 😉
When it comes to popular religious celebrations Guatemalan syncretism knows no limits. Watch these short video clips that include diablos, devils, moros y cristianos, moors and christians, beauty pageants, pre-Columbian monos and toritos, monkeys and bulls, school parade uniforms, animated/cartoon characters of a convite charade, and live marimba music. How about that for religious syncretism? … Read more
First of all, I want to wish a very happy Guatemalan Independence Day to all the loyal readers out there! With each passing year, the parades of Día de la Independencia de Guatemala are becoming more elaborate and diverse. Here, for instance, there’s a environmental portrait of two Garífuna musicians bringing the flavour of the … Read more
Alejandra is a student showing off her attire for the Saint James Feast school parades. As I have mentioned before, in Antigua Guatemala every celebration calls for processions or parades, sometimes both as it was the case of Día de Santiago Apóstol.
As every July 25, La Antigua Guatemala, formerly known as La Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala, or The Very Noble and Very Loyal City of Saint James of the Knights of Guatemala, celebrates its patron saint day with all kinds of activities, but the most prominent are … Read more
Convites are a very unusual kind of parade from Guatemala. The most famous convites are from Ciudad Vieja, Sumpango, El Tejar, Villa Nueva, but there are convites en many places in Sacatepequez and the entire country, for that matter. Convites started as sort of announcement parades for religious festivities and civic activities in some municipalities … Read more
As every December 12, Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe is observed in Guatemala. Unlike other years where I normally head to Iglesia de La Merced to capture the activities held there as part of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, this year I decided to document the convite parades and costume dances from … Read more
Well, not really. See you see all these masks are for parades celebrated through out Guatemala, but prominently at Ciudad Vieja and now in San Pedro Las Huertas, so I have been told as part of the dance-drama called “Danza de la legión de los 24 diablos” or “Dance of the legion of 24 Devils” … Read more
Often times we get lucky during the photo walks that I lead in La Antigua Guatemala because it seems that there is always something happening around town. We can encounter all sorts of activities and events such as processions and parades [the most common], musical recitals, books fairs, mime and clowns performances, 5k, 10k races, … Read more
Antigua makes me happy! La Antigua Guatemala is full of surprises. Whether you make a right or left turn, a procession, a parade, or both could be waiting around the corner. What about two dozen clowns for a change; enough to make the most depressed person break a smile. Here a portrait of a few … Read more