
Colorful Guatemala Revisited
I am completely ruined. After having spent so much time around rich, intense colors, textures, idiosyncrasies, how could I ever live again …
I am completely ruined. After having spent so much time around rich, intense colors, textures, idiosyncrasies, how could I ever live again …
Trust me, do no trust your nostalgic memories; they will mislead you. 🙁 Today’s sign of al Macarone is a very good …
Guatemala is such a colorful country; everything from flora to textiles, from architecture to food is saturated with the richest rainbow. If …
I was explained by these chicharroneros how they make their chicharrones, chicharrines, carnitas and costilla. First buy the best quality pork skin, …
Back in January Rudy marked his 1000th post with a pic of pacaya cooked in egg batter and duly polled readers for …
The City of La Antigua Guatemala is, for me, completely coloured by my experience of life as an artist. Often out of all the photographs I take, the ones that end up “speaking” back to me with the most intensity are those expressed abstractly
Colorful Guatemala, I tell you, colorful Guatemala! Si ni los mismos guatemaltecos logramos entender la complejidad cultural en la que vivimos… —Ale …
Guatemala has some of the best textiles you can find in the world. If you come to La Antigua Guatemala, you can …
Okay, we will finish the Zapote and other exotic tropical fruits from Guatemala week with the Chico Zapote or simply chico which …
Oh I really like the texture and shape of this sign. Do you know what pietra is? It’s not a Spanish word.
The area for el comedor (dining room) in the casa antigüeña has always flowers nearby, light, lots of it and usually at …
Lucky me that I learned to have new aesthetic values for things antique and old. Lucky me that I find beautiful and …
We, graphic designers, are a weird bunch. We like thinks like patterns, textures, colors, signs, letter shapes, shapes, you name it; if …
I could spend a good hour photographing all aspects of La Tienda de Doña Gavi and perhaps bring you a series… but …
This window’s vista visual style is marvelous. You get textures, flowers, reflections, translucency, easy access, just to name a few features. However, …
Ranchero music is for Latin America what the Blues is for the U.S.: music with just enough texture and color to express …
I guess that many tourists like the opportunity to eat rich ice cream in the winter season in the open in La Antigua Guatemala’s streets. Last year I showed you two tourists taking a break in the late afternoon to eat ice cream in Enjoy it while it lasts!
Here is yet another textured old wall that can be used as wallpaper or desktop image in your computer. This image even includes the electric meter so you can keep a log of how much electricity you are using while in front of your computer. 😉
Remember that you can also browse the Wallpapers category for another 7 images of La Antigua Guatemala that can be used as wallpaper or desktop images for your desktop PC, Mac or Linux workstation. To download the images as wallpapers, all you need to do is click the photos in this site and you will be taken to a larger-size image (1600í—1200) that you can download. The rest depends on the operating system you use.
Elsewhere in La Antigua Guatemala, there is all kinds of Independence activities, similar to what I showed you last year. Today and tomorrow will be filled with patriotic sounds coming from the many students school bands and their parades, as well as the many Independence marathons which carry the patriotic fire in their torches back to their communities and villages. I will try to get at least some different shots of the activities, if work allows it. In the meantime, you can get a feel for the festive and noisy atmosphere we live now in La Antigua Guatemala by checking the entries below.
We continue with “the sign fetish” and today’s turn is for La Tienda de Doña Gavi sign. Believe it or not, this tiny store is one of La Antigua Guatemala landmarks and it’s located on the street behind the Cathedral. Doña Gavi sells all kinds of organic stuff in this cozy shop including avocado ice cream. If you come to Antigua, you must visit this shop. If you don’t trust my recommendation, read the On the Road Travel recommendation below:
JM Magaña, La Antigua Guatemala’s second conservator and the pen behind the architecture column in Recrearte Magazine, pointed out that until 1976 La Antigua Guatemala was painted all white too. At the time the cemetery was created in the 1800s, there were a couple waves of plagues and thus every thing was white-washed with live limestone to disinfect and maintain the town virus free. This coincided with the introduction of coffee in 1875 (more or less) and thus an abundance of wealth which provided the necessary fund to build all those mausoleums. There was a massive earthquake that hit Guatemala in 1976 and destroyed a great deal of buildings and houses in Guatemala. In fact, it is said that the 1976 earthquake changed forever the look and feel of Guatemala. La Antigua Guatemala was not saved and thus reconstruction began after the quake and with it, the color lime-stone paint came. This change in color did not reach the cemetery.
Traditional Guatemalan cuisine refuses to be phased out in favor of international fast food like hamburgers, pizza, hot dogs and chinese food. Even though foreign fast food is convenient, it lacks the complexity in flavors that Guatemalan dishes have. Even a simple dish like Revolcado de Panza, a sort of tomato-based curry with spices and cow’s underbelly brings forth an avalanche of flavors, textures and feelings to the taste buds.
Traditional Guatemalan dishes take a long time to be prepared, sometimes even weeks like the Fiambre (a cold-cuts salad), so they can not compete with fast food junk food in the time of preparation. But who says they have to be prepared the moment you show up to order it? That is fine for sandwiches, but Guatemalan traditional meals are sold by having a ready-made buffet where one can go and just order portions.
Back in March 6th I showed to you the entry doorway of Hotel Santo Domingo (Holy Sunday, by the way) with violet …
Here is a better shot showing how the Guatemalan textiles literally carpet the garden around the fountain (fuente in Spanish) at La …
Do I love yellow or what? To appreciate an old colonial town like La Antigua Guatemala you need a new set of …
Sometimes when you start a series you don’t know where to begin. I have colors, rich saturated colors for you. But, I …
Oh what the heck, I am feeling generous. Here is yet another yellow wallpaper for your desktop. Lessie is right, I find …
If I’m not mistaken, Isabella, from Naples, Florida Daily Photo, said that she became more aware of her surroundings after she began …
On August 3rd, I have said that La Antigua Guatemala is a very small town (about 10×10 block grid), but there is …
Guatemalan textiles are world-famous. As a graphic designer, I have been intrigued for a long while now about the fact that the …
On texture through color I introduced you to Café Concepción, a small and lovely bistro, located about half-block away from my office. …
Under normal circumstances you build a new house and you expect it to look new. Here in Antigua the opposite is true. …