A Motorized Boost for Bicyclists

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Reading the New York Times Sunday supplement that comes with Prensa Libre, I learnt about a revolution is taken place without making too much noise; accidental transportation upheaval, the NYT calls it. It began in China, where an estimated 120 million electric bicycles now hum along the roads, up from a few thousand in the … Read more

Colorful Guatemalan Wooden Animal Heads

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As a graphic designer I can only have admiration for the excellent handling of color, texture, patterns and shapes found in Guatemala’s indigenous art. Come on, just look at the intricate use of colors, dots, and forms in the wooden animal heads above; it is amazing that so many different elements can be in complete … Read more

Guatemalan Beer: Chelada or Michelada?

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Chelada or Michelada, or which ever way you have them, Guatemalan beers are so refreshing! 😉 How many Guatemalan beers can you name? How many different Guatemalan beers have you tried? What’s your favorite Guatemalan beer? Ephemerides Aside: 34 years ago today Guatemala had the most devastating earthquake of its recent history. On February 4th, … Read more

Colonial Kitchen And Modern Appliances

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Like I said yesterday, “my never ending quest of bringing you the contrast of the ‘Old’ Guatemala versus the ‘New’ Guatemala…” Also, I believe I mentioned before that living in La Antigua Guatemala is not like time traveling to the past, but rather, it’s more like collapsing the time-distance among different time periods so that … Read more

Luna de Antigua

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Anyway, in my never ending quest of bringing you the contrast of the ‘Old’ Guatemala versus the ‘New’ Guatemala, I share with you two new versions of Luna de Xelajú. The first rendition of Luna de Xelajú is by Malacates Trebol Shop. The second version of Luna de Xelajú is performed by the group Abracadabra. Next, you will find the lyrics for Luna de Xelajú in Spanish and English right below. Last but not least, you can watch and hear the Marimba of Bellas Artes performed Luna de Xelajú. Enjoy!

Theme Day: Wood or Holly Wood

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As almost every first of the month, AntiguaDailyPhoto is joining the City Daily Photo community in the orchestrated global effort to show you “wood” as a theme day. I opted to show you Maximón effigies made from wood, now holly wood really since Maximón is worshiped by the Maya people of Guatemala. Below, an introduction … Read more

2012: Myths and Facts about The Mayan Prophecy

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Last Friday night at 7 p.m. AntiguaDailyPhoto guest contributor and professional photographer Arturo Godoy, Kara Andrade from HablaGuate and I attended the conference La verdadera estructura del Calendario Maya, or The True Structure of the Mayan Calendar, given by Mayanist David Stuart. Dr. David Stuart refuted the modern visions of the end of the world … Read more

The Modern Maya

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The Maya represent a culture that demonstrates how tradition and technology can thrive together. This Maya woman, dressed in the traditional Mayan falda – or skirt – fills the tank of her scooter at a local gas station: Guatemala truly is the “Land of Contrasts.” I love what it symbolizes… progression without losing the rich … Read more

Smoke Signals from Volcán de Fuego

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Smoke Signals from Volcán de Fuego

Have I told you how much I love the dry season in Guatemala (November through April)? Well, I do for so many reasons, like the dry season is also the cooler, even chilly, time of the year. The quality of light is superb and thus the sunsets are incredible almost every day. Because all the winds blowing from the big white north, the skies are clear and the volcanoes are bare naked (without the fluffy clouds). And Volcán de Fuego begins its relentless activity sending smoke signals several times through the day. I believe this picture encapsulates quiet well the reasons why I love the dry season.

So, what are you waiting for, pack your luggage and come to La Antigua Guatemala before the rains come again!

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RENAP Is Retiring Guatemala’s Old ID Cards

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Guatemala’s National Registry of Persons, Registro Nacional de las Personas, RENAP began retiring the old Guatemalan identification card known as Cédula back in September 2009. The RENAP only has until December 31, 2010 to switch the old identification booklet documents since by law the cédulas will be rendered invalid and useless on January 1, 2011. … Read more